The crowd gathers to hear jazz pianist John Stetch
debut a new composition or to see Rex Harrington
perform Onegin in his final performance as principal dancer with
the National Ballet of Canada, and there is a meeting of minds.
From the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s,
the proportion of families attending plays and concerts declined. From
1999 to 2001, attendance for the four performing arts groups rose 7%
from 1999 figures to an estimated 14 million in 2001, still
well below the peak of 15 million in 1993. From the period
of 1999 to 2001, attendance declined for theatre, dance and opera companies,
but rose 15% for music organizations.
As a result of a record
year reported by the five largest not-for-profit professional theatres
in Ontario, 2001 turned out to be a very good year for Canadian theatre.
Attendance for these five largest theatres rose 10%. Increased levels
of tourism, particularly from the United States,
may have contributed to this advance.
