Manufacturing Theatre Statistics in 1870s Press: A Non-Expert Economic Practice

In the last third of the nineteenth century, theatre statistics emerged as a genre in its own right, amidst the countless chronicles of theatre life published daily in Parisian newspapers. Written by journalists who were familiar with theatres but had no particular theoretical expertise, articles compiled figures on receipts, number of works performed or wages earned by the staff. These texts, which reflect a curiosity about what goes on backstage, also contribute to public debates on the utility of theatrical entertainment. Despite the simplicity of the accounting tools it uses, theatrical statistics are an important part of the theatrical economy, contributing to decisions regarding state financial support for specific theatres as much as to campaigns for or against a particular director.