Broadway's shrinking audience......

Ticket prices must drop I say ! Worst attendance in eight years ;( .



http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-23/broadway-s-shrinking-audience-overshadows-tom-hanks.html

Updated On: 5/24/13 at 01:12 PM

Broadway is the next "housing bubble!!"

(Actually, I think tuition loans for higher education is the next bubble to burst.)

But Broadway prices are so varied now. There are so many discounts. Yes, tickets can cost $400 each, but they can also cost $40 each. It's whatever the market will bear.

I still can't believe stars on Broadway can make $20,000 per week. That's insane for an audience of 1,500 per show.

---

Opera and ballet companies have chased away a segment of their audiences by pricing beyond what people are willing to spend, even if they have the cash. What am I entitled to expect if I am paying $315 for an opera performance? Answer: who knows? Result: I'll take my $315 somewhere else.

While I obviously don’t want audience attendance to go down, I do hope the decline forces shows to lower their prices. I think the biggest issue of high ticket prices was raised in the article: expensive tickets will not foster a habit of attending theatre in the next generation.

While it’s brilliant in terms of making money, the marketing for “Book of Mormon” sickens me more than any other show currently. Leaving their Chicago engagement just so they never have to offer any discounts or never not sell a seat, even if they are still making a profit, is just one example (team that with the fact that their prices are insanely high anyway and it makes it impossible for many to see the show…or, if they people do shell out the dough for BOM, they may refrain from paying to see other shows, so all of the money gets poured into one place). The fact that people are, weekly, buying tickets at $477 for a Broadway show full of pandering for laughs and relying on saying swear words over and over for laughs is beyond my comprehension (but probably doesn’t hurt word of mouth – when people are paying $477 for a ticket, most people are going to make damn sure they feel it was worth it and don’t feel like fools paying such a high price)…but that’s another topic.

Very interesting article. Thanks for posting.

When I attend a show I scan the audience for empty seats. I don't do it because I want to move but to see how well the show is selling. If it isn't full on a Friday night...show has got problems! More and more I am seeing lots of seats on the sides, back and in mezzanine. Why?...wouldn't it be more logical to manipulate the ticket prices (even if you lowered prices on nights that are traditionally less attended like Tuesday night). Full house...more people...better chance for word of mouth...encouraging people to grow to love theatre and want to attend another show...?

The one price ever increasing ticket model is broken.
When I purchased tickets to Pippin at A.R.T. the ticket prices DO change based upon the performance day!

Uta Hagen was right.


This season was ridiculous in regards to prices; I missed out on many shows this season simply because they were too expensive. They should be thinking about locals too. Sure, the tourists may dish out the cash, but they're screwed in the slower months when audiences are mainly made up of locals.

---

LAST SEASON had the LARGEST AUDIENCE in history. More people attended a Broadway show in 2011-2012 than in 38-30 or 56-57 or any other season you care to name. And all anyone here could do was moan that Broadway was dead and dying!

They should realize that not everyone is rich, therefore they should lower the prices. I know quite a lot of families who want to see a Broadway show, but could never afford it, and they lived in New York City all their lives.

^^This^^

---

THE BOOK OF MORMON epitomises everything that is wrong with Broadway's economy today. People who are spending $200 on average to see a show are not going to be able to afford, or want to spend more money on another show.

---

Why should the AVERAGE person get the top dollar seats? That doesn't even make sense.

This is entertainment -- whoever said it was suppose to be CHEAP? Entertainment is a luxury. Does it suck for those of us that love it and would love to go see evey show? Sort of, but life is about making choices.

These converations just go to the entitlement that has pervaded our young: just because you want something, doesn't mean you get it. I'd like a nicer car, but since I don't have the money to buy one, I have to settle for the car I do have.

---