Theater is In Free Fall (Washington Post article)

[JasonC3]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 12:16pm

"Companies are closing, seasons have been truncated and in New Haven, a revered company is pivoting after giving up its own stage."

Article talks about challenges in a variety of cities, including some already addressed in specific posts here.

Peter Marks, Washington Post (gift link)

[Kad]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 12:52pm

This is a good start but I wish Marks was able to go deeper into the other years long issues leading to these big theaters to pursue such drastic cost cutting measures. He really only touches on them. 
 

While COVID was the catalyst for these issues, I think in many cases it merely pushed open small-to-medium-sized existing cracks in these institutions, ranging from ossified leadership and unwise long term spending/investment to poorly thought out programming shifts or mission drift. 

[Skip23]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 2:02pm

Maybe a big part of the problem is that, while reopened theatres try to “diversify” their programming, they don’t make it easier for the diverse audience to afford tickets.  When I’m struggling to afford food, I’m not gonna spend exorbitant costs to try out a new show. 

[sinister teashop]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 2:49pm

I agree with Skip23, if non-profit arts institutions want to survive they will need to make their ticket prices, not just their culture, more accessible. 

They could start with transferring some of the money away from hiring the kind of arts managers and consultants that Peter Marks interviews in this piece (from the Betsy "DeVos Insitutte" no less) and towards subsidized tickets.

Updated On: 7/6/23 at 02:49 PM

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 3:26pm

I think there is also an issue with this push for diverse content that what is being produced is not actually what diverse audiences want. 

This is regional theatre not Broadway so it's not a 1 to 1 comparison. But, looking at Broadway, Strange Loop didn't bring Black audiences to Broadway. Aint No Mo didn't either. What consistently has a very diverse audiences paying very high ticket prices? MJ. 

[gibsons2]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 3:41pm

jkcohen626 said: "I think there is also an issue with this push for diverse content that what is being produced is not actually what diverse audiences want.

This is regional theatre not Broadway so it's not a 1 to 1 comparison. But, looking at Broadway, Strange Loop didn't bring Black audiences to Broadway. Aint No Mo didn't either. What consistently has a very diverse audiences paying very high ticket prices? MJ."

The same stands for The Piano Lesson. One of the most diverse audiences I've ever observed, paying top dollar for those premium seats. Of course, Samuel L Jackson was the main selling factor, but it was truly a masterpiece production. 

And to add to that, regarding failure of ASL and Ain't No Mo to appeal to the diverse audience... I'm wondering if theater producers understand that their target diverse audience is in fact quite conservative (not necessarily politically, but socially) and often religious. And this target audience is concerned with the way it's portrayed in the material, whether they are elevated or not as a demographic...

Just a food for thought.

Updated On: 7/6/23 at 03:41 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 3:45pm

These theaters have also continued to push subscription packages, which we’ve known have been dwindling due to their lack of appeal to younger audiences for years, with nothing much in the way of an alternative other than single tickets. 

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 4:18pm

gibsons2 said: "jkcohen626 said: "I think there is also an issue with this push for diverse content that what is being produced is not actually what diverse audiences want.

This is regional theatre not Broadway so it's not a 1 to 1 comparison. But, looking at Broadway, Strange Loop didn't bring Black audiences to Broadway. Aint No Mo didn't either. What consistently has a very diverse audiences paying very high ticket prices? MJ."

The same stands for The Piano Lesson. One of the most diverse audiences I've ever observed, paying top dollar for those premium seats. Of course, Samuel L Jackson was the main selling factor, but it was truly a masterpiece production."

Even Piano Lesson, I'd say wasn't as successful as it could have been. It had one of biggest movie stars in the world in a play written by one of the most famous playwrights in the world and it and only crossed $1 million during the 9 performance Christmas/New Years week and during it's two final weeks. 

[sinister teashop]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 4:34pm

gibsons2 said: "jkcohen626 said: "I think there is also an issue with this push for diverse content that what is being produced is not actually what diverse audiences want.

This is regional theatre not Broadway so it's not a 1 to 1 comparison. But, looking at Broadway, Strange Loop didn't bring Black audiences to Broadway. Aint No Mo didn't either. What consistently has a very diverse audiences paying very high ticket prices? MJ."

The same stands for The Piano Lesson. One of the most diverse audiences I've ever observed, paying top dollar for those premium seats. Of course, Samuel L Jackson was the main selling factor, but it was truly a masterpiece production.

And to add to that, regarding failure of ASL and Ain't No Mo to appeal to the diverse audience... I'm wondering if theater producers understand that their target diverse audience is in fact quite conservative (not necessarily politically, but socially) and often religious. And this target audience is concerned with the way it's portrayed in the material, whether they are elevated or not as a demographic...

Just a food for thought."

There's a point there but I don't think the original article was mainly about black audiences. It was about the entire infrastructural failure of nonprofit theater. The black nonprofit theater audience is a fraction of a fraction of a declining white theater audience. 

The question is whether new models of nonprofit theater can emerge out of the old institutions. I have my doubts. 

An institution like the new PAC NYC that begins tabula rasa might have a better chance at finding new nonprofit theater audiences. 

[Phillyguy]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 5:10pm

I do wonder how sustainable regional theater model will be as they pivot to shows with diverse intent but appeal to less audience taste. 

Another big factor for me has been the unraveling of Philly Pop after being kicked out of Kimmel Center mid season and not issuing any refunds for subscribers. That coupled with Kimmel forcing subscribers to donate $1000 to get orchestra seats made me no longer a subscriber.

[BroadwayBaby6]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 6:35pm

There are lessons to be learned from the shows that are doing well regionally:

1) Audiences do not want to be preached to. They want to be entertained. 

2) Audiences want to see musicals and plays with stars.

3) If you're going to be charging top dollar for a musical, make sure that you have impressive sets and production values.

4) Regional theatres need to have less plays per season and less shows per week. The demand just isn't there anymore.

5) Theatre prices need come down. Regional theatres are playing to half-empty houses.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 8:40pm

If regional theaters produce less shows per week their actors and technicians get paid less per week, therefore the quality of performer/technician you’re going to get is going to lessen and then it just spirals. Some of these regional houses are already paying Union actors $400/wk. That’s wild. Maybe the whole thing is just no longer sustainable without government aid. 

[darquegk]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 10:37pm

I wonder too if it's just something where the balance of power between the art forms is going to be in eternal flux? Radio seemed like the dead unimportant art form, until podcasting suddenly made the form viable again. I suspect non-musical non-spectacle plays have been made not obsolete but less urgent by the rise of the new golden age of television as a writer and actor's medium. (The same thing happened in the eighties to light comedy onstage, when the rise of high-quality sitcom writers made the Neil Simons of the world less culturally relevant.)

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 7/7/23 at 3:34pm

I think the article is right on point, and I agree with what has been said in the thread so far. 

I live and work in a major U.S. “regional” city, and recently performed in an Equity production of a big, splashy musical. We had full houses for all of our seven-week run. I’m the meantime, another local theatre that produces mostly non-musical, “serious” plays can barely get their small theater half-full. 

Basically, unless it’s really amazing, has a built-in audience base (i.e. Shakespeare lovers, Harry Potter fans), or has a star actor, even people who generally like theater don’t go to straight plays that much anymore. If audiences want to see people sitting around talking about their feelings, societal issues, and philosophical ideas, they can turn on Netflix, HBO, etc. for a fraction of the price at home. It’s sad, but a reality that needs to be accepted by professional regional theatre administrators. They should assume that doing a newish, Pulitzer Prize-baiting play is going to be a major financial shortfall, and plan accordingly.

This was true prior to the digital age/post-pandemic era, but now it’s really true.

[JSquared2]

Posted: 7/7/23 at 4:26pm

Many of the regional theatres have been faltering post-Covid because they (and their DEI consultants) are programming entire seasons with plays that they think their audiences SHOULD like -- rather than what they actually WOULD like.  Most people go to the theatre to be entertained -- and instead they are being offered "serious drama" and preachy sermonizing.

[JSquared2]

Posted: 7/7/23 at 4:26pm

Many of the regional theatres have been faltering post-Covid because they (and their DEI consultants) are programming entire seasons with plays that they think their audiences SHOULD like -- rather than what they actually WOULD like.  Most people go to the theatre to be entertained -- and instead they are being offered "serious drama" and preachy sermonizing.

[DaveyG]

Posted: 7/7/23 at 4:55pm

JSquared2 said: "Many of the regional theatres have been faltering post-Covid because they (and their DEI consultants) are programming entire seasons with plays that they think their audiences SHOULD like -- rather than what they actually WOULD like. Most people go to the theatre to be entertained -- and instead they are being offered "serious drama" and preachy sermonizing."

Agreed. These overcorrections in programming are going to be fatal. If you want to do a preachy show, you best surround it with some crowd pleasers in your season or you’ll have no theatre to run.

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 7/7/23 at 5:01pm

Skip23 said: "Maybe a big part of the problem is that, while reopened theatres try to “diversify” their programming, they don’t make it easier for the diverse audience to afford tickets. When I’m struggling to afford food, I’m not gonna spend exorbitant costs to try out a new show."

I remember attending a panel where people who had a say in ticket prices did discuss the options & how they wanted to make it easier to afford. The fact is, theater is a luxury. While yes, I DO AGREE it should be accessible for all, that doesn't mean lowering prices. They do have programs where you can purchase lower priced tickets, but people are so specific with location and everything. Which I understand. I do. But you complain about it not being affordable- what do you expect?? Lottery. Rush. Discounts through places like TKTS, TodayTix, BroadwayBox, etc. Do you expect the prices to be so good that you can go whenever you feel like it? People have to be realistic. 

[perfectpenguin]

Posted: 7/7/23 at 5:09pm

JSquared2 said: "Many of the regional theatres have been faltering post-Covid because they (and their DEI consultants) are programming entire seasons with plays that they think their audiences SHOULD like -- rather than what they actually WOULD like. Most people go to the theatre to be entertained -- and instead they are being offered "serious drama" and preachy sermonizing."

Yes!! I have three regional theatres near me - Bucks County Playhouse, Peoples Light, and Fulton Theatre. I’m in Philly suburbs. People’s Light is about 15 min from me, the other two an hour or more. People’s Light has offered such odd and preachy material. They even made A Christmas Carol have an agenda. Fulton and Bucks County Playhouse are doing well because it’s what people what to see- Grease, Tick Tick Boom, Something Rotten, Rocky Horror to name a few. 

[JasonC3]

Posted: 7/7/23 at 5:12pm

I sit on the board of a local nonprofit theater.  One thing we've spent a great deal of time talking about with our staff is how to program, price, and market our efforts to get people back in the habit of attending live performances.  We initially did not fully appreciate how much the pandemic and other issues disrupted the simple practice of going to see a show, be it by subscribers or single-ticket purchasers.

We're rethinking subscriptions to allow for more choice, flexibility, and perceived value/benefits.  In addition, we have a strategic cultivation strategy for connecting with first-time ticket purchasers to try and get them back for at least one other performance and ultimately, as subscribers.  For every production, we're doing much more outreach and collaboration with organizations who have ties to those who might be itnerested in the show.

We're modeling our efforts after how fundraiser craft their annual fund campaigns, reach out to lapsed donors, and convert annual fund contributors into planned giving donors.

In short, we're taking nothing for granted as we try to rebuild the base of support we once had while simultaneously diversifying what is seen on stage and who is in the audience.  We expect to see only modest results until our third year.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/7/23 at 5:13pm

To be fair, that is People’s Light’s agenda. Most nyc actors won’t go near there because they’re anti-LGBTQ etc. It’s just a Christian theater group. 

[Kad]

Posted: 7/7/23 at 7:03pm

It’s also worth noting that Broadway, and to a lesser extent Off-Bway, sets the programming for a lot of regional theater. Theaters immediately try to capitalize on the pull of something they can say has been, or is currently, on Broadway. 
 

And frankly, the trend for new American plays in NYC has been Importance over entertainment. Real “eat your vegetables” kind of theater. Casting big names can be the spoonful of sugar to get folks to take their medicine on Broadway, but once you don’t have that, it’s hard to spur excitement. 

Updated On: 7/7/23 at 07:03 PM

[perfectpenguin]

Posted: 7/7/23 at 7:14pm

RippedMan said: "To be fair, that is People’s Light’s agenda. Most nyc actors won’t go near there because they’re anti-LGBTQ etc. It’s just a Christian theater group."

Ive never got Christian theatre group from them. 

[Kad]

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

perfectpenguin said: "RippedMan said: "To be fair, that is People’s Light’s agenda. Most nyc actors won’t go near there because they’re anti-LGBTQ etc. It’s just a Christian theater group."

Ive never got Christian theatre group from them."

I think RippedMan may be thinking of Sight & Sound in Lancaster.

Updated On: 7/7/23 at 07:36 PM

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 7/7/23 at 7:39pm

perfectpenguin said: "RippedMan said: "To be fair, that is People’s Light’s agenda. Most nyc actors won’t go near there because they’re anti-LGBTQ etc. It’s just a Christian theater group."

Ive never got Christian theatre group from them."


I was confused by this comment as well. The theater is in a rural area of Pennsylvania, so it’s inevitably going to have a lot of conservative patrons that they have to please, but I think that’s it.