Contact: Dan Weiss, President

Arts Alliance of Downtown Olympia

Olympiaperforms.com

360-456-3198

June 14, 2010

Bringing 167,000 People to Downtown Olympia

Locally Grown Downtown Industry Provides Economic Charge

Provides over $1.6 million in local pay and benefits

There is an important industry in downtown Olympia that in 2009 brought approximately 167,000 customers into the area and operated on a $3.8 million annual operating budget.  It is not a financial institution, transportation group, corporate conglomerate or a government agency. During the normal day work hours this operation is “dark” yet on weekend nights this business lights up the town. This industry is our locally grown and operated downtown Olympia theatre district.

The downtown Olympia theatre district is made up of four not-for-profit, subscriber based theatres in the downtown core: Capital Playhouse, Capitol Theater (operated by the Olympia Film Society), State Theater (operated by Harlequin Productions) and the Washington Center for the Performing Arts.  Each theatre operates its respective historic venue.  The district was established several years ago for marketing and promotion purposes only and while not a formal district of the city it is rapidly being referred to as a distinct place to be.

The cultural and social contributions of this group of theatres are well noted.  Each theatre surveyed has a long legacy of respected presentation values coupled with solid community support.  This is the second annual measurement of the economic impact of the district.  The survey was limited to the major theatres in the downtown core and does not include the smaller yet important performance and club scenes or the fine Olympia Little Theatre on the eastside.  The survey covers the respective fiscal year ending 2009 for each venue.

Each of these theatres presents an extensive and diverse schedule of live productions and other events.  Capital Playhouse and Harlequin Productions produce and direct their shows bringing in local and regional actors, creating sets and performing each production typically over a four week or longer period.  The Washington Center for the Performing Arts books national touring productions into its facility and provides space for local performing organizations (e.g. The Olympia Symphony) with most of the performances being for one night only.  The Capitol Theater, home of the Olympia Film Society, shows hundreds of film screenings a year and also books live music performances.

The survey shows the importance of the theatre district on the economy for downtown Olympia. This past year over 500 live performances attracted the 167,000 patrons into downtown Olympia mostly during evenings and Sunday afternoons.   This significant audience coming downtown extends a positive vitality and level of commerce after normal business hours.

To run these theatres there are a collective 27 full time employees, 110 part time employees and over 670 volunteers most of whom are also working after normal business hours.  Many of the patrons, employees and volunteers also partake in the area’s restaurants, coffee shops and clubs on theatre nights.

The combined operating budgets of the four theatres are $3.8 million.  Approximately $1.7 million of the local expense is for personnel costs and benefits.  The remainder of the local costs goes for professional services, printing, advertising, insurance, utilities, equipment, supplies, and depreciation.  Some expenses  go outside the area for booking fees, production rights, and regional actors.

To generate revenue these theatres rely on a mix of subscription and walk-in ticket sales along with donations from supporters and grants awards.  On average 52% of the theatre district revenue comes from ticket sales.  About 40% of those ticket sales come from season subscribers and 60% from one time sales.  Donations from loyal patrons and local businesses, sales of program advertising, show sponsors, annual fund raisers, municipal support and grants (e.g. “Pay What You Can Night”) make up the difference and help keep the ticket prices relatively affordable.  It needs to be noted that each theatre has its own unique mix of revenue sources and can vary widely based upon their respective business model.

It has been a challenging two years for these theatres. The significant changes from last year’s survey show that total attendance for the district was down about 8% as a result of the recession and in response operating budgets were cut 5%.  There are current bright spots.  For example Harlequin (“60’s Chicks”) and Capital Playhouse (“Annie”) have had recent sell-out successes.

The downtown Olympia theatre district continues to be recognized by the community as an important cultural and social resource.  The evidence is shown in the decades of steadfast community support through subscribers, business sponsors, volunteers and donations for each of the four venues.  National recognition came recently as Kiplinger magazine rated Olympia as the 6th best city in the U.S. due in part to the thriving cultural and arts scene with a reference to the downtown theatre district.

This theatre district survey makes it clear that the district is an important social and economic resource and a solid foundation for a positive, healthy downtown Olympia.  This district is a truly unique treasure for the number and variety of venues offering quality performances in a city of Olympia’s size.  It will also be the local community that decides the fate of these venues in these difficult economic times.

For more information about each of these theatres please visit their respective websites or visit Olympiaperforms.com.

The Arts Alliance of Downtown Olympia is a not-for-profit association that works on behalf of the performing arts venues to enhance the Olympia downtown area using the arts as a catalyst for growth, change and enrichment.  To that end, the organization works at the local level to raise awareness about the performing art’s social, cultural and economic contributions through a collective voice.

#          #          #