NEW YORK CITY and NATIONWIDE: Today Theatre Communications Group (TCG) has released Theatre Facts 2023, the latest installment of its annual research report providing the most comprehensive analysis of the nonprofit theatre field. Developed in partnership with SMU DataArts, the report offers critical insights into the ways the nation’s theatre ecology is evolving in response to ongoing economic challenges and shifting audience engagement. A story unpacking its findings and sounding out industry leaders’ responses will appear in the next print issue of American Theatre and will also be available online. (TCG is the publisher of this magazine.)
Among the key findings of the report:
- 61 percent of Trend Theatres reported a negative Change in Unrestricted Net Assets (CUNA) in 2023—the highest drop since 2009, signaling financial strain across the field.
- Total earned income increased by 94 percent since 2022, but remains 25 percent lower than 2019, highlighting an uneven recovery.
- A special section on Black, Indigenous, and theatres of color (BITOC) provides distinct insights into the opportunities and challenges these theatres face.
- Total expenses rose 12 percent from 2022 to 2023, while staffing levels remained significantly lower than pre-pandemic figures show.
The report’s authors are Rebecca Roscoe, Jen Benoit-Bryan, Daniel Fonner, and Wenhua Di of SMU DataArts, with Rachael Hip-Flores and Corinna Schulenburg from TCG.
