www.broadwayworld.com: A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the problems regional theaters are having attracting audiences. As I wrote, the majority of theaters that have returned are doing less shows. I donated to at least one theater in all 50 states in 2022 and, during my review of theater websites, it was depressing to see theaters that used to do six shows, doing three now, especially because those three tended to be more traditional fare. This at a time when development programs have been gutted.
5 comments:
I have always deeply connected to the quote by John Steinbeck, “ The theatre is the only institution in the world which has been dying for four thousand years and has never succumbed. It requires tough and devoted people to keep it alive.” Growing up in a community theatre that was the only theater in a 50 mile radius not associated with a high school I learned very early on that adaptability and consistency are survival. Therefore I deeply respect the new directions that the many regional theatre’s across the country are taking. Regional theaters are most often non profits which, although some are very well funded, do not have the same amount of resources that for profit theaters on Broadway do. The people who work at them are doing it out of love and sometimes pure stubbornness so in a time so consumed by caution and avoidance of large groups, they pour that love into the function of the theatres they are devoted to.
With inflation and the state of the economy I understand the dropping in sales of shows. Theatre is an expensive experience. To buy a ticket to a new work and not be sure you will like it is always a risk. Sticking to familiar titles or Intellectual Properties seems like the safe route. It sadly comes at the cost of regional theater’s bottom line. Usually these theaters allow for more artistic liberty but due to the dropping in ticket sales, these new works have to live in the limelight of the town’s 50th traditional production of Little Shop of Horrors. And what is the fun in seeing the same show created to emulate the original. It is frankly just sad to see how a lot of great art will have to be dimmed these years coming from the pandemic. Theatre is still working on coming back but despite what people say, it is not back. I went to San Francisco recently and stayed with a very good friend in the theatre scene there. To see the worn down streets of the theatre district and be told about how different it was pre-pandemic was heartbreaking.
Having lived in Washington D.C. my whole life, I have come to recognize the theatre community that surrounds me. There are multiple different regional theatres in my area, and it was hard during the pandemic to see how many of them were struggling and still are. I was fortunate enough to build the set for one of the regional theatre’s world premieres of a children’s show. I’d like to say that after the pandemic this helped this particular regional theatre stay afloat. But I know that there is more at stake that helps keep a theatre afloat. This article points out simple ways that regional theatres have been able to cope with the lack of audiences. Mostly, they begin to have seasons with blockbuster-type shows like Chicago, Little Shop of Horror and Cabaret, all of which help bring in large audiences that help increase ticket sales. Overall, I am hopeful that regional theatres continue to thrive and find their ways to stay afloat. Regional theatre’s are the backbone of the theatre community, as they are the places where shows start before they become smash hits.
It really does seem to be a vicious cycle – it would be great to see regional theaters able to push boundaries a bit more and invest in lesser known works or authors, or even to expand to less traditional works rather than repeating the same big-ticket items as a cash grab. But unfortunately, budget is low, and that is not really feasible for many regional theaters simply because they need to do what brings in more money. It reminds me of how in high school, my theatre teacher vehemently insisted that she would never want to put on a Disney show like Beauty and the Beast, but she also admitted that if we were in dire need of money, that would be the first thing she’d consider. People want to pay for what’s familiar. Sad but true, and severely limiting for regional theaters and low-budget theaters. But I’m glad to see trends are improving for theatre attendance!
I’ve been seeing a trend of theatres post covid struggling to make money and stay open. Just the other day, one of the few youth theatres in Arizona posted they were struggling to stay open because they just didn’t have the funds to stay open, so they were asking for donations. Like the article says, theatres that are performing well known shows seem to be having fuller audiences and making more money, but for theaters who do new works or normally don’t tend to do the “big name” shows it can be worrisome as to how long they might stay open for. I think it really does take a community to keep a theatre on its feet- I mean that’s what theatre really is, it’s a community. It just is really disappointing that some theatres don’t have a big enough community to back them. That’s why spreading theatre is really important and I know in my theatrical career I want people to be able to access theatre.
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