7 months ago
This weekend wrapped up the summer musical season at Macon's local theaters.
Last weekend, "Chicago" closed at Macon Little Theatre, and Saturday night was the final performance of "The Producers" at Theatre Macon.
Although the economy may be down, people are still showing up to the theatre, to get a little escape from reality.
People lined up to see the shows at both theaters.
Theatre Manager John Jones says memberships are down about 50%, but he hasn't seen any decline in attendance.
He says, "the title of our season is 'Happy Days are here again' and the intent is to provide escapist type performances, shows that have values, shows that show hope and fun."
Over at Theatre Macon, Founding Director Jim Crisp says they are also seeing some positive trends, with season ticket sales ahead of last year and corporate sponsorships still going strong.
He says especially with the economy down, people need that escape from everyday life to enjoy a show.
Crisp says, "after 'The Producers,' the remarks I hear over and over again is oh that was a great laugh, I really needed that, this was an evening I really enjoyed, we're sending them out of here very happy, feeling really good."
According to the Broadway League, which keeps official broadway theatre statistics, the 2008-2009 season brought in about $943 million.
That's more than the past 24 seasons documented.
