I want your opinion on NYC theater

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 12/1/11 at 4:57pm

Hey all!

Here's a fun activity while you wait for Bonnie & Clyde reviews. I'm studying performing arts administration and I'm currently doing a study on theater attendance for a consumer behavior class. I would really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to fill out this survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PleaseHelpEric

I'm trying to target savvy theatergoers under 35, so I posted this on the student board, but the main board gets a lot more traffic. If you're interested, I'd be more than happy to share the results.

Thank you!

Eric

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 12/1/11 at 5:38pm

I took the survey, but found some of the questions hard to answer, especially when asking about the Shubert vs. Nederlander vs. Jujamcyn. It's pretty hard to compare the Vineyard or The Public to these organizations. The former are just renting out theaters- I don't say, "wow this is in a Jujamcyn house. It's sure to be good/bad/innovative/traditional." It's not like if you go see something The New Group has put on, you kind of know the feel of their shows.

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 12/1/11 at 5:56pm

Yeah, it's a hard comparison to make and most theatergoers probably don't know the difference between the those theater owners. But I'm interested to see if there is any particular association. Thank you so much for filling it out!

[michellek45]

Posted: 12/1/11 at 8:53pm

I like the option "theater feeds my soul."

[SNAFU]

Posted: 12/1/11 at 9:02pm

ageist!

[MadonnaMusical]

Posted: 12/2/11 at 8:19am

Pretty Good survey, but you definitely should have separated the burroughs.... I'd be interested in knowing how people who grew up in the Bronx felt about theatre VS. all the imported actors that live in Astoria, Queens.

ALSO

You left out Classic Stage, Primary Stages, and Atlantic which are all HUGE subscriber based theatre companies.... and I think you could have had a included more options about how I felt about certain theatre companies... there weren't any real negative choices..... lol.... another important question to ask should be "ARE YOU A NATIVE NEW YORKER?" or "HOW LONG HAVE YOU LIVED IN NYC?" Having worked in the Theatre district for a while I can tell you that it HIGHLY affects how people view theatre and theatre companies... for instance.... from talking to people, it seems that natives fill up the "straight plays" way more than the people who are visiting / commuting / or newly transplanted.

I'd also be interested in knowing how much a celebrity or established playwright influences someone's choice on buying a ticket. AND what finally gets people to bite the bullet and buy a subscription. How many e-mails and brochures and awesome seasons have to go by before you realize you want to be a member. What perks come with membership that they like. When you're working in Non-profit it's all about the PERKS. You asked one question about talk backs... but it wasn't specifically directed at seasons subscription. I don't know if you'll get the results you're looking for. Also..... EVERYONE who reads the broadway message boards are MARKET MAVINS... what you're going to end up with is a survey of market mavins who don't spend money on tickets at all. These are the people who you need to give tickets to because people go to them for theatre advice. HOWEVER they are not your actual customers. Customers and Patrons are the ones who buy subscriptions and/or pay full price for tickets.

Work at a busy restaurant or hotel in Times Square and you'll quickly see what theater goers and tourists want, and you'll also see the differences between them and how their culture effects their choices. I suggest getting out your old school clip board and hitting Times Square for an ACTUAL sample of regular people, and not just the market mavins. Offer them free pens or something, or I dunno.... coupons for something.

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 12/3/11 at 1:26am

Thank you all for your responses! I really appreciate it. You guys helped me pass my 100 response goal. I'm doing a project on attracting younger audiences for established theaters in Manhattan.

MadonnaMusical, thanks for your comments. I was trying to target a younger demographic that would know the difference between these organizations (but historically, these people would not have memberships or subscriptions). I've had the pleasure of working at some of the theaters I included in the survey and I wanted to see if there were any trends in perception.

[ElphabaRose]

Posted: 12/4/11 at 12:15am

The survey was good, but I think you should have just grouped the Nederlanders, Shuberts, and Jujamcyn as "commercial theatre." Unlike all of the non profit companies, these people (usually) just own the theatres but they do not produce shows or pick a season to go into their houses. (Not to mention the times that the non profits, especially Lincoln Center, rent a commercial house because they have a long running show in their Broadway house but need to continue their season. Since Broadway theatre owners are not responsible for bringing in audiences, the producers are, the survey seems to be comparing apples and oranges some of the time.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/4/11 at 12:23am

I started to take the survey but it felt more like you were trying to find out what theater owners people liked the most as opposed to a survey about theatre itself. So I closed out.