Teen Theatre Lovers- Page 2

[Unknown User]

Posted: 6/18/08 at 12:49am

Maybe Thirteen is the right show at the right time?
Something between Disney and Wedekind, starring real teens?

Or will that be another Glory Day?

Teenage boys will always be a tough sell, though. I used to be one, and the only thing that would get me to Broadway was something like Tommy or Hair. Maybe if I had a choice of Monty Python, Mel Brooks or the Four Seasons back then, things might have been different for me. But those acts probably have as much appeal to a boy born in the 1990s as Glenn Miller or Dean Martin had for me.

Teenage girls, however, are turning Broadway into their personal playground in recent years. Stand around the Doubletree or the Marriott on any weekend this summer. They travel in packs -- always with a designated mom -- and they apparently love Broadway spectacles and gift shops. If I was a producer I'd run Peter Pan buses out to local high schools to pick them up at 6 and drop them off at midnight.

[Luckydave14]

Posted: 6/18/08 at 12:53am

If they want teens to come they need to stop raising prices every couple of months or come up with a system of getting tickets cheap without having to wait on rush lines. I know plenty of teens who would love to go see shows but won't even spend the money for the cheapest seats in the house for most shows. When I tell them about student rush, most do not want to wait early in the morning and then go back to see the show many hours later. While there is an audience that will fill up the allotted seats for rush, there is an even greater audience that would like to get seats that cheap, but in another way. I think that it is great that Spring Awakening is starting the virtual rush line. If shows had the virtual student rush option, they can give away however many seats they do not think will sell for that night for the rush price through the virtual line. This can fill the seats and tap into the audience who otherwise won't come.

[winston89]

Posted: 6/18/08 at 1:25am

bwaychae5192, I agree with you that I don't like the fact that someone on here would here that someone is a teen theatre lover and assume that they are only into shows like Rent, Spring Awakening, Wicked or Blonde.

I do like that the theatre is something that young girls are doing as a night out. I am glad that teens are going to the theatre and are wanting to go and don't see it as being dragged by their parents. I remember reading an article in Time last year that talked about how it is a new thing that teenage girls would go to the theatre as their way of hanging out rather then doing something like going to the mall. And that shows like Blonde, Wicked, and Hairspray were attracting this kind of audience.

I don't know of anything that can be done to get guys to come to the theatre more often. I am not trying to sound sexist at all. But, it is a fact that more women go to the theatre then men. If you look at the stats of the average theatre ticket buyer they are more women then man. There was an article that was in the Times during the beginning of Spamalot's run that was talking about how for the firs time there was a show on broadway that had more tickets being bought by men then women. And how it was attracting a new kind of audience to Broadway. The straight male.

I am a teen and I am straight and I do like some of the shows that someone on here would consider a "teen show." But, I also love the classics. I do feel like I am in a minority in a few ways. First of a straight male interested in musical theatre. And secondly a teen theatre goer who is a huge fan of the classics as well as some of the new stuff.

And, as for the comment about the rush system. I think that there are just as many teens who are willing to get to the box office when they open as there are teens who would rather have a different way to get their tickets then having to get to the box office at ten. I do also think that Blonde has to re do their rush system to stop having all these problems. But, considering that there are so many threads about the student rush problems at the Palace Theatre I am going to just leave that there and put that subject to rest.

[ashbash1990]

Posted: 6/18/08 at 4:05am

I'm a teenager, and I have to say that I prefer a classic Show to something like Spring Awakening any day...

[rgaywrites]

Posted: 6/18/08 at 4:42am

I have to reiterate that this is kind of a silly question. I fell in love with theatre when I was like six years old. Either you're interested in theatre or you aren't. I don't think you need to do anything specific to pander to teenagers. Most of the stories told in plays and musicals are universal in some form or fashion. Rather than the theatre community trying to come up with shows that could somehow magically "reach" teenagers, perhaps more should be done to sustain arts funding in our schools so that more teenagers can be made aware that theatre even exists.

[newyorkrbust]

Posted: 6/18/08 at 7:37am

I am a teenager and I LOVE BROADWAY!! I admit where I live, I am an extreme minority, but thats ok. I love shows like Rent, In the Heights, Spring Awakening, Wicked, etc. Nothing needs to be "teenagified" if teenagers like it as it is, they will come. If not, its their loss.

[TWSFan4Ever]

Posted: 6/18/08 at 8:22am

I am a teenager and I never had to be brought to theatre, I just came. If a teenager wants to begin an interest in theatre, they will if they want to.

[Patash]

Posted: 6/18/08 at 8:58am

How do you get ALL teens interested in Broadway? It just ain't gonna happen -- and more than you're ever going to get a lot of gay teen boys interested in playing football. Different things appeal to different people. You're never going to change that.

[Dancin Thru Life]

Posted: 6/18/08 at 9:24am

I apologize in advance for happening upon this thread at the time of day I just did, but here goes....

<<>>

Just what the world needed...
Another whining, useless, lazy thread about teens.

WAKE UP ALREADY! There has never been MORE on Broadway for the teen crowd to enjoy in any recent time period that I can recall!

Do we need to spoon-feed theater to you now too, like everything else in life has been?

The original post shines a spotlight on a big part of what is wrong with many teens today = they feel the world has an obligation to keep them entertained 24 hours a day!

Well, guess what - it's not all about YOU!
A better idea would be to get your A$$ out there and see what EVERYBODY ELSE is enjoying on the stage. Make it an opportunity to grow and learn about theater and find out what else you might like.

You'll be an adult for a lot longer than you will be a teen, so don't expect everybody to drop everything and cater to your 7 years of "teen needs and desires".

Theater will be there for teens when they grow up...and they'll be thankful.

You certainly wouldn't expect professional sports teams or doctors to get you to take an interest in their fields, so why should theater professionals have to go out and "recruit"???

Get out there, explore, and enjoy.
Have a nice day!

<<>>

:)

[toanythingtaboo 2]

Posted: 6/18/08 at 10:17am

there's plenty of shows to keep everyone content.

lion king, little mermaid etc for the young families.

legally blonde, wicked etc for teenagers and upwards.

spring awakening, in the heights etc for the older teenagers.

then it goes into shows that are designed for more theatre savvy audiences.

broadway + the west end have layers of shows aimed to please different audiences.


the problem is that the world is becoming less cultured, so theatre is becoming less relevant compared to back in the day when it was common for families to go to the theatre/concerts or whatever.

now everything is to do with the media, hollywood, celebrities, tv etc.

so we can all bicker over the fact they're making countless movie to musicals, but in this day in age, its precisely what needs to be done to draw people in and keep broadway going.

remember that tourists and non hardcore theatre lovers are what keeps everything going.

i'm 19, yes i like the 'big' shows just as much as i love the lesser known shows too. but i was raised with theatre...so who knows what i'd be like if i was raised by sports nuts and had no exposure to the arts.

[jaso937]

Posted: 6/18/08 at 11:06am

I think that most of what is keeping teens out of theatre is society. We simply live in a time where technology is interfering with human relations and connectivity on a personal and close basis which are all things Theatre relies on. I dont see theatre leaving any time soon and there are more than enough teens interested to keep it going none the less.

[SgtDonut]

Posted: 6/18/08 at 11:12am

I'm a teen...Just saw Gypsy last night and before that Young Frankenstein. What needs to be changed?!

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 6/20/08 at 6:23pm

My mom grew up in love with WEST SIDE STORY and SWEET CHARITY. I was raised on INTO THE WOODS and WONDERFUL TOWN.

It can happen. But teens are isolatted in their emo world.

[Select a Member Name]

Posted: 6/20/08 at 8:38pm

As a teenager, I feel Broadway does not need to change for teens. I wasn't raised to like musicals. I came upon Broadway myself. If a teen likes Broadway and musicals, then that's great. If they don't, then that's fine. Not every teenager is going to like Broadway.

[defyinggravity42694]

Posted: 6/20/08 at 8:51pm

Billy Elliot is opening as well as '13', they are trying to appeal to teens...

[myshikobit]

Posted: 6/20/08 at 8:53pm

Some people are too ignorant and brain dead to enjoy musical theatre. We shouldn't dumb it down for anyone- we should make it a testament to the fact that there are still cultured, smart people in America! Personally, my taste is something I take pride in. It would be less enjoyable for a lot of people if we dumbed musical theatre down for the masses. It would rob us of what made us unique.

Updated On: 6/20/08 at 08:53 PM

[choked_on_tittup]

Posted: 6/20/08 at 9:52pm

Hey myshikobit,

I couldn't have said it better myself :) you are exactly right about not dumbing down Broadway (with shows like Xanadu... dumbed down enough??) Updated On: 6/20/08 at 09:52 PM

[myshikobit]

Posted: 6/20/08 at 10:24pm

Thank you!

[ILoveMyDictionary]

Posted: 6/20/08 at 10:31pm

I agree. Nothing. I'm a teenager and my first show was All Shook Up. Shortly after that was Sweet Charity and then The Producers. The last show I saw was Gypsy. Since my first show I've seen 32 Broadway shows. 12 Off-Broadway shows, and 6 West End shows. If teenagers like Broadway shows they will see them. There's no need to put more fluff on Broadway just to satisfy teen audiences.