Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago will pause programming for a year and lay off more than half its staff

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/30/23 at 3:03pm

This kind of thing happening at one theatre would be bad enough, but in the past month there have been WAY too many announcements like this. Sad and frustrating.

It is also trying to raise $2.5 million to survive.

https://www.playbill.com/article/tony-winning-lookingglass-theatre-to-pause-programming-lay-off-staff

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 6/30/23 at 3:45pm

Lookingglass is a wonderful institution and I hope it weathers the storm. It gives a lot of itself back to the city. 

But. They pay no rent. They occupy arguably the most central location out of all our major theaters. For several years they didn't do enough shows people wanted to see. They produced unfinished, under developed plays written by members of their ensemble as vanity projects. Nobody came. When they did a good show (often from their archives) it sold out. The pandemic didn't allow them enough space/budget to offer popular, alternative programming to offset the major bombs they produced. 

Do shows people want to see. Make sure all the shows you do generate strong word of mouth. Donations have dried up... but there's still an audience out there if you do something they want to see. 

It's frustrating to hear in these announcements, over and over, "audiences haven't been returning." They don't want to blame their donors for fear of losing future donations. They don't want to blame their programing choices because, for the most part, the artistic staff remains in place. Blaming audiences is an excuse. If audiences haven't returned you should make sure you've given them something worth returning to.

Updated On: 6/30/23 at 03:45 PM

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 6/30/23 at 4:45pm

I don’t think COVID has anything to do with it at this point. We are at a HUGE generational shift, and the new target audience (Millennials and Gen-Z) is a product of the digital age and just doesn’t value live performance as much as the boomers did. They (people my age and younger who live in major regional cities) also don’t have as much disposable income, so if they are inclined to go to the theatre at all, they are more likely to save up for a Broadway tour and not bother with local non-profit organizations. 

I don’t have any actual data to support this, but that’s my hypothesis. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/30/23 at 5:00pm

As someone who lives here, their programming isn’t great. I’ve been wanting to see a show here but all the ones - outside of the holiday stuff - have either bad word of mouth or just seem like silly/stupid shows. The current show is a musical written by the artistic director… 

[Ravenclaw]

Posted: 6/30/23 at 5:03pm

Subscriptions have been dying a slow death only accelerated by the pandemic. It used to be a show with mixed reviews could play to decent houses because of loyal subscribers, but now the gap between the hits and the flops is bigger than ever. People don't want to lock down dates a year in advance. Add to that Lookingglass's slow return from the pandemic (they didn't return to live production until November of '21 and then delayed due to the omicron cancellations, so they sat dark for months at a time in between shows). Whose fault it is can be debated, but they did program return engagements of multiple past hits to offset their riskier (and more diverse) new programming. Very sad for a highly influential and accomplished company whose work is vital to the Chicago theatre scene. Porchlight Music Theatre today made a similar announcement, and two of their three shows this season (Rent and Cabaret) were sell-out hits that extended. Every company has hits and misses, but due to rising costs and dwindling subscribers, it's becoming harder and harder to weather the misses.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/30/23 at 5:43pm

I think it's true that donors are a bigger problem than buyers right now. Doing work that excites those check-writers is paramount.

I would say subscriptions are a thing of the past, but BAA continues to have a ton of success with subscribers and that's not a huge issue for them now. But they're selling the "Broadway" brand, and being able to offer Hamilton or Wicked or Frozen on a season is much different than what Lookingglass is doing.

I've been encouraged by millennials at certain shows. I don't have data in front of me, but at least for musicals and certain subject matter people in the 22-35 range seem more interested than the previous generation was at that age. Growing up on Disney animated musicals and Brandy's Cinderella and Chicago helps. They'll pick and choose and gravitate to brands & people they know. But that doesn't help Lookingglass, whose work has always been more esoteric.

[whatever2]

Posted: 6/30/23 at 5:54pm

my career took me to Chicagoland for eight lovely years in the Aughts. Lookingglass was one of my favs. I followed them regularly since. It seems to me they paused programming several years ago.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/30/23 at 6:40pm

But it’s so sad that they need $2.5m which, in the grand scheme, is a drop in the bucket. Like any billionaire could swoop in and help out but instead they’re trying to have a cage fight in Italy. Dumb. I wish more people realized the impact of live performance and the arts. 

[whatever2]

Posted: 6/30/23 at 6:50pm

> I wish more people realized the impact of live performance and the arts. 

100%. Full stop.

But also: let's add it to the (alarmingly long) list of things more people need to realize.

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 6/30/23 at 10:07pm

"The current show is a musical written by the artistic director…" 

It's not. It's written by an extraordinary young talent, Matt Yee, who is an artistic associate. He was also in the brief Broadway run of Almost Famous. It's a lovely, if maybe a little youthful, show. 

[Phillyguy]

Posted: 7/1/23 at 1:06am

So many local and regional theaters have pivoted focus to diversity and equity initiatives and lost sight of what the audience wants to see. It’s a laudable goal, but if you want to have a sustainable model, you have to be mindful of who’s paying the bills. 

[broadwayindie]

Posted: 7/1/23 at 9:26am

This is not surprising. Some of their shows, like Moby Dick, have been unbeliveable. However they are done way more stinkers than brilliant shows: Hard Times, Act(s) of god, 20k leagues, and most recently Villette. I’ve left that theatre more times knowing the potential of Lookingglass but miffed of the poor writing and concepts. 
 

I hope they overhaul the theatre and the programming as the circus elements and inventive staging they have are usually incredible… and why most people go to Lookingglass shows.


Also, I think the bigger tragedy is Windy City Playhouse which was actually doing consistent incredible work. 

Finally, does anybody have an article on Porchlight? Yes they haven’t announced their season but they usually do it late in the summer. 

[BJR]

Posted: 7/1/23 at 10:38am

The timing of these absolutely has been affected by COVID. Folks had PPP loans and then weathered a reopening season or two, with drastically reduced audiences and donors.

Broadway isn't yet what it was and regionals even more so. (Movies, too.) Buying patterns of the public have shifted. And we're not yet in the new world, adjusted to it.

I do wonder what can be done in the immediate. It does seem like a market shift occurring. Regional theaters are going to have to define their relationship with their community.

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 7/1/23 at 10:40am

No article on Porchlight by yesterday the sent an email a few hours before Lookingglass sent theirs. Basically saying they're trying to figure out how to program a financially responsible season. Doesn't sound like they're in danger of closing tho... just that they're cash strapped.

[JasonC3]

Posted: 7/1/23 at 10:42am

Theaters also may need to hone in (and/or reclaim) the niche they want to hold in their respeftive theater marketplace.  Many of the local or regional theaters I used to frequent more frequently no longer have a strong brand identity and both their programming and quality is less consistent than once was.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 7/1/23 at 12:36pm

whatever2 said: "I followed them regularly since. It seems to me they paused programming several years ago."

Can’t tell if you’re joking or not, but seems like you have been following them regularly if you believe they paused programming several years ago.

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 7/1/23 at 1:17pm

"whatever2 said: "I followed them regularly since. It seems to me they paused programming several years ago."

Can’t tell if you’re joking or not, but seems like you have been following them regularly if you believe they paused programming several years ago."

They've done two new productions since the pandemic. The Goodman has done 16. Steppenwolf has done 10. Chicago Shakes has done 7 (and hosted several others).The Court has done 6.  By comparison, they basically have paused programming several years ago. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 7/1/23 at 1:23pm

My scattered thoughts on the matter and the current state of regional theatres:

1) A company like Lookingglass (which does esoteric or experimental work) might benefit from restructuring in a way that has 90%+ of income generated by donations, and all performances as "pay what you can" nights, even if that means scaling back their season. That said, as we've seen with Broadway, some shows will never generate mass sales, even if you advertised every seat at $5.

2) I would love a big report on the success rate of finding new, full-paying ticketbuyers of color post-Covid. My assumption is that companies are spending a lot more per dollar earned to recruit or retain them. The belief pre-Covid was that there simply isn't a sustainable enough group of POC ticketbuyers to amass more than, say, 1/3 of tickets sold. And yes, obviously, these are systemic problems, and the work being done currently to broaden that is important but might not show big results for a decade+.

3) Within a company, what was the balance of "escapism" vs "thinking" (or political) art pre-covid, and what's that number now? Anecdotally it feels like there's a lot of focus on serious or artist-forward initiatives, not things for the wide audience at large, and there must be a balance. (It would be similarly suicidal to do an entirely escapist season.) Once-loyal ticketbuyers & donors are being more discerning and choosing what to spend money & time on, and don't want to perceive a show as being "preachy." The donors are stretched thin or trying to diversify their own donations across different sectors, or don't want to get involved with things they fear might be too "political".

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/1/23 at 1:29pm

To me it seems like they keep a lot of stuff in house. They use plays written by artistic associates, etc. They might benefit from getting some "names" to come in to direct, write, etc like Chicago Shakes does (They've got some new musicals and stuff coming in) or Steppenwolf (which does a lot of the same thing - using in house talent - but at least some of them are names). 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 7/1/23 at 2:55pm

It's frustrating to hear in these announcements, over and over, "audiences haven't been returning." They don't want to blame their donors for fear of losing future donations. They don't want to blame their programing choices because, for the most part, the artistic staff remains in place. Blaming audiences is an excuse. If audiences haven't returned you should make sure you've given them something worth returning to.

100%. Audiences have come back, just not to garbage entertainment. 

[BIG BALONEY]

Posted: 7/1/23 at 4:45pm

Put on play people want to see. I myself have passed up on a number of new shows because I just didn't care about the story. Also, being of a certain age I'm tired of some revivals and pass up on them too. I don't care who is starring in these old war horses. While on fire let me add I'm sick of Shakespeare in modern dress. Cheap...Cheap... we don't have a costume expensive ...I went numb watching Othello at The National in London when it started with men in modern military dress and helicopters flying over head.  And this fool is murderous because of a woman's handkerchief....

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 7/2/23 at 4:58pm

I hate the accusation that modern-set shows are somehow “cheaper” than period-set shows. It’s a stylistic choice by the director/producer, sometimes an attempt to appeal to a broader audience. DOLL’S HOUSE on Broadway was not a “cheap” production to produce or run. It’s not like these regionals are getting contemporary or period costumes free.

It is, of course, cheaper to produce a public domain work with its original text because there are no licensing fees or costs of developing a new work.

(((All that being said, it does remind me that I’d like to see Rylance & his Shakespeare’s Globe gang return to Broadway with another pair of Shakespeare revivals.)))

[bk]

Posted: 7/2/23 at 8:34pm

KJisgroovy said: "Lookingglass is a wonderful institution and I hope it weathers the storm. It gives a lot of itself back to the city.

But. They pay no rent. They occupy arguably the most central location out of all our major theaters. For several years they didn't do enough shows people wanted to see. They produced unfinished, under developed plays written by members of their ensemble as vanity projects. Nobody came. When they did a good show (often from their archives) it sold out. The pandemic didn't allow them enough space/budget to offer popular, alternative programming to offset the major bombs they produced.

Do shows people want to see. Make sure all the shows you do generate strong word of mouth. Donations have dried up... but there's still an audience out there if you do something they want to see.

It's frustrating to hear in these announcements, over and over, "audiences haven't been returning." They don't want to blame their donors for fear of losing future donations. They don't want to blame their programing choices because, for the most part, the artistic staff remains in place. Blaming audiences is an excuse. If audiences haven't returned you should make sure you've given them something worth returning to."

It really is as simple as that. You don't program an entire season of shows people don't want to see or that only small groups might want to see. That is the path to oblivion and the Mark Taper Forum found this out the hard way with their current season. Give audiences a well-balanced season between plays and musicals that would interest people in seeing them, and then more adventurous stuff.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 7/3/23 at 12:12am

broadwayindie said: "Finally, does anybody have an article on Porchlight? Yes they haven’t announced their season but they usually do it late in the summer."

If you subscribe to their emails, they sent one on friday revealing that they'll have to limit the size of their current operations for the next season.

Here is the email in its entirety:

"Dear Friends,

As we prepare to kick off our free summer concert series, Broadway in your Backyard, we’re touching base with a Porchlight update. We know you’ve been anxiously waiting for news on our next season and we appreciate your patience.

As you may be seeing in news from theatre companies in Chicago and around the country, it’s an extremely challenging time for performing arts organizations of all sizes. In the wake of the pandemic –– facing concurrent challenges of slow-to-return audiences, decreased donations and increased inflation –– theatre companies have been forced to make difficult decisions by reducing season offerings and downsizing staff. Sadly, many theatres are closing their doors.

We won’t sugarcoat it: it’s a critical time for Porchlight, too. We are meeting the moment by intentionally taking the necessary time to strategically plan for next season and beyond by reviewing programming for both impact and cost, downsizing where possible and reimagining a new model for advancing our mission in the post-pandemic era.

We are currently working to create a 2023/2024 season that, we hope, will be exciting, interesting and within our means. The landscape for nonprofit professional theatre has changed dramatically over the past few years and we are focused on creating the best, sustainable foundation for future artistic ambition and community impact. It will mean the coming season will need to be a little smaller, but full of the excellence and style that you’ve come to expect from Porchlight. 

You’ll also be hearing more from us this summer about how your support is essential to Porchlight and needed now more than ever. While we have no debt, we have been challenged in trying to rebuild depleted cash reserves. We have set a significant fundraising goal for our summer campaign and your investment is essential to our continued ability to shine for our audiences, our artists, our students and our communities across Chicago, next season and for years to come.

We are planning a bright future for Porchlight as we anticipate our 30th anniversary season in 2025. We are excited for the potential ahead and we appreciate you being a part of it!

Gratefully,
 

Michael Weber 

Artistic Director

Jeannie Lukow
Executive Director"

[uncamark]

Posted: 7/3/23 at 11:38am

And it hasn't helped Porchlight that their "Broadway in Your Backyard" parks shows have been cancelled for the first two weeks due to the hazardous air warnings in Chicago.

As for Lookingglass, it probably hasn't helped them that their number one cheerleader at the Sun-Times lost her job before the pandemic because of statements she made about Blacks and gays.  She didn't lose her job at the PBS station in town, but her reviews don't get the notice that they did at the S-T. (She did give a mixed review to the current show, "Lucy and Charlie," but it probably didn't fit her aesthetic requirements.  At least she didn't pan it like she did the "Oklahoma!" revival.)  It also didn't help them that they started their season with a remount of a show from Congo Square Theatre, our pre-eminent Black company, that was never intended for a general audience and asked that white audience members leave the theater for 10 to 15 minutes at one point near the end of the piece for a portion that was solely for Black audience members.  This is not to discuss possible racism, but I would think that the heavily Gold Coast/North Shore subscribers at Lookingglass were not too happy about this action.