Obama bad for Broadway??

Ok I'm not starting this thread to be attacked...I simply was thinking about this today and would like to start an interesting and civil conversation. Putting aside my own personal political beliefs....I was thinking today that Obama's tax plan could perhaps hurt Broadway.

Now I'm not saying Broadway is doing great right now, as we all know it isn't but will an Obama Presidency make it worse?

Obama is going to be raising taxes 5% on Broadway target audience. Upper Middle class families taking vacations to NYC. That extra 5% is probably what most families consider to be the extra money they have to spend on things like vacations and Broadway.

As another argument...Remember the Clinton years? While they were a time of economic prosperity in our nation...were they they best years for Broadway. That's a resounding no. Infact during that time there were very weak musical seasons and even one year with only 2 nominees for the top tony award prize. Perhaps this doesn't reflect the national tax...but its interesting. Is it a total coincidence that Broadway took off a few years into the Bush administration? (not defending Bush...just observing.)

What are your thoughts? Again...I'm not saying who I support in the election. Just trying to start a conversation.

Well I agree with you that things are not great now...but is taxing the target audience going to improve matters? Just thinking...

well its not the top 5% anymore...the number has fallen from 250,000, to 200,000 to 150,000 to 120,000. I know that my family falls into that bracket and we're by no means rich. I know that we probably could not afford a family trip to NYC without that extra money.

Becuase this is a Broadway message board, just wondering what an Obama presidency will mean for the industry.

Oh, please.

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but WHY werent there as many good shows...

I don't think its that they didnt exist. I think producers did not have the money to produce them as they were being taxed to the bone. And the teen audience was not tapped into becuase shows that teens would enjoy were not being produced. who knows if they existed or not?

Theaterguy, I hope you're not getting your numbers from Hannity and Limbaugh.

The point is, if a good show was to be produced in the 90s, it would have been produced. Broadway was just going through a creative funk during that time. I highly doubt a good show was not produced on Broadway because investors were being taxed higher than the middle class. Like I said before, those who are being taxed higer, especially/specifically producers, have enough money to not only put on the show, but also afford to pay higher taxes.

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Getting my numbers from Obama, Biden and Bill Richardson a top Obama supporter and gov of New Mexico

Theaterguy11, you, your ignorance and this thread are bad for Broadway.

Updated On: 11/4/08 at 05:23 AM

The people who buy theatre tickets are still going to buy theatre tickets. I'm utterly broke at the moment, but I'm still getting to the theatre. I haven't bought any cast recordings for a while, and I can only remember buying take-out food once in the last six months, but I'm not (although perhaps I should) saying "well, I need to cut back, so I'll cut back on the thing I love most". And if I can wangle the money for a New York holiday, you can bet your backside that theatre tickets will be a part of that. There are museums and parks and all sorts of things you can do for free in NYC. I'm sure a lot of people who think "right, going to NYC, gotta do tourist stuff, including museums, galleries, sightseeing, and a Broadway show" would realise pretty quickly where the free and cheaper alternatives are and go for those, saving the money for the part where the payment isn't optional.

If taxes increase, it's not going to be "here is $150 in your hand. You *could* use it for theatre tickets, but you're going to have to give it in as tax instead". Tax is one of the less visible ways to use money; because you have no choice in the matter, because it's gone directly to the government and nowhere near your bank account, you don't consider it as money that you have or had. When I want to know how much money I'm going to have for a month, I don't look at the Gross Pay on my payslip, do my budgeting, then realise that I'm being taxed so will have to cut something out. I look at the Net Pay and work with what I actually have. Plus if you were getting less in a month, you wouldn't say "oh no, I must cut out one thing!", you would make cutbacks all round. Sure, some months you wouldn't be able to go to the theatre at all, but if you did need to cut back, you wouldn't cut out theatre trips and continue spending the same amount of money as ever on books, CDs, food, whatever. That would be a bizarre way to do things. o_O

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This thread belongs on the OFF-TOPIC BOARD.

As another argument...Remember the Clinton years? While they were a time of economic prosperity in our nation...were they they best years for Broadway. That's a resounding no. Infact during that time there were very weak musical seasons and even one year with only 2 nominees for the top tony award prize.

Don't be ridiculous. The 90s were NOT weak because "Clinton killed Broadway." How preposterous.

The 90s were weak because AIDS killed the best and the brightest of a generation of theater artists, including many of my friends.

The 90s were weak because of the murderous inaction throughout the 80s on the part of the Reagan and Bush I administrations who told the theater community in no uncertain terms: We don't care. We don't care that your actors, singers, dancers, writers, directors, choreographers and designers are dying. We don't care that the disease will spread worldwide to third-world women and children. We don't care enough to prioritize funding for research or care because WE JUST DON'T CARE.

So Broadway took care of its own. Broadway created Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and took care of the sick and dying and buried the dead and waited for a new generation of artists to emerge.

When the economy turns around--and it will take 5-10 years to undue the damage--the theater will turn around. But don't blame Obama and the Democrats for how long it takes to clean up the mess made by Bush and the Republicans.

And next time, put a thread like this on the OFF-TOPIC BOARD.

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Updated On: 11/4/08 at 07:24 AM

Everyone has said everything there is to be said about this ridiculous thread. I just wanted to add that someone has clearly taken a "How to Write Headlines" seminar over at Fox News. And to second the assertion that this is very off topic.

It's about Broadway. Why should it be on the OT board?

Theatreguy11--- I understand your statement. I am not happy about it BUT Broadway is a playground for the wealthy. Both as an audience and espcially as investors!

Give those wealthy much heavier taxes and they will be less likely to put up 500k in what are very very risky investments. Same goes for donations to Non-profits. Donations that are Tax write offs still cost money, even if the goverment takes up 36% of it. Bad investment or donations still cost money and the wealthy will have less money to through around after the tax increases, Which means the arts will suffer slightly at least in the begining.

(I do believe that life adapts and theatre will go on no matter what the taxes but the immediate effect will be tighted spending.)