Page 6 - Fall 2019 inLEAGUE with Historic Theatre Resource Guide/Allied Member Directory

COVID-19 Wreaks Havoc on the Arts

Historic Theatres Have Survived Pandemics Before

Arts and Entertainment is one of the nation’s largest industries – larger even than the airline industry.
Historic Theatres are only a small section of the arts and entertainment industry and yet our impact to
the overall economy is significant. There are 3,142 counties in the 50 states and the District of Colum-
bia. Over half of those counties have a historic theatre (map) that not only provides arts and enter-
tainment to residents but is also an economic generator for the county. Historic theatres collectively
generate over $2.9 billion to Household Incomes and support over 131,000 full-time jobs. (And those
numbers do not include the incredible impact of NYC Broadway Houses/Times Square.)

• Annual Attendance: 70.7 million
• Annual Total Expenditures: $4.3 billion
• Annual Contribution to local and state governments: $427 million

“Dinner and a show” is not just an expression; it is a real thing. The arts, unlike most industries, leverage
significant amounts of event-related spending by their audiences—valuable income for local restau-
rants, parking garages, hotels, and retail stores. Based on 212,691 audience surveys conducted for a
study by Americans for the Arts, the typical arts attendee spends $31.47 per person, per event, be-
yond the cost of admission.

Right now, historic theatres are dark because our artists and audiences are responsibly participating
in social distancing recommendations. Because our business model is built around bringing people
together emotionally and physically, we will be significantly impacted by COVID-19 long after many
other industries have come back on-line. However, historic theatres are proven survivors and many
even survived the 1918 Pandemic.

In 2019 before anyone knew anything about a virus called COVID-19, historic theatres were thriv-
ing. In fact, historic theatres in North America were having a substantial economic impact within
their specific communities. On average, a single historic theatre supported 116 full-time equivalent
jobs in its community as a result of direct employment, as well as additional spending by audiences.
Additionally, total dollars paid to the community from those expenditures increased local household
incomes by $2.5 million. However, because of COVID-19, the industry has been decimated.
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PAGE 4 | INLEAGUE League of Historic American Theatres