As a long-time lover and supporter of theater, we at askanewyorker.com jumped at the chance to attend a conference at the United Nations concerning the impact of Broadway on the economy of New York City, and even more interestingly, how the influx of tourists is changing how these very shows are now being produced. The conference was headed by Christyne Nicholas of the Broadway Association and Pat Addiss, world-renown producer.
For those of you who speak numbers, 11.5 million Broadway tickets were sold last year alone. This includes tickets bought by tourists, which come to New York in the millions every year (51 million, to be exact), which amounts to 34 billion dollars earned from the tourism industry. It’s safe to say that tourism is good, and New York is capitalizing on its popularity with our friends overseas. If you’re wondering how we weathered the impact of the recession in the Big Apple, look no further than 42nd street.
Beyond keeping their eyes and ears on tourists, Broadway is looking to today’s youth, not only as the future, but as future theater-goers. “I’m looking forward to the evolution of the theater,” citing the pushing of the envelope in off-Broadway shows, and the success of shows like Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark, which has earned well over 100 million dollars since it debuted on Broadway in 2011.
Some great sites to get student, rush and discounted tickets include: scooltix.com, broadwaybox.com, goldclub.com, and, of course, the famous TKTS stand in New York City’s Times Square.
