Enticing new patrons at an early stage

No, kids aren’t thronging Broadway theaters, piggy banks in hand, to buy tickets -- but that doesn’t mean they’re not an economic force to be reckoned with.

Can you say “Lion King,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” “Wicked” and “Little Women”?

Young people accounted for nearly 1.3 million of the theater tickets sold in New York last season, and almost a third of those went to the 12-and-under set, according to the League of American Theatres and Producers.

So a legit theater website with kid appeal makes sense, says Jed Bernstein, president of the league, which recently launched its interactive www.generationbroadway.com site for “tweens” (ages 8 to 12).

“Attracting kids and their families to Broadway is critical to the lifeblood of the industry,” Bernstein says. “People under 18 represent about 11% or 12% of our audiences. That’s at or near all-time-high levels.”

And when top ticket prices are $100 and more, such statistics count, big time.

The website will have additional “bells and whistles” as time goes on, but right now its features include games, an interview with 12-year-old “On Golden Pond” cast member Alexander Mitchell, information about current shows and links for parents and teachers.

The website isn’t the first program the league has created to attract small patrons and their parents.

Its highest-profile venture is the 9-year-old “Kids’ Night on Broadway” program, which has been adopted by more than 30 cities. On designated nights, parents pay full price for shows, but children are free. Preshow entertainment, early curtain times and discounts from parking garages and restaurants complete the package.

Says Bernstein: “When kids grow up and go to the theater and take their kids, and then those kids grow up and take their kids, etc., etc., you have this sort of almost automatic renewal of your audience base, which is so critical to the future of the industry.”

-- Lynne Heffley