Thursday, October 21, 2021
Broadway ticket buyers make more last-minute decisions
Broadway News: Unlike prior seasons, many ticket buyers are purchasing Broadway tickets one to two weeks before or even the day of the show, rather than several weeks ahead of time, according to ticketing companies and producers. The buying trend underlies the uncertain and evolving landscape of the industry’s return as Broadway shows vie to attract non-tourist audiences.
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This article talked about some really interesting data, none of which is surprising to me. But I had not previously considered what the late ticket sales means for producers looking at how their shows will do in the future. And I think there is really no way to change that right now. With everything being so uncertain because of the pandemic, I think people need to be comfortable in the not knowing even though it is financially scary for producers. It has to be like this because so much is still unknown and things can change at any second, and sadly there really is nothing they can do about it. This article really also made me realize how much I haven’t been paying attention to the news anymore because I had no idea the US was not taking international tourists right now. Makes sense, but I really did pay way more attention to every change in law and rule so much in the begging of the pandemic.
I found this article informative because I often forget the ticket selling side of theatre and how important that is especially for Broadway shows as sales decide whether a show stays open or not. As the article mentioned, it is interesting to see the trends of ticket sales change due to covid not only because there are less tourists in New York, but also because of this uncertainty such as a show being cancelled because of an outbreak in the cast. In reference to tourism in New York, the article mentioned an interesting fact that our borders are still not open to those non-citizens who are vaccinated which again plays into the theme that the pool of people to see these shows is small right now due to covid. The author also explains how “reviews are no longer a deciding factor” and it is more dependent on “the performers in the show”. I find this to be a shift that will probably stick from here on out as I have personally chosen one show over the other because of the people who are casted.
I never thought about the buying patterns of tickets. I think that personally, I have bought tickets both very early or like a week before, it just depends, so this has never been a thought in my buying process. But location and travel are really the roots of this. People aren’t traveling as much therefore tourism is down and it's easiest to get tickets to something closer to the show when you live in the area. What was also interesting was the types of shows that people are gravitating to, musicals and comedies. Like it was said in the article people want to be entertained now more than ever after facing so many issues during Covid. Uncertainty is another aspect that is very hard for people to overcome. Rules and regulations are changing all the time that can affect your attendance at an event. Some people will only go to completely masked or vaccinated events, for good reason, so it’s good to scope out the situation as close to the event as possible. Finally, I had no clue that The US was reopening international travel which was something important that I learned from this article.
This is actually really interesting to see happening for Broadway shows. I feel like the attitude used to be more like it was planning for a whole day to see a show or you’re booking your tickets weeks ahead of time for a weekend filled with shows. With Broadway becoming so inaccessible in the past 5 or so years, I’d say, I feel like more people are relying on these cheaper options like TodayTix to see Broadway shows. I know personally that I frequently use TodayTix as a young person with limited money. I appreciate TodayTix for lowering this barrier to see Broadway shows, as it is extremely difficult to be able to see a broadway show. I expect that if Broadway prices continue to rise, that purchasing last minute will become more and more popular. I hope that the industry continues or starts conversations on how to make this barrier easier to cross and make tickets to see Broadway shows cheaper instead of catering to rich, white audiences.
This is an interesting trend, though not a particularly surprising one. There’s a lot of uncertainty right now, especially with regards to travel and settings with a lot of people in close quarters (like theater). People’s comfort levels vary, and things change rapidly, so waiting to buy tickets has a lot of upside. I’m hoping to see my first show on Broadway in January, but if things get bad again with the colder weather and flu season, plans could change. Hopefully, as boosters are rolled out, travel for vaccinated travelers is reopened, and more systematic public safety measures like vaccine mandates continue to phase in, we will see things really start to normalize in most settings in most places most of the time. It will probably take years for everyone to really get back to normal and get over all of our pandemic anxieties, but we are slowly getting there.
The fact that ticket buyers are waiting longer is not that surprising and all of the reasons given make sense. This can also probably be attributed to supply and demand considering that there are less tourists (about half) coming to the city and if people aren’t buying tickets further out in advance than other people don’t feel like they have to buy tickets super early. I also would bet that the trend of buying tickets later and later had already started because people have less jobs with vacation time and aren’t able to schedule time off way in advance. I know many people my age don’t plan too early. The article mentioned that lots of shows (or theaters) received both federal money and insurance. I didn't realize that they would have insurance that covered this scenario which made me wonder if insurance companies took a hit because so many organizations lost revenue and if they had insurance for it, the pandemic would be the perfect time to claim it.
One point from the article I'd like to touch on is the idea that sales from large groups like school trips haven't picked up. I don't find that particularly surprising that for school aged kids in particular, parents may not be comfortable with their kids going into large, out of school settings where they will be exposed to people outside their immediate circle. Everyone has a different comfort level in groups in current times and it may be difficult for schools to find enough kids to take for the price to be worth it. (Assuming that there's some group discount that is usually utilized. That could be an invalid assumption.) I'm actually surprised to hear that so many shows are currently open. 23 is a lot and it's really exciting to hear that even more are planning on opening. That sounds like at least sales are currently enough to justify continuing to open and expand performances. I wasn't actually aware that tourists are currently barred from entering the U.S. until Nov 8. While it's good to know that more people will be able to support and see these works of art it is a little scary to know we could start seeing spikes in cases due to travel in the coming weeks. Hopefully all will work out.
This is a really interesting comparative article. It makes sense that if people are traveling less, then the tickets being bought are not going being bought far out because they are being purchased by locals. It didn’t occur to me however that I should have been taking advantage of going to see the shows before borders open up again and there is an increase in tourism. I am glad there are 23 shows up and running with the help of the government. I’m not sure what the broadway theatre industry would have been able to do if they did not have that assistance. I guess time will tell in the next few months. I do hope that there is an increase in the amount of comedy that is being produced theatrically after covid times. I feel like there have been a lot of darker dramas come out in the more recent times and I would love to see good comedy again.
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