Analysis of Attendance in Turkish State Theatres

Abstract

In this article, a system of equations is estimated, and the determinants of attendance for plays put on stage by the General Directorate of State Theatres in Turkey are investigated for the 2002 to 2003 season. We disaggregated attendance by type (discounted vs. single tickets) and by location. Our results suggest that the preferences of single and discounted ticket buyers are different. Specifically, we found that for discounted ticket holders, live theatre is negatively affected by price, but that for single ticket holders, the consumption of live theatre displays properties of the Veblen effect. We speculate whether this could be evidence of the Veblen effect for the consumption of the arts in general and for consumption of state financed live theatre for the Turkish case.