Lack of variety in show's schedules.- Page 2

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 10:56am

Personally, I would love more variety - but there are issues.  Shows with a 7pm start get more late comers that have erroneously thought all shows start at 8pm.   Off matinees were a failed attempt a few years ago.  Traditions runs strong in the theater world. Might EVENTUALLY audiences accept differences? Sure (I believe that the West End has a much stronger variety of performance times), but producers can't worry about what might happen a year or two from now, they have to worry about now.   I DO think it's in the actor's best interest to have larger hunks of time off (Sun late eve thru curtain on Tuesday.) instead of the same amount of time spread out.   

[JasonC3]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 11:29am

As an out-of-towner, I'm always excited when I can fill Sunday or Monday evening slots with a one-off event, benefit performance, 92Y lecture, et al. 

For reasons others have noted there, I can understand why offering them might not be desirable as mainstays in the Broadway schedule, but it does seem like a limited audience might exist for some sort of more regular programming in those time blocks.

[Pashacar]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 12:05pm

Pissy replies aside, I totally agree that more variety would be great! And could be done in a way that is neutral or positive for the folks making the theatre itself. I have had so many instances of looking for a show on a Sunday night, Monday night, or Thursday afternoon, and finding nothing. Just a few shows switching it up could be good for everyone.

Related, but I would appreciate more variety in curtain times as well and think it could be done in a way that is beneficial for actors and production staff as well. I remember a few years back, 1984 had both 5:00 and 9:00 curtains on Fridays. I loved that, as it made it far easier to fit in dinner before or after, and I wish more shows would try things like this to the extent union rules and other considerations allow.

[Wick3]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 12:37pm

Phantom used to have Thursday matinees for the past several years. Anyone know why they got rid of it in preference of other times for the remainder of its run?

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 12:48pm

Wick3 said: "Phantom used to have Thursday matinees for the past several years. Anyone know why they got rid of it in preference of other times for the remainder of its run?"

My guess is they were not as popular and they would not sell tickets for those. Who would go??? People work. Younger audience members can't miss school. So....again, we'll never know unless someone here actually works with the production 

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 12:55pm

Hairspray0901 said: "I can’t speak for the OP but it would give them the chance to see other shows since they have the night off. I’ve seen a lot of actors post on social media how excited they were to have a chance to see XYZ show because they, or the show they were seeing, happened to have a different schedule that week. Also - you’re changing the entire conversation here just for the sake of starting arguments."

I'm not trying to start anything so quit it with that. I'm genuinely curious as to why the schedules are such a big deal. You all are the ones accusing me of trying to start something-trust me, I don't want to. So let's get back to the topic, shall we? 

[Huss417]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 1:03pm

hearthemsing22 said: "ACL2006 said: "

LMAO wow you're funny. "Be gone you have no power here" HAHAHA ridiculous. Shut up. Clearly the OP only cares about their needs.
"

Not at all. Just noting the lack of variety in performance schedules currently. Didn't realize you're whole purpose in this thread was to attack everyone."



Not doing that at all. Just questioning now...Why does the lack of variety matter? Broadway is doing just fine right now. Granted we could be in the January/winter months slump (right? that happens around now?) but what exactly would a schedule change do? Matinees were most likely removed because there were less people attending them. There is no guarantee that if they were brought back, more people would attend. Work, school, etc. No way."

How if you are telling the person to "shut up" not attacking?

 

Updated On: 1/23/23 at 01:03 PM

[Mark_E]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 1:15pm

I did the Thursday matinee of Phantom 4 times over the years, due to the lack of choice. Always enjoyable. On my past trip, for the two Thursday matinee times I saw Almost Famous (they had an oddball Thursday mat), and Only Gold, at MCC, which seems to regularly have Thursday matinees. Moulin Rouge had them pre covid too and I saw that on a Thursday matinee. In London, matinee days are fairly evenly split between a Weds and Thursday. Some shows also do a Tuesday or Friday matinee.

The Sunday night slot on my trips last year were all filled with Off-Broadway shows - Titanique, Raisin in the Sun, English and To My Girls.

Monday nights? Hard. I did see Chicago on one slot, though skipped the second Monday of my trip. I was able to see Ohio State Murders on a Monday in previews on my last trip.

Would a bigger variety of schedule allow people like me to see more shows (and spend more?), yes absolutely. But there’s usually always SOMETHING I can see. And there’s not that many people who are trying to see 10+ shows in a week.

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 1:27pm

hearthemsing22 said: "I'm not trying to start anything so quit it with that. I'm genuinely curious as to why the schedules are such a big deal. You all are the ones accusing me of trying to start something-trust me, I don't want to. So let's get back to the topic, shall we?"

Most Broadway shows are slumping right now. So that's a big deal. Changing the schedule would allow people to see more shows, especially those coming in from out of town looking for something to do on Monday night or Friday afternoon or whenever else. It's the same reason movie theaters don't play every movie they're showing at exactly 12:00, 3:00, 6:00 and 9:00 each day, but rather stagger the times throughout. And the shows that are doing an alternate schedule have generally proven to make money from doing that. So that is why we're discussing this and suggesting it.

As for your argument about the actors, they'd still be working the same number of days and the same number of hours. No one is suggesting adding an extra performance, we're suggesting altering when the 8 performances are. And if an actor doesn't like the schedule, they can find another job. I don't mean that to be harsh, but like any job, if you don't like the working hours you have to commit to, then find something else to do.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 1:35pm

Delete 

Updated On: 1/23/23 at 01:35 PM

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 1:37pm

Actually, shows aren't slumping currently, which is unusual. Even with the colder weather this past week, shows were still selling fairly well. The grosses will determine this. Furthermore, we've now entered Broadway week which runs until Feb. 12. Grosses may not go up much but capacity numbers should be strong.

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 2:27pm

Broadway61004 said: "hearthemsing22 said: "I'm not trying to start anything so quit it with that. I'm genuinely curious as to why the schedules are such a big deal. You all are the ones accusing me of trying to start something-trust me, I don't want to. So let's get back to the topic, shall we?"

Most Broadway shows are slumping right now. So that's a big deal. Changing the schedule would allow people to see more shows, especially those coming in from out of town looking for something to do on Monday night or Friday afternoon or whenever else. It's the same reason movie theaters don't play every movie they're showing at exactly 12:00, 3:00, 6:00 and 9:00 each day, but rather stagger the times throughout. And the shows that are doing an alternate schedule have generally proven to make money from doing that. So that is why we're discussing this and suggesting it.

As for your argument about the actors, they'd still be working the same number of days and the same number of hours. No one is suggesting adding an extra performance, we're suggesting altering when the 8 performances are. And if an actor doesn't like the schedule, they can find another job. I don't mean that to be harsh, but like any job, if you don't like the working hours you have to commit to, then find something else to do."

Your second point is kind of leaning towards this being more important for the audiences, rather than the actors, staff in the theater, and more. I am not implying you don't care (or anyone else here), but they are more important than changing their schedules now to accommodate people here who are complaining about what's available. Look into doing other things. New York is full of other things to do. It's not difficult. 

Good thing this is just hypothetical. 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 2:29pm

hearthemsing22 said: "I'm genuinely curious as to why the schedules are such a big deal."


If you're genuinely curious:

Many die-hard theatre fans come to a big theatre city like NY or London with the plan to squeeze in as many shows as possible. So, if there are some shows playing Monday night, Sunday night, Thursday Matinee, etc. that's 3 more shows you can see on your trip than if every show were on the regular schedule.

Generally speaking, these aren't the people keeping the industry afloat (which is why producers don't feel much urgency to accomodate them). But theatre trips like that are a common practice among people on this board, so that's why someone was asking about it, and that's why other people agreed with them.

As other people pointed out, in London it's pretty common to see Tuesday and Thursday matinees; there's much more variation in the schedule. So if you go to London for a week, it's possible to see as many as 12 shows. It's just a nice, fun bonus for people who make those trips.

Updated On: 1/23/23 at 02:29 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 2:46pm

The reason why more shows don't do this is because it's been tried and hasn't worked well enough.

This is the case with most "groundbreaking" ideas people have suggested.

A few years ago, a number of shows got together to jointly promote Thursday matinees (I believe Phantom, Chicago, and a couple of others were part of this). Nobody does this anymore, to my knowledge. Trying to cater to a finite group of people who want to see multiple Broadway shows at odd times of week is challenging.

Some shows are now seeing problems with weeknights, with more people working from home and not coming into the city every day.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 2:51pm

To add on to my point, look at TKTS now. The options are just 3 Off-broadway shows. That's it. Any tourists looking for a ticket to a show tonight has only those options or to gamble and walk up to the box offices for Chicago, Phantom and Six and pay full price.

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 3:34pm

ACL2006 said: "To add on to my point, look at TKTS now. The options are just 3 Off-broadway shows. That's it. Any tourists looking for a ticket to a show tonight has only those options or to gamble and walk up to the box offices for Chicago, Phantom and Six and pay full price."

Right because that's the only thing they can do in New York. See a show. The matinees have been tried-they haven't worked. Good for London-that doesn't mean everything should be done the same in NY too. Have different experiences in NY and London. Open your minds :) Again, and I'm not saying this to start ANYTHING, it seems like this is just because people in this thread are so...fixated on a change. It ain't broke. Why change it? Adapt to it. Learn there are other things to do in NYC. :) 

[defenses]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 3:45pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Some shows are now seeing problems with weeknights, with more people working from home and not coming into the city every day."

I’m curious if to see if this will have an impact. I could see starting shows on Monday and Tuesday shows a bit earlier (6 pm?) so people don’t have to wait around too long after work. Also, I wonder if the Thursday matinee would fare better now since a lot of hybrid companies have Tuesday and Wednesday as in-office days.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 4:31pm

defenses said: "ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Some shows are now seeing problems with weeknights, with more people working from home and not coming into the city every day."

I’m curious if to see if this will have an impact. I could see starting shows on Monday and Tuesday shows a bit earlier (6 pm?) so people don’t have to wait around too long after work. Also, I wonder if the Thursday matinee would fare better now since a lot of hybrid companies have Tuesday and Wednesday as in-office days."

No, I do not think that would help. If anything, moving curtain times to 8pm helps those traveling into the city (which we get on Wednesdays when there's a matinee).

[JasonC3]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 4:43pm

Something doesn't have to be completely broken in order to explore if it might be improved or create value that previously was absent.

[Hairspray0901]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 4:50pm

I work in NJ and it’s very difficult for me to catch a 7:00pm show (meaning a 5pm dinner with friends) without leaving work by 3pm to get in on time/beat traffic. I definitely appreciate the 8pm curtain (6pm dinner) on Wednesday’s! 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 4:56pm

hearthemsing22 said:
Right because that's the only thing they can do in New York. See a show. The matinees have been tried-they haven't worked. Good for London-that doesn't mean everything should be done the same in NY too. Have different experiences in NY and London. Open your minds :) Again, and I'm not saying this to start ANYTHING, it seems like this is just because people in this thread are so...fixated on a change. It ain't broke. Why change it? Adapt to it. Learn there are other things to do in NYC. :)"

You think people who are interested in change need to open their minds, but you, who are demanding no changes whatsoever (and that everyone with an opinion that's different from yours needs to change their mind) are open-minded?

Lecturing people, telling them to shut up and open their minds, sounds awfully...entitled of you (as usual).

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 5:12pm

hearthemsing22 said: "Your second point is kind of leaning towards this being more important for the audiences, rather than the actors, staff in the theater, and more. I am not implying you don't care (or anyone else here), but they are more important than changing their schedules now to accommodate people here who are complaining about what's available."

But isn’t accommodating an audience one of the most important priorities? You need an audience to keep a show open. Of course we don’t want actors/staff working themselves ragged but if changing a shows schedule means bringing in new business it should be explored, no? 

 

[RWPrincess]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 5:19pm

I live outside the city and work from home. The 7pm curtains are perfect for when I can catch a train that leaves around 5:30pm. I don't need to have a sit down dinner before a show. The train back home after the show is late but not too late so I avoid 8pm curtains as much as possible. Some train lines start running less frequently after 10pm. 

[JBradshaw]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 5:26pm

I saw “Chicago” a couple times when they tried Thursday matinees, each time the theatre was beyond empty. The mezz was closed each time, orchestra section was barely half full. Was sad. 

[bwaylvsong1]

Posted: 1/23/23 at 6:47pm

Hairspray0901 said: "I work in NJ and it’s very difficult for me to catch a 7:00pm show (meaning a 5pm dinner with friends) without leaving work by 3pm to get in on time/beat traffic. I definitely appreciate the 8pm curtain (6pm dinner) on Wednesday’s!"

Exactly, I work walking distance from midtown and still have difficulty making a 7pm curtain!  That’s actually why I haven’t seen many shows this year- more of a variety of 8pm or even 7:30pm shows on weeknights would allow those who work in/near the city to see more shows.