Theaters are struggling to recover from the impact of the health crisis on cultural practices. Since their reopening on May 19, 2021, performance halls, like cinemas, have seen a drop in attendance. Why did some of the spectators not come back? What are the obstacles and the motivations to return to the path of the theaters? How to reconnect with the public before the Covid-19? In an attempt to answer these questions, the Association for the support of private theater (ASTP, which brings together seventy theaters in Paris and in the regions, and around thirty film producers) commissioned from Médiamétrie a survey on “the French and their perception of theatre”, carried out with a representative sample of 1,500 Internet users, from June 17 to 28. This is the first time that this type of study has been carried out, and it is clear that part of the traditional public is no longer there.
Overall, over the last twelve months, 53% of French people have attended a live performance – concert, theatre, circus, one-(wo)man-show, musical, dance, opera – and 27% have gone to the theatre, whether they attend private or public venues. But 71% of Internet users surveyed say they go to the theater less since their reopening. In detail, 48% do not go there or more and 23% go there less often.
“Younger Audience”
The reasons for this disaffection reveal a public marked by changes in habits linked to the pandemic, but also confronted with the problem of purchasing power. So, to the question: “Why do you no longer go to the theater or do you go there less often? »the price of seats, deemed too expensive, tops the list of responses, followed by the reflex of “staying at home since the health crisis” and the lack of proximity to a place. Conversely, the 29% of spectators who go to the theater as often or more often than before justify their motivation by the desire to “leaving your home and your daily life”of “enjoying a moment with [s]are close » and of “feeling and sharing emotions”.
Another highlight of this survey, the profile of spectators is changing. “Since the Covid, traditional theater audiences (women and seniors) are no longer there. We are witnessing a decrease in baby boomers, who previously carried the dynamic of attendance, observes Anne-Claire Gourbier, general delegate of the ASTP. However, the good news is the emergence of a younger core audience. » The average age is now 41.2 years, 58% are men and 38% belong to higher socio-professional categories.
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