www.publicsource.org: Pittsburgh actor Tim Hartman has watched those changes closely during more than four decades performing with companies including Pittsburgh Public Theater, City Theatre Company and Pittsburgh CLO. Since his professional debut at the 1983 Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival he said, the theater community has had to adapt to shifting audiences, rising production costs and a more uncertain economic landscape.
2 comments:
It does kind of scare me to be working in an environment so full of flux and change, but it’s also a workplace that’s been adapting for literally all of its existence. And what sucks most of all is that people WANT to go see shows. Personally, it’s my favorite form of entertainment. But ticket prices are so incredibly prohibitive, and that’s even in a city like Pittsburgh that has relatively lower prices compared to some others. Pretty much any time I see a show (which is as often as I can), it’s at discounted prices that I find online or through school. I also never know how to feel about tours. On one hand, it brings technically amazing shows that are considered “the best of the best” to a more affordable level for a broader group of people. I think that tours have to exist, at least to make sure Broadway doesn’t remain some sort of fantasyland for exclusively rich theatre enjoyers. But on the other hand I saw Water for Elephants at the Benedum yesterday and... that didn't need to tour. at all. man oh man.
I’m the friend who when another friend is talking to me about a problem, I don’t just listen, I try to find a solution. When I read this article, it felt a lot like that. I hear the problem, and all I can think about is, how do I fix this problem? Maybe I should be going to more shows! Maybe I should use all $15 in my bank account to donate to these arts organizations. But the answer is simply that I don’t have one. I personally only go to see theatre when I find a way to go for free or heavily discounted, but I understand why ticket prices are as high as they are. I also, have nights where I am simply burnt out and do not want to go anywhere…maybe that’s a root of the main problem, but I still don’t have a solution. Maybe the goal should be to reach people who have never stepped foot in a theatre, but that might not fix the problem of touring productions taking attention away from local theatre. AHHH I don’t know, I’m scared.
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