According to nationwide surveys of arts participation sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, American participation in theatre or non-musical stage plays increased from 11.9 percent of all adults in 1982 to 13.5 percent in 1992 - an increase of 13.4 percent and the largest increase among the six benchmark categories studied (jazz, classical music, opera, musicals, plays and performing arts). For purposes of this survey, a non-musical stage play is a theatrical production consisting of spoken dialogue.

This analysis focuses exclusively on participation in stage plays. The approach taken is first to examine the theatre audience and its characteristics and then to explore the dynamic forces shaping theatre participation. Changes in producing and touring activity is discussed, as well as the evolving nature of the art form itself. Based on an adult population (18+) of 185.8 million, an estimated 25.1 million U. S. adults attended live stage plays in 1992, compared to 20 million in 1982 when the adult population was 164 million. Accounting for sampling error at the 95 percent confidence level, the true size of the 1992 theatre audience was between 24 and 26.2 million adults.

Education remains the single most important predictor of stage play participation. While 35 percent of those with graduate school education reported theatre attendance, only 4 percent of those with high school education did so. Frequency of attendance also increases with education level. Income is also highly correlated with frequent attendance at stage plays. Households with incomes over $75,000 account for 17 percent of the theatre audience compared to 26 percent of the opera audience, but only 9.5 percent of the general population. With respect to age, theatre participation is somewhat more constant across age groups compared to other benchmark activities. The highest theatre participation rate (17.2 percent) was observed among respondents aged 45-54 compared to a rate of just 6.7 percent for those aged 75 and over.

Data provided by Theatre Communications Group (TCG) suggest a small increase in the number of mainstage and other nontouring productions by nonprofit theatres. (p. 1- 3)

CONTENTS
List of tables.
List of figures.
Executive Summary.
Introduction: The surveys of public participation in the arts.

Part 1. Theatre participation in the :

Interest in attending more often.
Crossover participation.
Participation via mass media.
Theatre attendance and other leisure activities.

Part 2. The theatre audience:

Education.
Income.
Age.
Race/ethnicity.
Gender.
Marital status.
Residency.
Region.
Presence of children.

Part 3. Producing activity, 1982-1992:

Nontouring productions.
Touring productions.
Ticket prices.

Part 4. Artistic focus:

Culturally specific work.
Evolution of performance art.

Part 5. Marketing programs.

Part 6. Future participation in theatre.

Appendix A. 1992 survey of public participation in the arts.
Notes.
About the author.
Other reports on arts participation.

According to nationwide surveys of arts participation sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, American participation in theatre or non-musical stage plays increased from 11.9 percent of all adults in 1982 to 13.5 percent in 1992 - an increase of 13.4 percent and the largest increase among the six benchmark categories studied (jazz, classical music, opera, musicals, plays and performing arts). For purposes of this survey, a non-musical stage play is a theatrical production consisting of spoken dialogue.