Last year was a very good year for theater. According to Theatre Communications Group (TCG)’s Theatre Facts 2006 study, not-for-profit theaters contributed nearly $1.67 billion to the U.S. economy last year, not including the direct contributions made by the 30.5 million theatergoers who often go out to eat, pay for parking and hire babysitters in addition to seeing a show.
The study of 1,893 not-for-profit theaters – 201 that completed a TCG survey and 1,692 that filed IRS Form 990 – also found the theaters’ earned and contributed income outpaced expenses. Despite a slight decrease in giving from 2005, numbers for individual donations, foundation giving, local government grants, in-kind donations, corporate donations and fundraising campaigns steadily have risen over the past four years, with the average gift from individual donors last year coming in at $475. What was the theaters’ greatest expense? Paying the actors, playwrights, designers, builders and other artistic staff who make the magic happen. The study may be downloaded at tcg.org .
