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

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…

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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".

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.

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.)))

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"