Fewer Romanians went to the theater in 2014

Over 2.15 million Romanians went to the theater in 2014, 4.7% (107,000) fewer compared to the previous year. The number represented 34.6% of the total number of Romanians who attended cultural events in 2014, of some 6.23 million. Folk ensembles and dance bands attracted 2.12 million people last year, 34% of the total number of spectators. The number was 5.4% lower compared to the year before. Philharmonic and symphonic orchestras attracted only 6.6% of the total number of spectators while 386,000 people went to opera shows (6.2% of the total). The circus attracted some 83,000 spectators in 2014. Recreation and cultural activities represented only 4.5% of Romanians’ total expenses in 2014, according to data from the National Statistics Institute, cited by local Agerpres. Almost 87% of the total performances supported by institutions and show companies in 2014 were in Romanian, 11.3% were in Hungarian, and 0.9% were in German. There were 242 institutions and show companies in Romania in 2014. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com