Artistic Participation Questions

[Jenny in Florida]

My husband and I were chatting last night and ended up going to look up some statistics about how many live performances most Americans attend in a year. I was wondering if this group is similar to the US as a whole.

 

For the purposes of this poll, a "live performance" includes opera, non-musical theatre, musical theatre, ballet and concert-style performances of classical or jazz music. It includes anything for which you pay for a ticket (professional, touring, regional, even community theatre) but NOT student (elementary, middle or high school) performances. Initially, I wasn't going to include college-level performances, either. But I am aware that those productions may be the best options in town in some places.

 

Edit: I'm sorry. I should have specified that we're not counting productions in which you have performed.

 

I've set it to allow multiple selections so that you can choose on of the last two options in addition to the ones about quantity.

 

Thanks!

Edited April 11, 2011 by Jenny in Florida

[laurad1125]

I voted 6-10 but half of those are ones I've performed in...

[Parrothead]

I've seen Swan Lake, the Nutcracker and a play that I don't remember. I did not see any of these as an adult. I've not lived anywhere as an adult that any of these type of performances were readily available.

 

I have seen Jimmy Buffett live, but you didn't mention rock concerts so I was thinking you mostly mean more of the artsy type performances.

 

ETA: Oh, wait there are the concerts in the park that the town orchestra performs every week in this town. I went to two of those last year.

[Night Elf]

I like going to events with orchestra, whether it's just symphony or ballet. We haven't been to one in a few years probably.

 

I didn't answer for dd13 who actually loves going to a playhouse that features Shakespeare plays. She gets to watch for free by volunteering to bus tables. It's like a dinner theater I guess.

[2squared]

We would go to these type of events if it was in the time and financial budgets. I used to take my oldest for mom/daughter dates. That was a few dc ago. :sad:

[linders]

For the past 25 years DH and I have lived in smaller cities (35K-100K population) but in both places there were very active amateur arts organizations - theater groups, musical groups, etc. We went almost every weekend pre-kids, and kept going often even with kids. At an early age, the DSs learned to sit quietly (a miracle, really) and absolutely love attending plays, musicals, and jazz performances (dance and orchestral, not so much). I feel really fortunate, because their tickets are a lot cheaper than getting a sitter!

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

I didn't do the poll because up to now the number of events we attended is almost zero. Where we lived before had few offerings and those were priced way out of reach for a family of 6. Now however we live in a city that has free concerts and performances or costing very little. Our calendar is marked up with all the wonderful offering we want to attend (and will).

[mamajudy]

I voted 2 to 5 performances. My husband and I perform in many more, but I didn't count them. If time and budget permitted, I would love to go to the performing arts center once a week.:)

[alpidarkomama]

We moved from a larger city a year+ ago, and used to go to performances much more often since there was a LOT of free performances, and many, many $2-3 ballet/opera/symphony student performances. In our new city, $2-3 student performances are unheard of! There are free performances here and there, but certainly not every week. We're lucky if it's once a month. We just can't afford normally-priced performances for a family of 6.

 

Why is "paying for a ticket" part of what makes it "count"?? We also often go to student performances at the local college.

[Desert Strawberry]

We are very fortunate to live in a place where free concerts are a very common part of the landscape.

 

We attend a weekly lunchtime concert series and a HUGE international music festival every year, but we don't pay for either.

There's also an evening series and other live music available, but again, it's all free.

 

At this time in my children's young lives, we don't buy tickets to anything, but when they get a bit older, we will begin attending ticketed events again. For now, though, it's not very practical.

[littlebug42]

We go quite often and now that the girls are getting older, that will likely only increase. They both love the going to the philharmonic and theatre performances. This year I hope to add ballet and take them to see The Nutcracker if we can afford tickets.

[gingersmom]

If tickets were not so crazy expensive to Broadway shows (NYC) we would go monthly.

 

We probably get to 2-3 shows per year.

 

We go to many many museums and special exhibitions though throughout the year.

[arghmatey]

I can't keep count of how many we attend--with and without the children. Some are free, but most are not.

[Jenny in Florida]

Why is "paying for a ticket" part of what makes it "count"?? We also often go to student performances at the local college.

 

I did not mean to offend anyone or imply that attending a free performance doesn't "count."

 

I'm just trying to get a feeling for how closely the artistic participation of this group aligns with that of the US population in general.

 

We attend a lot of free events, too, and they are some of the best things we do. They are just in a different category for the purposes of this poll.

[KidsHappen]

We have been to many Shakespeare in the Park preformances. I have attended the play that my hubby wrote songs for. I have been to a few live plays. My children have been to many music venues with their father. I abhor crowds so I don't go quite so much.

[LibraryLover]

Many. We have free concerts on the green in our town, university music and theater programs, we attend frequent visual arts shows (not always in museums) and we are contributors/members of local art organizations.

 

If you count student productions, many are of very high quality, the number would be closer to 40+

 

This is also economic class issue, especially when you omit student productions (which can be of excellent quality, ime). College productions often tend to be excellent, especially at the graduate level, and for a fraction of the cost of a professional performance.

 

I don't fault people who can't pay $30- $350 per person, per ticket for such events. Art tends to be a private endevour on the professional level in the US, with little public monies. The tickets have to be $$ so these programs can survive.

Edited April 12, 2011 by LibraryLover

[regentrude]

I voted 11-20 (I counted in my calendar and came up with 18). not counting the ones I performed in (why ever not???)

 

I live in a small town. We attend every play and concert that comes to town.

I only get my favorite, opera, when I travel in the summer.

If I were back home, a city of half a million and lots of culture, I would easily attend 50 events a year. Sadly, we are two hours from the nearest city :-(

[myfunnybunch]

I've seen 4 shows in the past year. (I counted my ds' community children's theater only once, even though I saw more than one show.)

 

I'd love to attend more theater productions, but the quality productions, the ones I most want to see, are very expensive, at least for us. Typically tickets to the opera/orchestra/ballet cost $30 or more for a cheap seat. We splurged and took the kids to a special show at the performing arts center and it cost us almost $150. Totally worth it, and we'd budgeted for it, but not something we can do on a regular basis. :(

 

Cat

[LibraryLover]

I think you'll find here what you might find in the 'real' world. People who have more money can attend private productions of events, and people who don't have much money tend to seek out free, youth, and/or public events. Perhaps some wealthy people care little for art (although if that were true NYC Ballet and the like would cease to exist), and some people of lesser means do, but enjoy and support art in ways that make financial sense for them.

 

 

I did not mean to offend anyone or imply that attending a free performance doesn't "count."

 

I'm just trying to get a feeling for how closely the artistic participation of this group aligns with that of the US population in general.

 

We attend a lot of free events, too, and they are some of the best things we do. They are just in a different category for the purposes of this poll.

Edited April 12, 2011 by LibraryLover

[LibraryLover]

Dh and I took our children to a Boston performace a few months ago, and it was over $500 for all of us (just for tickets, not gas, and not a bite to eat). Those were the cheaper seats. (The cheapest seats were sold out.)

 

We did see a wonderful play last night at a college. We loved it. Those tickets were $5 each.

 

Big difference in cost, similar degree of talent. Artists need to start somewhere. ;)

 

 

I've seen 4 shows in the past year. (I counted my ds' community children's theater only once, even though I saw more than one show.)

 

I'd love to attend more theater productions, but the quality productions, the ones I most want to see, are very expensive, at least for us. Typically tickets to the opera/orchestra/ballet cost $30 or more for a cheap seat. We splurged and took the kids to a special show at the performing arts center and it cost us almost $150. Totally worth it, and we'd budgeted for it, but not something we can do on a regular basis. :(

 

Cat

Edited April 12, 2011 by LibraryLover

[ayden]

I purchase a "Broadway subscription" package to our local theater...I go to 6-8 performances a year. I play trumpet in a concert band and we perform about 10 concerts per year...I counted those in my vote, too. :)

[Danestress]

for a couple of events a year. Typically I will buy tickets to take my mother to the Opera or the symphony. DH takes his mother to a show of some sort. In the last year we have attended two live performances of Shakespeare plays, the symphony and an opera. There may be a couple of things I am missing. Oh, I took two kids to see the Ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro. Is that too low brow to count?

 

I am not a fan of regular theater. It's just not my scene. I wouldn't pay to go see any musical I can think of. I would go the ballet if someone gave me tickets.

 

The performances we have seen have been quite expensive. I just wince when I make the purchases. But when I am there watching the opera, it makes sense that it should be so expensive. There are performers, an orchestra, costumes and sets. I understand why it is so expensive, but I can't do it more than a couple of times a year, and it BETTER be good.

[LibraryLover]

LOL I am the mother of musicans, so I hear that.

Does Tiger Mom count only Carnegie Hall? hee hee

 

I'm teasing, OP. Why don't quality student performances, or free concerts/Shakespeare in the Park type events, supported by towns and cities count? Does a local small theater production count, but not a University production?

 

 

I counted 11-20 a year, but I'm including college performances. When you have a baroque violinist for a dd...

Edited April 12, 2011 by LibraryLover

[redsquirrel]

Well, my husband is in several bands so I have obligatory participation. Our ballet company does one classic performance a year, and I take the kids to that. This year it is Sleeping Beauty. I also see them perform the Nutcracker ever year. We get to see at least one Shakespeare performance a year.

 

We have a professional youth company. It is a professional theater company, not at a high school or anything like that. It costs as much to see them as the 'adult' theaters around here...performs in the same theaters. I take the kids to as many of those as we can afford. I think it should 'count' because even though it is young people, it meets professional standards. It follows SAG rules (I know the director so I know this, lol).

 

I am hoping to take my elder son to see his first broadway show this year, it just costs so darn much!

 

I don't begrudge them the $$ at all. It costs a lot to put on any performance.

[B. Misan]

The following may interest you.

 

An article:

 

■ "Dip in Arts Attendance tied to Decline of the Omnivore."

 

And three new NEA research reports about the NEA's Survey of Public Participation in the Arts:

 

■ Arts Education in America: What the declines mean for arts participation (Nick Rabkin and E.C. Hedberg)

 

■ Beyond Attendance: A multi-modal understanding of arts participation (Jennifer L. Novak-Leonard and Alan S. Brown)

 

■ Age and Arts Participation: A case against demographic destiny (Mark J. Stern)

Edited April 12, 2011 by B. Misan

[zaichiki]

I voted 6-10, but I usually don't have to pay. Does this still count?

 

ETA: I didn't count student performances, even when they were performances with students playing with real (professional) orchestras. Some of those student performances are "pay for a ticket" types, but I still didn't include them after I read your first post. I'd like to, though... ;-P

[gardening momma]

Dh and I used to go to the ballet once a month before we had kids. Since we had kids, we've gone only once or twice (in the last 7 years).

[Jenny in Florida]

This is also economic class issue, especially when you omit student productions (which can be of excellent quality, ime). College productions often tend to be excellent, especially at the graduate level, and for a fraction of the cost of a professional performance.

 

Well, I did count college-level performances, because they do tend to be in a different class from K-12 productions. Colleges and universities that have theatre departments often put on professional-quality shows, I agree.

 

It may be worth noting, by the way, that we've found a number of strategies over the years for bringing down the expense of attending these events. For example, we regularly buy the season ticket package at one theatre that is for preview night performances. The price is less than half of the regular season pass and works out to less than $16 per ticket.

 

We also watch for special deals and discounts on a local website. There are often two-for-one offers for the professional theatres in the area.

 

For several years, we got half-price ballet subscriptions, because our son danced at the pre-professional school.

 

Every time he does a big show (like the opera coming up next month), we get tickets that are either free or heavily discounted.

 

There was also a period of three or four years during which our daughter's choir director worked for the opera company and was able to get the girls and their families free/extremely cheap tickets to see dress rehearsals.

 

One year, my father-in-law offered to send me to a spa because we had been going through a tough time and he wanted to do something nice for us. I politely explained I'm not a spa person, and he ended up giving us money that we used to buy the least expensive season tickets for the Broadway touring companies that come to our city.

 

We have friends who routinely volunteer to usher or work the box office in order to earn opportunities to view performances all over town.

 

It can be done on a budget, if it's a priority as it is for us. I'm not insensitive to the fact that this sort of thing costs money, however.

[Jenny in Florida]

for a couple of events a year. Typically I will buy tickets to take my mother to the Opera or the symphony.

 

Yes, we buy tickets as gifts, too. We typically give "experiences," rather than things for the kids' birthdays. And, since we're raising theatre geeks, tickets to a show happen often.

 

My daughter has received tickets to touring companies of The Lion King and Phantom of the Opera and more shows I can't remember at the moment, and one year we took her to NYC to see Patti Lupone in Gypsy and hit TKTS a couple of times. (To be fair, that trip was timed in between my birthday and hers and "counted" for both of us that year.) This year, my son got super-good tickets to the touring production of Wicked for his 13th. (We gave a four-pack of not-so-great tickets to the family for Christmas a few years ago during a previous tour.)

 

Again, in our family, this sort of thing is a priority and a big treat. So, we use money that comes from various places in our budget to make it happen.

[Jenny in Florida]

Why don't quality student performances, or free concerts/Shakespeare in the Park type events, supported by towns and cities count? Does a local small theater production count, but not a University production?

 

The general answer to your question is that some things don't "count" for the purposes of this poll because I'm trying to compare apples to apples with a survey/study I read online.

 

However, I did include university and college productions in my original question.

[Nicole M]

We would go to these type of events if it was in the time and financial budgets. I used to take my oldest for mom/daughter dates. That was a few dc ago. :sad:

 

If, on the cold prairie near Laura Ingalls, you are also near a college, you may be able to see music and / or theater events free or for a very small charge. Well, once some of those wee ones are a bit bigger, that is.

[Nicole M]

I manage a concert hall, and work about 100 events each year, lectures, concerts, opera, theater. Typically, the very last thing I want to do with my free time is go to an event. (Though there is a special, evil thrill that I get when I notice a problem with lights or sound in another venue, and I can sing a little happy song in my head: Not my problem! Not my problem!) In the last year I've tried to go to more events with my boys. I'd gotten out of the habit of bringing them along to events, or going to any events in other venues. I'll answer the poll based on what I do in my free time, but the real number for me is way, way higher, just in terms of my exposure to these types of things. If I didn't work in this venue, I would attend more events, but my work hours (obviously) conflict with other events.

 

And, you know, I'm glad you asked. Jane in NC and I have discussed this. I consider cultural events an integral part of my boys' education. So integral, that I totally forgot to list any of our events on my oldest's college application materials until the very last minute. Then I had a facepalm moment and scurried around changing things!

[Jenny in Florida]

I consider cultural events an integral part of my boys' education. So integral, that I totally forgot to list any of our events on my oldest's college application materials until the very last minute. Then I had a facepalm moment and scurried around changing things!

 

Wait . . . We're supposed to list this stuff somewhere?

 

Like, they can get credit for it?

 

Cool!

 

(I'm teasing a bit. I do "count" some of these events for certain classes. For example, this year we read The Crucible and then went to see it on stage. But, in general, we just go to things for fun. It wouldn't occur to me that it should be listed anywhere?)

[joannqn]

My favorite is theater but we just haven't had the money even for the special cheap days at community theater this year. If it were up to me, I'd go to many, many plays.

[Nicole M]

Wait . . . We're supposed to list this stuff somewhere?

 

Like, they can get credit for it?

 

Cool!

 

(I'm teasing a bit. I do "count" some of these events for certain classes. For example, this year we read The Crucible and then went to see it on stage. But, in general, we just go to things for fun. It wouldn't occur to me that it should be listed anywhere?)

 

:D

 

Well, since my son had attended so many lectures by super-famous writers and politicians and scientists, I decided to list all his events. I didn't list all the concerts, and only listed the plays that we saw at "real" theaters, or ones that correlated to what we'd studied, like you mentioned.

[Jennifer3141]

We hit 6 in the past year but thanks for the reminder to check out our cute opera house. I know there was something there I wanted to see soon!!

[LibraryLover]

Again, in our family, this sort of thing is a priority and a big treat. So, we use money that comes from various places in our budget to make it happen.

 

 

We make it happen as well. But I can't turn my back on summer arts- in -the- parks, Harvard Square violinists, or other free productions of high quality. That doesn't take anything away from the budget. :)

[Jenny in Florida]

We make it happen as well. But I can't turn my back on summer arts- in -the- parks, Harvard Square violinists, or other free productions of high quality. That doesn't take anything away from the budget. :)

 

Oh, of course! As I think I mentioned elsewhere, we frequently attend free lunchtime concerts sponsored by a local church. They offer wonderful performances of classical music, and we've been going to them for several years. We have also attended free Shakespeare in the Park productions and all kinds of other things.

 

Our city has a fantastic event called ArtsFest every year in early February. Arts organizations all over town offer free things to do and see. Most of the local theatres--professional, college-based and community--give out free tickets to their current shows. The ballet company invites people in to see dress rehearsals. The pottery studio offers free classes. And more. It goes on for a week, and all you have to do is call and make reservations.

 

When our budget for this sort of thing was smaller, we planned for weeks in advance to make sure we saw as many things as possible.

 

The local Shakespeare theatre also has an annual festival of new plays. There are readings and workshop performances of 10 - 12 new plays, performed by professional actors, most with ticket prices between $5 and $10. We are seeing three things there this year, because that's all that fits into our schedule.

 

Again, I never cease to be surprised at how many people have never heard of the event.

 

Even now, I'm shocked at the number of people who don't even know this festival exists.