TribLIVE: Actress Mae West may have thought that too much of a good thing was wonderful.
But Pittsburgh arts patrons can find it frustrating.
Those who frequent dance, theater and music events need look no farther than their calendars to know that some weeks are crammed with so many must-see shows that it‘s impossible to see them all.
2 comments:
This article points out that when you are in a city, there are many things you must take into account when deciding when and where to produce a play. It seems that patrons have become frustrated with theaters in Pittsburgh this year, as there have been many great performances, but they have been too concentrated. I could understand why this would annoy theatregoers, as they want to see as many shows as they want, but seeing too many shows in a small period of time can definitely take more time and money than someone may have. It is also interesting to think about other events that are happening in the city, such as Steelers games. It would definitely not be smart to schedule a production during the same weekend as a big game. This article seems to point out that ticketsales for productions during the holidays usually goes down. This is interesting, because in New York, Times Square seems busier than ever with theatregoers. You would think that people would want to go to the theater when it is cold outside, as there is not much more to do when living in a city like Pittsburgh except play in the snow.
A few thoughts:
Steelers games in particular affected the Bricolage production of STRATA - since participants met out on Ft. Duquesne Blvd, finding parking near there and then getting out and through the streets so close to North Side bridges was sometimes a challenge. They sent out announcements to patrons to leave extra early in order to accommodate the traffic and crowds.
The holiday seasons work differently here in Pittsburgh than they do in New York because Pittsburgh is not a tourism, sightseeing hub like NYC is. People go to NYC to spend their holidays on vacation, and end up buying lots of theatre tickets. It's more people coming home than going to visit here.
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