Who is the Los Angeles Theatre Community?

And do we care? Well, we should. Because although the climate is much different here, the style, the substance, all have their own LA flavor; one could still argue that the MAJORITY of theatre done here in Los Angeles is commensurate with the Off-Off Broadway model and population i.e. The 99 Seat Theatre Plan.

There is a new study (in pdf) out by the New York Innovative Theatre Foundation that is trying to actually identify the makeup of the Off-Off Broadway population of theatre artists in New York.

Why is this important to us? Well one, for the reason I offered above. But two, well, check this out…

Let’s say 10% of the theatre done in LA is under a real Equity paying contract, Taper, Geffen, Kirk Douglas, South Coast, Pasadena Playhouse, and then let’s say another 15% is a combination of paying Equity and 99 Seat. That’s 25%. What about the other 75%? And let’s make this clear: of that other 75% I’d say – and this has always been my contention as most of you know – that 25% of that is some of the best if not THE best theatre being done in America.

But who is that 75%? This community I like to call OFF HOLLYWOOD? Who are we?

Well, this study is attempting to answer that question and that’s why I think it’s important to take a look at it because I believe there are parallels and comparisons to be drawn that are relevant to our Off-Hollywood Community.

Take a look at these stats from the study:

• 85% of the OOB population holds a college degree. This is 58% higher than the national average
• 86% voted in the 2004 presidential election. This is 22% higher than the national average of 64%
• 68% of respondents are age 21-40
• 53% of respondents are female
• 91% of respondents live in New York City
• Income level of Off-Off-Broadway artists is near the national average, and slightly below the NY state average
• 10% of respondents reported making their living exclusively from their work in the theatre
• 48% of the respondents currently belong to at least one theatrical union

Sound familiar? Except for the part about living in NYC.

Here’s some more interesting info:

• The highest concentration of respondents (24%) fall into the 26-30 age range (see graph 1).
• The average age of OOB participants is 36 years old, and the median age is 33 years old.
• The national average age is 36 years old, and the median age of New Yorkers is 38 years old.

And more:

• A majority of the respondents (77%) reported their race to be White/Caucasian (see graph 3).
• This is slightly higher than the national average of 75% (see graph 4).
• 5% or 210 respondents reported their race to be “Black/African American,” compared to the national average of 12%.
• 3% of the respondents reported being Asian/Pacific Islanders which is comparable to the national average of 4%.

And on and on it goes. A trend starts to emerge. Or more pointedly, a population, an age and overall ethnicity and class of people starts to form in our minds. And I wonder how close this is to our Off-Hollywood Community?

Perhaps someone can point me to a similar study done here in Los Angeles? But if not – could someone please do one? It might allow us to re-focus our audience building, our marketing and even the type of theatre we make. I’m not saying GO with the trend – God Forbid! – I’m just saying understand it and embrace it and then make informed decisions.

Who are we? A question to ponder…