STUDY: TELEVISING STAGE DRAMAS DOESN’T HURT THEATER ATTENDANCE

Live telecasts to movie theaters of dramatic productions on the London stage do not draw away potential ticket buyers for other stage dramas, according to a study by Britain’s National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) and the Audience Agency. The study, reported today (Wednesday) by the British trade publication Screen Daily, showed that in fact live theater attendance rose 6.4 percent near areas featuring the live screenings produced by the National Theatre. David Sabel, director of broadcast and digital at the National Theatre, told Screen that the NT Live telecasts have enabled hundreds of thousands of people to experience the theater’s work. Moreover, he said, "We believe that the more great drama people are able to see [via the telecasts to cinemas], the more they are likely to want to go to the theater." In 2012, some 131 British theater and sports events were beamed to movie theaters, Screen reported.