Sunday, October 07, 2007
Discount tickets for theater
New York Times: "THE new theater season is here, bringing with it the usual hope (is Tom Stoppard’s “Rock ’n’ Roll” as brill as they say?), hype (can Mel Brooks do it again with “Young Frankenstein”?) and host of intriguing possibilities. But with the arrival of the seasonal onslaught comes a more vexing question: How much can you afford to see?"
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8 comments:
The lower ticket prices go, the more accessible theater becomes to the general public. Although this might result in more shows like Legally Blonde, I feel like it could only benefit the theater industry.
The lower ticket prices go, the more accessible theater becomes to the general public. Although this might result in more shows like Legally Blonde, I feel like it could only benefit the theater industry.
(Sorry about the repeat, forgot to put my name in.)
It's clear - lower prices mean more people will be able to go to the theatre. And I don't think it will just draw people to just the "musical just for the sake of being a musical" but other types of theatre as well. They mentioned LCT quite a bit, and that's mostly what I can relate to, since I get the $20 student tickets to shows there. I signed up for that when Light in the Piazza (<3) began its run, and have been a big fan of it ever since. My main example of where I probably wouldn't have seen absolutely brilliant theatre, is in the case of The Coast of Utopia. I got to see all three parts for $60. If I had to pay $300+ for that, odds are I wouldn't have seen all three parts, which, basically would have sucked. Two shows I saw this summer I got to see for free - and although I did mean to see more, I probably wouldn't have seen either of the shows, and they were well worth it, yet I only would have paid for one. With the availability of cheap tickets all over the place, I will be much more likely to go to and get to see many many more shows. Like - I haven't been to the Met opera yet. And that is something I'm dying to do. If I can go for around $20 - I'll be there in a heartbeat.
The idea of high ticket prices turning theatre into an "elitist pastime" is a pretty unattractive idea to a designer. However Higher production costs mean in order to keep working for the theatre (and not a restaurant) I am sure its necessary. What to do?
I think that lower ticket prices can really do good for the industry and, though we may see a temporary increase in shows like "Legally Blonde" things will level off again. The bigger issue though is the fact that we need to be thinking of the future of the theatergoing audience. If younger crowds are not attracted to the theatre at this point then when will they get into it, it is not like one day people wake up 40 and a billionaire. Younger audiences need to start seeing theatre to keep seeing theatre and i believe that discount tickets are the way to get younger audiences in the door.
I feel like with the high cost of ticket prices, theatre and art in general has become some sort of elitist club that I'm not allowed to join, being a poor college student. Its quite the paradox: the old complain about our lack of culture, but we simply cannot afford to be a part of it.
I remember once being told that theatre is really an elitist form of entertainment and to some extent those bariers are being broken down because of the cost of tickets. I think its fantastic that the cost of tickets has gone down so dramatically and now there is no reason for audiences to come and see theatre however, with the focus of audiences being geared towards the pre-teen generation; not only the prices are going down. also the quality of material being put out there.
I can understand the motivation to charge as much as possible. If last-minute patrons are willing to pay $450 for a ticket off a scalper, then why shouldn't the box office charge that to begin with so the production receives maximum profit? But at the same time, there's a good-naturedness to theater that it should be accessible to the masses. By raising prices across the board, demographics are being shut out of the art form all together.
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