DC-area theatre lovers got some good news and some bad news this week.
The good news is that Washington, D.C. continues to be a robust theatre town. According to data which the Helen Hayes Awards released this week, 2007 saw the dawn of six new theatre companies (and the sunset of three), an increase in the number of shows produced from 434 to 454, and a vigorous 5.3% increase in the number of productions – from 7648 to 8050. Twenty-five theaters reported an increase in attendance, while only twenty-two reported a decline.
The bad news is that for the fifth year in a row, overall attendance declined in 2007. Paid attendance was 1,908,557, a decrease of 36,912, or 1.9%, from 2006, according to the annual Helen Hayes Awards survey. (This number includes audiences for all professional companies but does not include the roughly 19,000 attendees at the Washington Fringe Festival).
Helen Hayes President and CEO laid part of the blame on the recession. “In an uncertain economy,” she noted, “art is often among the first things to be eliminated from discretionary spending.”
We agree, as far as it goes. 2007 was a rough year, for Washington and the country. But can that explain a five-year decline? During the past five years, Washington has experienced a renaissance of sorts, including a noticeable rise in the area-wide standard of living, significant economic and quality-of-life recovery by the City, and a theatrical building boom that has touched Studio, Signature, Olney, Shakespeare, Round House and – soon – Arena. So why hasn’t this been accompanied by an increased interest in theatre?
We don’t think it’s an issue of quality. From what we’ve seen, quality has improved as brilliant new talents like Alexander Strain, Kimberly Gilbert, Aaron Posner and John Vreeke have established themselves. And the proliferation of theatre companies has resulted in coverage of a wide range of niches – including thoughtful Christian (Journeyman Theater) and Jewish (Theater J) productions, new plays (Charter Theater), new musicals (Signature), contemporary Irish theatre (Solas Nua and Keegan’s New Island Project) and cutting-edge drama (Rorschach, Forum, Washington Shakespeare Theatre). We have two theaters devoted to Shakespeare – Folger and Shakespeare Theatre. We now even have a company devoted to plays about science (Active Cultures).
So what’s happening? We thought we’d turn the question over to the experts – you, the Washington theatre-going (and theatre-growing) community. Why do you think attendance has been in a five-year decline? And what do you think ought to be done about it? Let’s generate a conversation – not, please, about gripes you may have with individual productions or individual theatre companies – but about the overall issues which you think are affecting the sustainable life of this community.
Let’s find some solutions. Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
It’s expensive. I can’t drop $100 on a pair of tickets very often.
This is not a complicated question. Two factors are at play:
More theatre opportunities mean the audience is spead thinner. This is a simple supply and demand matter–when supply increases, demand may not move as fast.
A worsening economy means theatre-goers will be more choosy about spending their discretionary dollars on theatre tickets. Instead of a $35+ theatre ticket, they may opt for an $8.00 movie ticket, a DVD rental, or simply staying at home.
I think that theatres can do more to promote themselves through community outreach programs. There are indeed groups which would enjoy productions but don’t necessarily have an opportunity to attend such as groups of seniors from assisted living facilities. I also think that local theatres are not doing enough marketing of their theatres to the many groups of visitors to DC. The Kennedy Center and National Theatres seem to be the main ones which tourists, conventioneers, business and government travelers, etc. will attend. Why not the other theatres? Sometimes they are not even aware they exist.
I would say the decline is based on the death of the subscriber base. I don’t think many DC theatres, save a few, are attempting to reach out to a younger audience. The future of the American theatre is in the hands of 20 and 30 somethings, and they simply aren’t going to the theatre. That can be attributed to high ticket prices, but I think it has to do more with the plays and musicals that are being produced in our nation’s capital. Stop doing the same old war horses and start supporting new and talented playwrights. This is a broad generalization as several theaters (ie Signature, Woolly, and some of the smaller fledgling companies) are doing just that. But overall, I think many companies need to look at their seasons and their marketing campaigns and find a way to appeal to younger audiences.
I hesitate to reply, since this is a site devoted to, and run by, people who are NUTS about theater. And I love you guys and all you do. So explaining why I’m going much, much less to the theater on this site of all places is not exactly preaching to the choir. Begging your forgiveness, here’s why:
1. Money and schedule. If you want the cheap seats, you either have to go to an early PWYC show, and see it with a lot of wrinkles in the production, or wait and hope for discount seats. The former requires a lot of tolerance for shows that are still finding their sea legs, and the latter requires a lot of flexibility in scheduling, which I just don’t have.
2. A new child. I adopted a two-year old girl from Hungary last summer, so I am now exploring children’s theater (for VERY YOUNG children.) I can’t tell you how awful the shows have been that I’ve seen. We went to see “ALice in WOnderland” at Glen Echo with some older kids–very talky, British, boring, too long. (We’d seen the Jungle Book, which was better, in part because the animal puppets were better). “The Phantom Tolbooth” at the Kennedy Center, based on one of my favorite books, put me off theater for months. (I went with a friend’s older children while she babysat mine). I hear good things about Imagination Stage, but if I’m going to pack up a toddler and go to the theater, I want better quality. Better scripts, better acting, interactive, and shorter.
3. I subscribe to the Studio because it rarely disappoints. Even when I’m puzzled by a show that others rave about (“The Brothers Size”) I appreciate being pushed outside my comfort zone. Given my budget and time constraints, I find that the Studio, the Landsburgh and tried and true offerings (I’m going to see “Translations” soon because I love the play) will suffice for now. I see perhaps 10 percent of the shows I used to see.
So I appreciate this site, for letting me “experience” the theater vicariously, at least.
Joel,
For me, it is the price of the tickets. Tickets are expensive. We have alot of choices for our dollars these days. Many of us must decide where we want to spend our money each week. Do we want to go to a show, Caps or Wizards game, or eat a nice dinner? We can’t do it all, unfortunately. I have to choose one big event a week.
Tips for getting folks into seats: I live in Penn Quarter. Host an event for the neighbors of the theaters. Give them an opportunity to purchase discounted tickets. Advertise to them. Pass out flyers. Since I am a member of the Downtown Neighborhood Association I would like to invite someone from the theaters to come to our board meetings and introduce themselves. Maybe have a happy hour before the show for the neighborhood. We could come up with something, if we put our creative minds together. This could be an exciting partnership. Most of us chose to live in Penn Quarter to be within walking distance of the theaters, Verizon Center, and nice restaurants. We like to attend these events.
Jackie
Dear Anonamiss:
There are many discount options available for our local productions:
(1) Ticketplace (Near the Gallery Place Metro).
(2) http://www.goldstarevents.com (sign up for email updates sent to you)
(3) Checking our Hot Tickets list here at DCTS.
(4) Rush tickets at some of our local theatres.
(5) Senior discounts.
(6) Pay-What-You-Can offers.
(7) http://www.theatermania.com has some local offers.
(8) Join The Ushers Theatre Going Group.
We get lots of discount offers, which we pass on to our members. http://www.ushers.us is the website, and you can email me at joel@ushers.us for more info.
So, as you can see, a little money goes a long way if you utilize these discount options.
Check all the theatres websites, which you can find here to the right of this comment box – under Theatre Companies – for their discount, rush ticket and senior discount policies and offers.
Joel
Jackie:
I’d be glad to talk to your association about the growing DC Theatre Scene and discount opportunities. I just spoke to a wonderful group of Brandeis University Alumi last week, and I’d be glad to offer the same program to your neighborhood association. I’ll bring my colorful flyers with me. Great suggestions Jackie!
From the point of view of a 70-year old theater fan, the highly worthwhile experience of Theater has become less frequent for me due to budget constraints. I still see one or two theater productions per week, but they have to be discounted offers on plays that I really appreciate! Fortunately, this area is rich in opportunities.
In my experience, motivating young people who never had exposure to the theater is very difficult. May be if we “oldsters” were given the opportunity of being accompanied by a youngster in our famiies (we on discount tickets, they free-of-charge), they might become interested. After all, theater is a kind of magic happening in front of your eyes and it has a lasting magnetism of its own for those exposed to that magic –books or movies are not the same! LBB
The economy the economy the economy. I could also say lack of spare time for us who work full time – time is scarce on the weekend after chores and errands. But the real reason is that funds are going for basics – groceries, gas, utilities….
Recommendations: more community outreach needed like Arena’s special ticket program for us who live in SW. Local farms have Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Perhaps local theatre could do something similar.
First, thanks so much for this conversation!
As someone speaking from the other side (I officially founded Venus 8 years ago and have been slugging it out ever since) I find the struggle has something to do with defining what theatre really is, and what the value of getting up and going out to see it will be. We now live in a culture bombarded with 2dimensional media and there is an assumption that it somehow replaces the live experience. To me this is the battle. If you look on Broadway or even in our National and Regional houses here in DC it seems many of the works reflect known stories found in 2D media. Because that’s what predictably sells tickets.
More risk-taking Companies with resources who are able to buy or create a “marketing sexy” image in the 2D,and printed media, realm tend to have the most success in getting “butts in seats” as we say.
For geeks like me who are almost scarily obsessed with process over product and drawn to doing work that may not be “known” or “predictable” but is alway edgy and unseen anywhere else, we need to somehow be understood. The cunnundrum is knowing there are people who want to see edgy work, (and by the way are tickets tend to be cheaper than parking at the Kennedy Center) but not having the means to reach them in the same way heavily funded companies can. Not that I believe in labeling as a general rule, but really theatre is so many different things from: music to proscenium to promenade to intimate and on and on and on. It would be good to have some way of connecting “things that are alike-audience to company”. Like we used to do on those diagrams when we were kids.
One actor suggested that we smaller companies maybe start to review each others work as a way to generate a 2d vibe that is cool and “marketing sexy” without needing such huge funds to support it. Many of us have to wait for reviewers who are already overbooked and committed. Even DCTR is not able to get to everything going on. Which causes a strange back up in simply understanding what’s happening. Critics must cover the companies that are known and so can only squeeze smaller companies in on occasion. This KILLS us.
The simple equation is Press=Box Office=Another day to live.
This goes to the subscriber point and all the rest. It’s impossible to plan ahead when you are barely staying alive.
The solution seems to lie in embracing and befriending 2d media as a means to celebrate and promote live work. That’s the best I’ve come up with so far anyway.
Can’t thank you enough, again, for this article. And for all that you do for theatre.
XOXOdb.
I would note two factors that have caused me to slightly reduce my theatre going.
First is not just cost, but price increases. I am spending about the same $ last year, but went to fewer shows. For example, I used to get to all Signature shows, these days I endup only going to previews or shows that appear at TicketPlace
Second is Traffic – With rare exceptions I have stopped going to Roundhouse and Olney because it just takes too long to get there on weeknights. I used to be able to walk out of my house at 7:00 and be in my seat for a 7:30 curtain at any downtown or Arlington theatre, however on recent occasions it has taken me over an hour to get from a Potomac bridge to theatres on upper 14th or H, strictly due to traffic backups. I have ended up missing several PWYC shows as a result, but between work and pets I really can’t leave much earlier in the evening than 6:30
Theatre in DC competes with Film, Live Music and Sports for patron’s entertainment dollars. These patrons each year become younger and less familiar with theatre due to to the theatres not competing competitively for their time and money through advertising.
Until we as the theatre community get serious about marketing to this changing patron pool this problem will only get worse.
Very quickly here are some guesses:
A lot of people don’t want to go to social events alone – and theatre is one of those events; people probably want to spend more time socializing with friends, family, etc., doing other things; perception of theatre is that only those who can “afford” it can; location, parking, cost of parking, and distances that may be blocks and blocks away from a metro station (not fun if it’s hot as all get out, and raining buckets); marketing and promotion strategies used by theater companies and how they present “off-broadway, off-off broadway” theatre, regional, and community theatre. Everything is not about New York. A lot probably can’t be done about most of these things but I will give these recommendations – tap into the tourist trade (the DC metroplex draws gazillions of folks from all walks of life to the area), churches, clubs (lodges, Boy Scouts, school groups, etc.), and senior communities.
Thanks for posting this discussion; the original article hit hard as I’d like to make theatre a career once I retire from the Feds. I agree with many of the above comments, especially cost; other priorities (family, jobs, health costs); reaching out to new and diverse audiences; and the need for marketing, marketing, publicity and publicity. Several of us had discussed the expansion of theatres during better economic times and wondered what this would mean in the years to come… now – when times aren’t so great.
How many arts or theatre management courses are offered in this area? Who teaches and who takes them? Sign me up. I realize many theatre managers have much experience but perhaps D.C. is a subject unto its own – a very diverse population with many students (and their own on-campus events), somewhat transient depending on the Administration in power, gentrification in certain area, and abject poverty in others with middle incomes perhaps the majority.
As a swing dancer in town, I’m torn between $15 dances that offer “free” lessons with live and fabulous music for 3 hrs – every Fri-Sun if not every nite of the wk… and a chance to be with pals who refuse to sit on their duffs. There’s a bit of crossover with theatre and other ushers but not much, sad to say. Even when theatres offer terrific musicals that feature music of the 30s and 40s – like productions at American Century Theatre or MetroStage or Ford’s – most of these dancers don’t show up. Targeting publicity and discounts to an audience like that may help although I realize this is sometimes done. I’m focusing on the dance crowd (which is fairly diverse) only to show what their relatively minimal costs for evening entertainment amount to… while recognizing that the costs to mount a full production in a new or upgraded theatre are high.
NEVER underestimate the power of publicity and marketing. I’m stunned to find that even walking around the area of Wash Stage Guild or Theatre J or the new Harman Center, people don’t have a clue about these outstanding theatres and arts centers although most seem to know about Studio and Woolly by now or know about the Lansburgh or DC JCC. A special kind of media blitz would not hurt. There is the 7th Street Fair… maybe more of those… and Signature has a phenomenal festival now with the Shirlington shops… and the Fringe is a good opportunity to bring in more theatre and art lovers when associated with a theatre. The Folger has its Shakespeare celebrations (and other functions with authors, poets, the Consort) but don’t these cater mostly to the choir?
The Arlington Sun seems to pay homage quite a bit to the Arlington Players, Synetic, Signature, Theatre-on-the-Run and others… what about other local papers?
I’d recommend every theatre that can to participate in Kennedy Center’s Page-to-Stage Festival during Labor Day (sadly, a busy time for parents and students) and to promote this event far more. Info needs to be placed in more mainstream publications, on tv, radio, blogs, Internet, etc. although look what reduced funding did to “Around Town” on PBS… Except for my esteemed theatre buddies, few even know about this wonderful KenCen festival. Or perhaps another “get to know our theatres” could be arranged at a space like Glen Echo or near the Warehouse or at several libraries concurrently on a day or Monday night designed for that purpose. Am sure ushers and volunteers would help.
Groups like Footlights and the Ushers also are valuable with email, Internet, blogs, podcasts… and I forward this info on constantly. Send on the PotomacStages and TicketPlace URLs until people tell you they’ve got it? Are we reaching newcomers and targeted populations? While Canadian playwrights, Irish plays, and Spanish-written productions should not only go to specific audiences, it wouldn’t hurt to do some very specific PR.
Also bringing in more at-risk populations and perhaps the elderly for special productions although again, I realize many theatres already do the former through their Education Depts, esp Signature, Arena, and others. Studio, Signature, Arena, Woolly, Atlas, Theatre J, Shakespeare – (I’m leaving out many) – have a strong commitment to the areas where they are located and do reach out (e.g., Studio rents its space out to hip hop artists and City Paper-sponsored events which help bring in younger patrons…so at least they know where the venue is located but can they afford full-fledged plays or even readings? Maybe their parents can… word of mouth….). More community involvement programs… and if it means hiring more staff… it’s vitally important. More cross-over activities with poetry clubs, Shakespeare scholars, film clubs (American Century Theatre), etc. Harman Center, Woolly, and others deserve praise for other activities like lectures and the development of special clubs. Could the Post be convinced to have a special section devoted to all this?
Theatres working in tandem – like Theatre J and Arena on the Miller retrospectives… perhaps more of that. I found audiences at both had gone to both venues.
Could this area produce a 2-week festival anything like the Contemporary Arts Theatre Festival over a defined period of time and highlighting a theme?
Thanks to an actress pal, I’ve gained some awareness of community theatre. Silver Spring Stage, Kensington Arts Theatre, Arlington Players, Elden Street – all these do dynamite work…. Are there ways to promote more crossover between the community and professional theatres? It’s hard for community theatres to offer more discounts than they already do.
How many are aware of the courses given at these theatres other than those who already are looking for specialties and internships?
And somehow giving “credits” to those theatres and productions that take risks on the edgier, more socially relevant productions. I’ve heard, perhaps erroneously, that VA and DC are more generous with grants to theatres than is MD. True? This goes back to arts and theatre management, fundraising, and community planning.
When the League of Washington Theatres offers its freebies during October via the Internet, possibly those of us who ache to get tix could sign up on another separate day… allowing those tix to go to folks who have NEVER been to a theatre – or perhaps we could get “credit” by bringing a newcomer… an administrative nightmare but where there’s a will, there’s a way?
I’m a frequent usher although I contribute to theatres annually and pay at venues like Olney and Rep Stage where it’s hard for me to arrive in time. So I often go free or rely on TicketPlace and meet up with many folks who’ve expressed dismay at empty seats when superb talent is in the house. Maybe we can all brainstorm to fill up the coffers and keep DC’s scene vibrant. Maybe yet another, uh, Committee for exciting new marketing ideas?
I think it is ticket prices largely.
But also, look at the nature of the plays.
The subject matter of the plays is often strange, uninviting, uninteresting (to me). They are too fringe or avante garde, leaving an unfinished, unsettling feeling. I want to be enriched, intrigued, entertained, engrossed. Most of the plays I have seen in the last 2 years have disappointed. Given the nature of the plays, perhaps fewer people are willing to commit to a subscription of disappointment, preferring to hand-select favorites across the board. I don’t recall having a sense of ‘dissatisfaction’ across a range of talented theater companies before. Perhaps they are striving to pick award winners. Perhaps they don’t really know the audience’s tastes or what will make it a must see. I believe that the troupes do a great job with acting, staging, costumes, but it is often the story line and dialog that disappoints. I want to see good character development, a great story or message that is memorable. Not something that turns me off, tunes me out, of doesn’t even register, provoke thought or conversation. Contrast today’s line up to plays like “Little Voice”, “The Girl in the Fish Bowl”, “Noises Off”, “First Schimiel”, one woman show “Nine” at Arena… and many others I can’t recall titles of …that left me delighted, tickled, moved, stunned, intrigued, cheering, wanting more…
Perhaps I haven’t picked the right shows among the offerings over the last 2 years, but often I go to shows and wonder how my experience can be so different from someone else’s high praise. Perhaps it is an effort to fill seats.
I love having vast array of shows and troupes to choose from, and I understand that it is a struggle for them to keep afloat. And that they are all competing for the same audience and entertainment dollar. And that in this economy more people are perhaps cutting back.
Yes, I think ticket price is a major factor, but it is also time and additional costs associated with a night out for many people.
And there are so many choices of other entertainment.
One other thought – scheduling. Periods of plenty alternate with times where there is not much to go see. The result is that I have to forgo plays during the busy periods and wish for something to go see during the slack periods
It is a sad commentary that indeed there is declining attendance at the performing arts.
We have drastically cut our subscriptions this coming year. We have eliminated the Baltimore and Washigton Operas, Studio and Signature Threatres. We have decided instead of subscriptions that will pick and choose which performances we wish to see. You ask why. The cost . . . ticket prices, ticket service fees, parking costs, gasoline costs. Add to that a dinner and we experience a several hundred dollar evening. Even omitting the dinner the expense is not within most individuals budgets. The same applies to many sports events.
With more groups reporting attendance increases than those reporting audience declines, I would posit that the audience is making a choice based on consistent quality and that quality (regionally) is suffering.
Personally, I have grown weary of paying good money and/or wasting time on mediocre-to-poor-quality productions. A growth in the number of theaters and productions not only spreads/thins the “audience”, it also dilutes the pool of quality artists (directors, actors and designers).
I realize a sports analogy is probably wrong on a theater page, but everyone knows which theaters are the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, and Cubs, just as everyone knows which theaters are the Royals, Devil Rays, and Pirates. While the small market teams may have a good month every now and then, they rarely sustain it over a full season. Whereas the Yankees seem to always have a great season, and a truly bad month is rare. The rest of the teams in the middle are up and down from year to year.
It is convenient to blame the economy and the audience for the slide, but from my perspective as an audience member I believe the dilution of product quality is also to blame. If you had published the 25 theaters reporting increases along side the 22 reporting declines, I suspect the lists would not surprise many readers of this column. I would bet the best companies are on the list of theaters seeing audience increases.
That being said, I feel compelled to note that my wife and I have decided not to renew our Signature tickets for the upcoming year. From our perspective, even Signature has diluted it’s own quality since expanding its season and venue. The year-over-year increase in per ticket costs, coupled with the fact that a season ticket will not include the biggest show in the season, made our decision easier than expected.
As an audience member, I do not find the growth in the number of theaters and productions to be a good thing since it just means further dilution of theatre quality.
Todd and his Two Cents.
Well, my theater-going is up these past couple of years. There are so many good things to see that my problem is not enough time when several short running plays overlap.
My question would be how many actual people are attending productions vs. attendance numbers. The information might help in marketing efforts. What is the percent of people who only see one or two shows a year? One or two a month? If there were a way to spot if one particular segment of the viewing public was in decline (or increase), that would be helpful information.
The economy may be the reason for lower attendance for the past couple of years but not for a few years ago. Without better data, it is difficult to know the real reason for the decline.
It could be that, as budgets tighten, people are turning from professional to community theater productions. As Diane C noted, many local community theater companies do excellent work, and their ticket prices tend to top out below where many professional companies’ ticket prices start. If prices have tightened my budget so that I can only afford the community theater tickets, then that’s what I’ll see.
That said,however, community theater companies are also seeing a decline in attendance, at least based on the anecdotal evidence I hear from friends and acquaintances who are heavily involved in it. Even companies with consistently good performances have seen attendance drop off.
Another factor is the offerings. It’s easier for me to persuade my husband to accompany me to a “warhorse” than to something edgy or to a heavy drama. He doesn’t even like Shakespeare because he “can’t understand a word they’re saying.” Yes, I know all the arguments against warhorses, and I don’t disagree, but consider the other side: they became repertory standards for good reason. One of the missions of theater is to entertain, which the warhorses do, and if that also puts seats in seats, then that gets people in the habit of going to live theater. Which is what this discussion is about, yes?
Another factor – packaging. We’ve seen several shows at the Atlas (and thanks to Gold Star, have never spent more than $28 per ticket) but finding restaurants near there has been difficult. If theaters and companies would have a section on their web sites and information in their publicity on area restaurants and watering holes, it might be easier to get people to come. “Hey, this Italian place around the corner from the theater sounds good; let’s make a night of it.” “I’ve heard good things about the Argonaut; let’s get a group together and plan to swing by for drinks after the show.”
One thing the Atlas does that I think is VERY smart is to offer a shuttle between the Atlas and Union Station. More companies need to advertise the availability of public transportation to their venue. With the ever-rising cost of gas adding to the ever-worsening traffic around here, that might encourage audience members who otherwise might not venture out. “Hey, they’re only a block from the Metro – I don’t have to drive OR worry about parking. Let’s go!”
The Atlas also has a Stages for All Ages program – kids attend for dirt cheap or free with a ticket-buying adult. Again, this gets the next generations introduced to the excitement of live theater at a price their theater-loving adults (parents, teachers, scout leaders…) can afford. And maybe brings out adults who otherwise wouldn’t come.
There’s plenty of good theater around but it’s EXPENSIVE!!! How many people can really afford to go to the theater often when the costs are (give or take) $40 each. I’ll bet that other venues that handle non theater arts, like Strathmore, are seeing similar declines. And yes, while there are ‘deals’ available out there (ex.pay what you can) getting them requires that you 1) actively seek out these opportunities AND 2) are able to make the specific availabilities. Many of these are offered with very short notice and most people aren’t able to be that flexible. Even as a subscriber at local theater (ex. Round House), it’s EXPENSIVE.
Supply and demand.
Money and time.
Geography and parking (I don’t live near a metro).
As a playwright, I have to choose between consuming art and creating it. (Or taking a nap.) When I’m on a roll, I see 3-4 shows a week, but I still can’t get out to see everything. Compare that to movies, where I see MAYBE 4 movies a year in the theatres, and I make it through one Netflix DVD a month. I’m reading the first novel I’ve read in 15 years. There’s a stack of unread New Yorkers by my bed 2 feet deep.
I also can’t afford full-price tickets, and am grateful for professional comps, PWYCs, and theatres that have ticket prices in the $10-15 range. Much of the theatre in this town is for rich people.
I love readings, one-night happenings, late night shows, off-night shows, shows that run in rep. I especially try to get out to see shows by local playwrights. I’m tired of the 4×4 schedule (4 shows a week, 4 weeks) and don’t see how it serves theatres well other than it keeps them eligible for Helen Hayes.
I live in Shirlington and there’s lots going on at Round House and Rep Stage I’d like to see, but I don’t have AC in my car and the idea of taking my 14-year-old clunker on the highway for that long of a drive just makes me want to take a nap. I think a lot of people sit in traffic, and sit all day at a computer–if they’re gonna sit in a theatre and watch other people experience life, it better be damn good.
I agree with many of the other coments. I think costs have a lot to do with the decline in audience attendance. Its really wonderful that so many of our local theaters have been able to grow and occupy all of these new venues designed for them. However, with that growth comes ticket prices that are out of sight. If you look at the larger venue around town ticket are often in excess of $50 a piece. That a lot of money. Even if they wanted to I don’t know how often people can afford to spend that kind of money very often.
I agree that somehow there needs to be a way to attract more young people (20-30 year olds) to the theater. However, they are even less likely to be able to afford the price of many theater tickets these days. What surprises me is that the NYC theaters don’t appear to have trouble attracting a younger audience. What are they doing that we are not doing in the DC metro area? The one local theater that I’ve noticed always has a lot of younger people in the audience is Synetic. I wonder what Synetic is doing that other theaters aren’t doing.
I agree, attendance in smaller community theatre shows is down.
The last few plays I’ve seen, there have been many empty seats.
What is the reason? I think price is part of it. It is still pretty expensive to go and see a good play. I do know there is ticketplace and I am very grateful for that. But for one, there are some shows that Ticketplace does not receive half-price tickets to.
I also think that theatres need to do more advertising of their shows. I know that costs money, but more advertising of what’s out in there would perhaps help. I sometimes go to shows, and mention it to friends afterwards…they often say that they didn’t hear about it. I know many folks don’t do much searching, so it is also on them that they don’t hear about plays.
Also, perhaps more theatres come introduce pay-what-you can evenings. I know some do..but I think it would help if more did.
Those are my initial thoughts as a DC resident who frequents DC community theatres.
Thank you for the article and for the chance to comment.
Regards,
Jessica
Personally I really don’t get TicketPlace. I mean realistically most people can not go downtown and pick up tickets. While some same day tickets can be purchased on-line many theaters don’t offer tickets this way via TicketPlace. This is a business model that I just don’t grasp. I sure that TicketPlace is modeled off of the half priced ticket offices in NYC but the dynamics in NYC are very very different. Goldstar has certainly filled some of this gap but it specializes in buying tickets some days in advance of the performance. If TicketPlace wants to target discounting tickets that are available on the day of the performance then it needs to move into offering all of these tickets on-line.
I’m very active in community theater, a regular theater-goer and donor to several theaters (community and professional) in the area.
To me, a huge hit comes from people who are part of the creative process not attending as much. At the community theater level, I have produced, directed, acted and sung in many productions. I’ve had just about every job in the book for some show or another at one time. After 10 years, I have many friends in the area in shows. At any given time I have friends in 5-10 productions around town. I attend their shows, I organize groups to see them. I would like it if they would also come out and support shows that I am in or that I am organizing groups to see. It would be nice if someone else made arrangements for a group to see a show, arrange for dinner before and arrange for tickets. And over 10 years, it is amazing to me, how few do any of these things. I slowly stop going to see shows where friends do not come to one of my shows or outings. I organize fewer groups to see shows because it’s a lot of work and very few people reciprocate and take the work off my hands. Ask Joel, he’ll tell you how much work this all is.
So, my hint is this. To increase attendance, people in the business have to get off their high horse and come out to support the community. Once in a blue moon, if you think you are going to a show, send out a note even to just a handful of friends and invite them, arrange for a place for dinner, get tickets. If everyone does this once a year (how hard is that?) and brings 8 people to a show instead of just themselves and their significant other, attendance will go up. But we’ve become lazy as audience members and don’t want to help bolster the performing arts and let the attendance decline.
Right now, everyone is so busy doing their thing that they aren’t there to support their friends who are doing their thing. And that is where some of the decline is coming from.
A lot of people have mentioned cost but it has also been mentioned that there are plenty of deals to be had. Aside from that, I could list 5 companies off the top of my head that do very good work on a consistent basis and have tickets that are $20 or less even on nights that are not PWYC or something like that.
So the question remains: Why the drop in attendance? There is a lot of good theatre out there that doesn’t cost much. I will go so far as to say that the companies I am thinking of deliver every bit as much quality, the occasional miss notwithstanding, as the bigger, more expensive houses – which also have their share of mis-fires.
Of course, we all know ticket prices are a big problem but both for the buyer and the needs of the theater on both sides. I like when Arena for one has student and youth discount days and there should be more. Senior discounts would be great too of course, though the theater is too gray now and for the future youth are needed.
But one thing, there is not any balance between necessary but often
meaningless froth and some valuable drama as in the old days. Balance is need.
Another thing. With the times getting rough economically and otherwise I am reminded of the Depression where on the one hand there was a demand for thoughtful works mixing with what FDR asked when he sat down with the movie moguls to jawbone for lighter fare. The films of 2007 were something I cannot recall in the universality of gloom and doom in terms of Oscar nominees, “Juno” being the one exception, though I never saw it as Oscar worthy though a fine film. “Atonement” should have been in its place. I doubt we will see such a series of film nominees next year. Hopefully more mixture.
L2 – I agree with you. There are a number of theaters where tickets are $20 or less and there are also a number of other theaters that offer various ticket discounts. However, I suspect that most people (other than those theater obsessed folks like ourselves) really aren’t familiar with these opportunities. I bet they don’t even know about Goldstar. You have to be pretty tuned in to the theater to be aware of all of the opportunities out there.
Ted- I’m still out there getting groups of friends together to see shows and grab a bit to eat. Some of us are still doing it.
Lots of bad weather!! Maybe as many as a dozen times
last year, I changed my mind about going out ’cause it
was too cold, too rainy, too snowy, too windy or too
blazing hot — or some combination. Also, when cab fares go up like they did this last year and bus service goes down in frequency as several routes did this past year, I have to think twice about
the peripheral costs of cab fare or the extra hour or
two I need to invest to travel on public transport.
being a theater fan of 28 yrs old, I can agree with much of what is said here – theater is incredibly costly. Yes, there are a bunch of ways of getting discounts; but these are often inconvenient.
There is a disconnect here someplace. I read where Washington is the cheapest place around when it comes to paying the actor’s salaries, yet so many of the theaters have new multi-million dollar playhouses to play in (Thank God for the Meads, et al,) subscription ticket prices are going through the roof, and all I get is more and more request to donate money in addition to paying these NYC prices for the shows which are not of NYC quality. Where is all the money going? When you buy a subscription, the theater often throws in one or two or three cheap shows during the year to save even more money and screw the season subscriber. I am not complaining about the price of tickets even though I am sure that the higher they go, the less sales they will see, but I’d like to know why all that money is not making it through the bureaucracy to the creative side of the house.
I think WETA needs to bring back Around Town. It wouldn’t have to be the same people, especially if their demands were the reason for the show being cancelled. There needs to be a voice for the theater in the Washington area. I definitely agree that somehow more younger people need to become theatergoers? How will that happen? There need to be some shows that will entertain them. I was so impressed when I saw all the young people going to Signature to to Glory Days. Bravo to Eric Schaeffer!!!
Maureen mentioned something about theatre companies posting the availability of public transportation to their venues. I couldn’t agree more. For example, just a couple of weeks ago I discovered that public transportation to The American Century Theater performances is available. It is a Metro bus (10A – Pentagon) that departs from the King Street Metro Station, and a 10A – Hunting Towers that departs from the Pentagon. Both will deposit riders within a short walking distance from Gunston Arts Center. I used Metro’s trip planner out of curiosity. Prior to this I ignored this Theater figuring it was a hassle to get to. Its Home Page covered only driving directions. So now I’m happy to know I have another theater to visit and one that is accessible.
I agree with much that has been written here, but I don’t think much has been said about our embarrasing government’s general lack of interest in theater nationally, or locally,our amazing actors who barely eke out a living, (and frequently without insurance). Reducing “Around Town” to a blip…a major newspaper that would rather make mention of Britney Spears, or have a critic so jaded by his NYC failure that he must rush to New York to have his voice be one of the first heard…(and editors who find this acceptable)…
C’mon folks. Educate yourselves before you prioritize. Read about German theater, or theater in England. There’s your prototypes.
In closing….any chance I get to see Prosky, Marshall, Foucheaux, Robinette, Schiffman, Gero, Jacobson and the legions of up-and-coming talent that we are blessed to have in this city, I still feel is a bargain. Keep up the great dialogue but keep the faith.
Phil E.
couple of quick thoughts…
traffic is a big factor, especially as a NoVa resident. It is really hard to get to a show downtown or in MD from VA, especially, as one person already stated, if it is a week night.
That being said, there are very few theaters offering live stage experiences in NoVa for whatever reason and it seems that the marketing to NoVa residents is as absent as the venues. Northern Virginia seems to thrive more on community theater. I think there is opportunity to grow an audience from your NoVa community base. Maybe establish satellite outreach programs for performance and education in Reston, Herndon, Falls Church, Vienna, Springfield…I am sure there is a reason that there is not much live professional theater in NoVa but there certainly is a gaggle of willing patrons who would give anything not to sit on RT 66 or the American Legion Bridge for hours just to see live theater. Theaters should figure out some way to reach out to this gaggle. MD and DC professional theaters don’t really even offer educational programs (camps, classes, etc…) in NoVa. Why is that?
Marketing and advertising strategies DO need to change. Advertising in WaPo is so last century. What about other electronic marketing strategies? And how about marketing outside the circle of theaters. Those post cards that sit in the lobbies of all the theaters… Where else do they sit? How about the lunch rooms of nearby businesses…lobbies of hotels…tables on the Spirit of Washington…bookstores…military rec centers. (wow, if you could tap into the very large group of Federal and military employees who are already downtown) Instead of these post cards being the business card for what your theater friends are doing next, get those cards outside of the typical theater lobby circle. The same goes for marketing those discount ticket venues. Who else except the theater circle knows about these venues? Get the word out. Market these places. I bet less than 2% of the population even knows that these places exist in DC.
Stages for All Ages should be for All Time, not some small window in spring. There are many shows, I would love to take my teenagers to see, but they don’t always fall into the spring Stages window and ticket prices during those other seasons are not nearly as appealing enough for me to invest.
Theaters also need to customize their targeted demographics per show. Maybe the whole season doesn’t appeal to subscribers. What are you going to do–push the whole season on your subscribers only or push individual shows on a targeted audience. It seems theaters do ok by pushing their season, but maybe on certain shows that need to step out of the norm and push a different approach. Maybe take a look at your cast, what are the demographics of the cast? maybe that is the demographic mirrored in your audience for that show. It is helpful to do this inward looking ahead of your show, not while your actors are 2 weeks into the show when you suddenly realize “Ahhh, Suzie Q’s classmates from CUA would enjoy this, I wonder why they are not here?”
Along with those large donations to build fancy new facilities, it would be nice if someone stepped out of the box to provide similar donations for audience development. or marketing concept exploration/development–It maybe that the “Field (or Theater) of Dreams” approach doesn’t work in DC.
Ok, that’s all, thanks for the discussion.
one more thought, after reading a few more posts above…
maybe subscriptions could be packaged across theaters some how, where subscribers could choose from a menu of offerings from a number of partner theaters (kind of like the airlines). Or some type of ticket passport where subscribers pay for tier-priced shows across town. It might be a nightmare to manage, but it seems this is what many folks are doing anyway.
“BSM Says: …That being said, there are very few theaters offering live stage experiences in NoVa…”
BSM you’ve got to be kidding! Let’s see just for starters there’s Signature Theater, Synetic Theater, Firebelly Theater, Charter Theater, American Century Theater, Metro Stage, Washington Shakespeare Company, Little Theater of Alexandria, Classika Theatre, Teatro de la Luna, The Arlington Players, and Keegan Theater. I’m sure that this list isn’t complete and these are just theaters in Arlington and Alexandria!
Paula, There are two major bus lines that are a fairly short walking distance to American Century Theater’s location. In addition to the one you mentioned, there is also the 23 line which runs seven days till late hours. That said, even though I consider myself an intrepid bus rider, I would be hesitant to use it to go home after an evening performance. It’s a very low crime area, but there are too many isolated spots to suit me. In other words, the bus doesn’t drop you at the door.
Cheryl, with all due respect, NoVA is more than just Arlington and Alexandria, and yes I agree there are those theatres you mentioned, but for those living beyond, Arlington and Alexandria, those two areas are just as hard, if not harder to drive to than DC or Bethesda. Again, there is a bigger market in NoVa outside of Arlington and Alexandria that goes untouched. Maybe the theaters you list could venture into some of these other areas and see what is out there. Again, I never see a production postcard or newspaper advertisement for Signature, Classika, Metro Stage, etc in any Falls Church, Vienna or Herndon based media or outlet. Just a thought.
BSM- I guess that there are a couple of issues here. First of all when one looks at the theatre scene in the Washington DC suburbs one sees a concentration of theaters in Arlington and Montgomery counties. This has occurred because of the incredible support counties have for the arts including the theater. Both counties have done remarkable work in these. While I’m sure that other surrounding counties/cities support the arts to different extents if you really want to see growth in the arts where you live then you need to work with your local legislators. As far as Falls Church, Herndon and the Vienna areas go you do have Elden Street Theater, the Reston Community Players, The McLean Community Players, The Springfield Community Theater, The Vienna Theatre Company, and of course Wolf Trap. I’m sure that I’ve missed several theaters.
One of the things that I think you need to remember is that most theater companies want to be reasonably accessible to metro. For the most part this means being inside the beltway and close to a metro stop. Recently of the artistic directors of one of the local theater companies was telling me about how expensive advertising is for them. I’m not sure that advertising in local county papers is very cost effective for this companies who run on very very tight budgets. I presume that most people who are interested in the theater read the Washington Post or the City Paper. They both do a pretty good job of providing lists of theater opportunities. In addition there a several really good on-line cites (this one included that are great resources.
A million variables might come into play regarding an attendance decline, none the least of which, the past year may have been an aberration and not apt to repeat itself. To interpret it as a trend, however, one might consider certain factors:
1)The Washington Post. Singularly the best catalyst for “buzz” for any production. How often do they wait until the last week to review a show? (Has there been a review for “Eccentricities” yet at ACT?) Peter Marks is getting around to a few of the smaller theatres, which is a trend that should continue, whether he pans the shows or not. His presence adds a certain cache for better or worse.
2)The Helen Hayes is a problem. I’ve only gone to one awards program and more NY people performed than Washington. And how is it that an organization that purportedly promotes Washington Theatre sends artistic directors to Canada to promote Canadian playwrights?
3)Infrastructure: Was on my way to catch Solas Nuas last offering on a Thursday night three weeks ago during a rain storm. Left Gaithersburg at 6:30…never made it due to traffic. I did get as far as Clark Street to see a wonderful Woman of Setzuan(sp?) but when you live in the burbs, you’re not inclined to buy your tix ahead of time for precisely that reason.
4)Was in a damn fine production myself this year. They didn’t advertise once. We’d frequently perform before only 6 people until the rave review came out the week we closed. If you don’t promote, a terrible thing happens…nothing.
5)Chalk up much to the lousy economy and gas.
I did manage to see around 30 productions last year, including two I was in as an actor. I am not your typical playgoer, however. Once Obama’s in, all will be well.
There are so many reasons why attendance is dropping and I think a lot of them have been covered already.
To me the major problem is that younger people have no desire to see theater. If it isn’t fast paced and wrapped up in 1 1/2 hours they are not buying it. Another problem is a lot of people think that you have to dress a certain way and behave a certain way to go to the theater.
I don’t care if some twenty something shows up at the theater wearing a Nat’s Cap, tee shirt and jeans (hell as my friends know that how I show up) as long as they show up. If they want to bring a drink in to the theater, and its allowed by the theater, more power to them. If they want to laugh in the all wrong places, hell they paid for the ticket let them laugh.
We have to stop looking theater as something that only the cultured go to see. We have to return to its base when the Groundlings threw things if they didn’t like you. When theater was the entertainment of the masses not only entertainment for the upper classes.
I wonder if there is any relationship to the decline in theater attendance and the decline in newspaper readership? While there are some really good resources on-line respective to theater opportunities I imagine that those resources are mainly used by those of us who are theater obsessed. If folks aren’t reading any of local newspapers then I bet they wouldn’t have a clue about what was happening theater wise in the metro area. This problem could be a really really difficult one to overcome.
Cheryl, yes I suppose your attitude is like many in the marketing department who most likely quickly dismiss potential audiences in the Fairfax, Loudon, and PW Counties. My points are only to suggest areas that might be uncovered and targeted to help fill those seats of DC-centric professional companies. That seemed to be the focus of the original article. Sure, I would love to see growth in the arts in our area. Something more than all the community theaters you have listed, oh yeah and Wolf Trap which has oh so many live theatrical productions. But for this conversation, why would I go to local legislatures? There are apparently theaters in need of people to sit in their empty seats. Its an opportunity to take the blinders off and find a middle ground for both. Yes it might cost money, but that money is being spent anyways and well it seems that it is not meriting the results all desire. I am sorry but relying on the Post to create the local buzz is a pitiful plan.
- the economy, incase you have not noticed, may thousands of people are losing the roof over their heads
and also
-no correlation between price and quality,
and
-unavailability of good quality reviews–which will tell you when it is a stinker. Like brokers and the firms they rate, reviewers depend on the productions for tickets, so never (or rarely) say a critical word, so the reviews are not worth reading.
Even the Washington Nationals are having trouble filling their seats on ordinary days. There is lots of competition for our free time.
Somehow, people think of theater as different from movies which are quite popular in this area. Part of the issue is cost, but that is because most folks do not know their way through the thicket of discounts and offers. Another factor is that they think you have to plan a trip to the theater. Movies can be an impulse–just look a the listed times and go! In fact, most theaters have last minute availability which is not generally known. Just call them! We even got ten dollar box seats at the sold-out Sydney Opera House that way.
There is also the generation gap. The many educated seniors in this area, regardless of income when they were kids, have experienced theater, music, opera, and dance. It is part of their life which their kids and grandkids somehow are missing. How can we entice younger audiences? In view of all the colleges in this area, it amazes me how few students, including drama and literature students, are in the audiences.
Some shows don’t personally resonate because they are alien to my life experience though I might enjoy the performances. However, Washington theaters consciously try to address various audiences. The Arena has been full of African-Americans when they have done plays by black authors, and the Signature had many same sex couples attending “Kiss of the Spider Woman.” Maybe there needs to be a pitch to the various interest groups.
Having a dominant newspaper in the area is also a problem. Movies often get two reviews, but plays only one. If it gets a thumbs down by the single reviewer, the box office suffers. There are other reviews such as provided by Potomac Stages, but only the devoted are aware of them.
Those of us who appreciate the abundant theater opportunities in the Washington area need to grab our friends and bring them along.
When you have an administration and indeed a party that cuts funding to the arts except when they need to appear “cultured”…
When the voices on “Around Town” are tapered to a point that they’re virtually non-existent…
When it gets more and more difficult to find a classical radio station…
When parents allow their children to stay home and text message while watching horrible television programming…
When the cost to attend the theater is factored in…
Add these thoughts to the numerous other thoughtful comments pouring in, and it’s no wonder. My niece knows some of the top actors in town and they are struggling to make ends meet, to afford insurance, etc… And billions are being spent in the aggregate to fund all the new renovations and new theaters…Go figure!
We caught Solas Nua, Spiderwoman and the Miller Rep. This city has much to be proud of…If you agree, then let it start at home.
While I can believe the bad economy could help to explain the most recent decrease in theater attendance, it doesn’t explain the consistent decrease, year after year, for the last five years. The economy over those five years, particularly in the D.C. area, has been good.
There’s no doubt that traffic is a hassle around here, and that there’s not much by way of outstanding professional theater south of the Arlington-Alexandria area. Though this is a significant barrier for many theatergoers, it was a barrier five years ago, too. The question really is, what’s changed?
I honestly don’t think it’s quality. I’ve watched a great deal of theater over the last five years, and I don’t think it has gone down. If anything, it’s improved.
Ticket prices have gone up – a lot, on the high end. To a certain extent, that may represent a calculated risk on the part of some companies. To use a crude example, if you double your ticket prices and lose a third of your audience, you still come out ahead in terms of revenues. Still, I wonder why folks who find themselves unable to afford the top ticket prices haven’t tried more modestly-priced shows. There are plenty of excellent companies selling at the $40 and $30 levels, and plenty of good theater to see at $20.
Whatever the reasons, I hope that Washington-area theaters acknowledge the problem and move imaginatively to confront it. I agree with Deb and Ted, among others, who suggest that the theater experience must be more than a two-dimensional “watching”, akin to television and movies. Theater will never compete with the movies, where you can munch popcorn, slurp soda and whisper to your neighbor for $12, or TV, where you can talk on your cell phone and drink beer for free. Theaters who want to charge $40 to $75 must offer more than a passive experience. And yet the trend seems to be the other way, with movies and TV shows being turned into plays and musicals.
I think Ted is right when he describes theater as a community experience. In its heyday, theater was a great social event, and the community would gather in tuxes and evening gowns for opening night. The community doesn’t wear tuxes and evening gowns much any more, but theater can still promote itself as a social event. For years, busy people looking for companionship have used computerized services to arrange dates with compatible folks for them. Would it be so outlandish to imagine a computerized service for theater lovers looking both for companionship and compatible theater? Such a service could arrange not only a date but a show that both parties would enjoy. And, if successful, it would promote relationships where theatergoing is a significant element. This, I would think, would be helpful to all area theaters.
Many respondents have noted the absence of young people in the audiences. For young families, getting a babysitter is an important problem. Couldn’t venues which have more than one stage simultaneously put on productions for adults and children? The typical children’s theater ticket cost is significantly lower than the cost of a babysitter. The adults could watch a 90-minute show while the kids watch two forty-minute shows. It wouldn’t solve every young family’s problem, but it would help.
Some respondents have noted the absence of committed theatergoers. Perhaps local theaters could commission local playwrights – and there are a ton of excellent ones around here – to collaboratively develop a series of shows, using the same characters, and offer this series of plays to subscribers. The subscription price would necessarily be high, but it shouldn’t be the equivalent of separate tickets for each show. Say, between $150 and $200 for a 6-8 show series. Each show could be at a different venue, to acquaint the audience with DC’s superior facilities. To intensify the experience, cast members could meet with the audience in character over, say, coffee, and the feedback they got could inform the playwright in charge of the script coming up. The subscriber’s experience would be completely different than that of the passive TV viewer. He would be part of the show, and have his hand (risk-free) in its creation.
Or maybe these are all stupid ideas, and there are other good ideas which have yet to be voiced. The point is that I hope that theater professionals will engage in a conversation with theater audiences to devise new ways to let people know what an extraordinary thing good theater is.
Theatre may never compete with TV or movies, but it is also competitive when talking about other performing arts such as contemporary dance, ballet, and opera. I go to theatre (plays, readings, and fringe), but also to opera, ballet, contemporary dance, and the symphony quite often. How can you get an opera or ballet subscriber who goes to see “Othello” or “Macbeth” as an opera or as a ballet to go see it as a PLAY? It is just SO interesting to see Othello (or what have you) done as a ballet, and then turn around and go see it as a play, or vice versa. So there may be a way where some of the theatre companies can tap into their marketing creativity to attract these subscribers into seeing a “performance” in a different format – as a play. There are some people who subscribe to strictly ballet, opera, contemporary dance, theatre, and symphony, and see nothing else. This is okay if that’s what folks want to do (they may not have even thought about it), but the whole theatrical experience becomes even more awesome when you see an opera, or hear classical pieces, or watch a ballet, and then go see it as a play. That’s how I became fond of ballet, from going to plays. For example, I had to wonder “Now how are they going to do Othello as a ballet?” Or “How are they going to do Othello as an opera?” I went and I found out. I’ll soon be going to see “Carmen” by Synetic. It was the opera “Carmen” that made me wonder what Synetic could do with it. Curiosity is amazing, huh? I think theatre companies may have to tap into that subscriber base and kind of nudge folks into see things in a different light, if I may.