FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Cathy Taylor, Cathy Taylor Public Relations
(773) 564-9564
cathy@cathytaylorpr.com
Hayley Ross, League of Chicago Theatres
(312) 554-9800
hayley@chicagoplays.com
CHICAGO THEATRE WEEK 2023 SET RECORD BREAKING TICKET SALES AND AN UNPRECEDENTED HIGH-DEMAND EXTENSION
Chicago (March 22, 2023) – Chicago Theatre Week, an annual celebration of Chicago’s theatre scene, was a resounding success with 20,650 tickets sold, surpassing the past all-time record of 13,400 tickets in 2020. Over the span of Chicago Theatre Week, February 16-26, with an extension on HotTix.org through March 5, 2023, 61 participating organizations sold tickets to a total of 483 individual performances of 78 different productions. Chicago Theatre Week is presented by the League of Chicago Theatres in partnership with Choose Chicago.
During the 11th annual Chicago Theatre Week, visitors and residents had the opportunity to sample the extraordinary range of theatrical offerings throughout Chicagoland, from intimate hometown theatres to Broadway national tours. The new record of tickets sold marks a large increase in sales over the course of the initiative and highlights the return and expansion of Chicago audiences since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year’s Theatre Week also saw its first ever extension, “Chicago Theatre Week Continued,” which provided an additional week’s worth of Chicago Theatre Week prices to 20 spring productions at HotTix.org. The promotion sold 2,310 tickets from February 27-March 5, the highest week of sales at Hot Tix since the post-pandemic reopening in August of 2021.
Chicago Theatre Week touts an expansive audience, with an average of 61% of attendees visiting their chosen theater for the first time. The program draws visitors from across the country with 19% of patrons coming from beyond 50 miles of the city, including 41 states, plus Canada and the U.K. Nearly half of ticket-buyers from outside of the Chicago area said they came to Chicago because it was Chicago Theatre Week.
League of Chicago Theatres Executive Director Marissa Lynn Ford comments, “Chicago Theatre Week 2023 was a resounding success, supporting our theaters and welcoming new and familiar audiences, giving them an affordable way to participate in this unique experience across the Chicago area. We sold a record number of tickets and increased the visibility of the industry with record-breaking traffic on social media platforms, media impressions and advertising reach. We also created new partnerships in the community, including, for the first-time, a cross-promotion with 30 participating Chicago Restaurant Week establishments for “Special Dining Offers” on the Chicago Theatre Week website.”
“This year’s record-breaking Chicago Theatre Week makes it clear that nothing can replace the experience of a live show,” said Lynn Osmond, President and CEO of Choose Chicago. “We are proud to partner with the League of Chicago Theatres to help make it easier for locals and visitors to explore Chicago’s unique and vibrant theatre scene.”
ABOUT CHICAGO THEATRE
Chicago theatre is the leader in the U.S. with more than 250 theatres throughout Chicagoland, comprising a rich and varied community ranging from storefront, non-union theatres to the most renowned resident theatres in the country, including 6 which have been honored with Regional Tony Awards, and the largest touring Broadway organization in the nation. Chicago’s theatres serve 5 million audience members annually and have a combined budget of more than $250 million. Chicago produces and/or presents more world premieres annually than any other city in the nation. Each year Chicago theatres send new work to resident theatres across the country, to Broadway, and around the world. For more information, visit www.chicagoplays.com. #ChiTheatre
About the League of Chicago Theatres Theatre is essential to the life of a great city and to its citizens. The League of Chicago Theatres is an alliance of theatres, which leverages its collective strength to support, promote and advocate for Chicago’s theatre industry. Through our work, we ensure that theatre continues to thrive in our city. For a comprehensive list of Chicago productions, visit the League of Chicago Theatres website, ChicagoPlays.com. Half-price tickets to the current week’s performances as well as future performances are available at HotTix.org and at the two Hot Tix half-price ticket locations: across from the Chicago Cultural Center at Expo72 (72 E. Randolph) and Block Thirty Seven (108 N. State).
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