Theaters in the Mirror of Statistics: Facts Instead of Myths

The article attempts to debunk, in the public consciousness, some myths related to the econo­mic component of theatrical activity. The question is about the substitution of the concepts of self-sufficiency and financial and operating independence of the theatre, the policy to “earn more”, and the assessment of theatre activity effectiveness from the perspective of business approach and requirements of constant increase in attendance.

Basing on the analysis of statistical data, the article studies the structure of financial receipts of theatres. The results show the impossibility of functioning of the Russian repertoire theatre on the principles of self-sufficiency, in which the theatre’s own expenses should be covered by earned income. Russia, which has a provision index of 4.2 theatres per 1 million inhabitants (2017), lags behind foreign countries, and in more than half of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, it is lower than the average Russian index. The thesis that there are many theatres in Russia is refuted by the results of statistical data analysis and international comparisons. The hopes that private theatres can become a serious competitor and substitute for state theatres in Russia are not supported by real practice. Large metropolitan theatres have long reached the limit of attendance at the level of 99%. Low attendance is not always an indicator of the theatre’s inefficiency, and the low living standard does not allow people to go to the theatre as often as they would like. Finally, it is not possible to demand 40-year-old attendance indicators from the theatre, because the possibilities for leisure activities have drastically expanded, including through the development of information and communication technologies. The task solution of increasing the atten­dance of theatres does not lie in the direction of the policy of 100% occupancy of the auditorium, but requires serious investments in the touring activities and infrastructure of the host party.

The article shows that the erroneous decisions put into the practice of making managerial decisions are counterproductive because they contradict the nature of the theatre and the development laws of the eco­nomy of culture as a whole.

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