In 2017, the film industry generated $43 billion, Broadway $1.44 billion, the video game industry $36 billion, TV $277.4 billion, and regional theaters, in 2016 (I couldn’t find a 2017 report), $8.5 million (roughly half earned and half contribution). Why the numbers? Because performing arts matter. Now, will every actor get a multi-million dollar contract? Of course not. Is every voice-over actor going to make more than a moderate paycheck on a video game? Unlikely. But none of these industries make anything without talented people creating something fun, sad, exciting, scary or a blend of all. As a society, we pay a lot of money to see great things on a small screen, on a big screen, or in a small black box theater.
So, why the numbers? Am I going to rant about supporting the arts? No, because for me and I think for most people, the money supports the passion. It is not the passion. The passion lies with the performance. Working with students is a great honor for me, and encouraging them to put themselves on stage and step outside of themselves is very special. But a production is more than the actors.
We have an industrious stage crew, led by Mr. Paul Matusz, who has a gift that makes the set come to life. The stage crew students who build the set, paint it, and manage scene changes, are all part of the production and make the performance possible. They combine the disciplines of math, physics, management, and art to create a temporary world for all of us to inhabit. In the industry, good stage crew members are highly valued.
Costumes, hair and make-up help bring the audience to the setting of the show, whether in the past, the future, or today. They make everything real and believable, applying history, literature, chemistry, and math to re-create 1813 Regency England on the stage. For this production, Mrs. Ellen Byrne wore two hats, as an amazing co-director and a phenomenal costumer. She gathered up a group of students that worked very hard to bring the perfect look to our show. In all performing arts, the costumers and hair and make-up artists play a large part in a show’s success.
The tech crew, with their lights, sounds and effects, immerse the audience into the experience. Mr. Steve Trauger has mentored a very special group of aspiring light and sound techs, who apply the physics and math of sound and light to create a drawing room, a garden, a ballroom, and the grounds of a manor house, all in the same space. Those students now have a very marketable skill set.
So here is the rant: Thank you to the production team. They are teaching on a different level, by demonstrating the practical applications of classroom skills. In doing so, they light the spark of imagination, and they help our students make magic happen. They make a director’s vision a reality. The money in the industries I mentioned is largely made from the hard work of passionate production members, most of whom probably started backstage in their high school theaters.
Thank you to the Boosters, the parents, and the administration for letting all these students experience the performing arts.
Robert LeMaire, Director
November 12, 2018
Sources:
https://deadline.com/2018/07/film-industry-revenue-2017-ibisworld-report-gloomy-box-office-1202425692/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/193006/broadway-shows-gross-revenue-since-2006/
http://www.theesa.com/article/us-video-game-industry-revenue-reaches-36-billion-2017/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/265983/global-tv-industry-revenue/
https://www.tcg.org/pdfs/tools/TCG_TheatreFacts_2016.pdf
