Okay, a couple of things (and I am trying not to repeat.)
1. Re: ticket cost. LOCAL PRESENTERS set the ticket price, not the tour producer. Also, they (generally) try to scale prices to be similar for similar types of events throughout a season, in order to simplify for their audiences. That is not a scam. If we want to argue about ticket prices, that is a separate and valid matter.. Please, let us discuss because I have a MONOLOGUE.
2. Re: Traveling musicians and local hires. When hiring local musicians, as started previously, they must rehearse independently, then have one play through with the conductor before joining the cast for sound check just prior to the first performance in the venue. The logistics of that are fine enough when a tour is in a spot for a week or two (or more at a time), but grows impossible when you have a schedule with split weeks and one nighters. Shows that move often tend to travel with their full orchestra in tact, for a big part, because of that.
3. Re: Reduced orchestra sizes for non-Equity tours. It is not so simplistic. A non-Equity tour can have a very active move schedule, meaning that the band must all travel with the show. That is terribly expensive and, sad to say, they are the one element that can actually be replaced with technology. A greater issue is venue logistics. You may have seen a non-Equity tour in a big theatre, but the next day could see them in a cafeteria in a whistle stop town where the venue has no pit and cramped quarters backstage with nowhere to fit the band... That has to be accounted for.
Updated On: 8/31/16 at 01:47 AM
