| There is an equally big problem, and it’s one I thought he was going to mention (long)... | |
| Last Edit: ShowGoer 05:33 am EDT 07/20/20 | |
| Posted by: ShowGoer 05:30 am EDT 07/20/20 | |
| In reply to: Broadway theater might have a more serious problem than Covid-19 - Teacher64 09:53 pm EDT 07/19/20 | |
|
|
|
| While there are no doubt many inveterate theater goers who will gladly and eagerly return once a vaccine is introduced, I’ve heard from multiple people, friends, and even in my own family that people are just missing theater less than they thought they would be... particularly with regard to the money they’re saving from not having anything to see, which in many cases is equating to thousands of dollars. Obviously I’m not being alarmist here- theater isn’t going away, in the near future or forever. But as people in my age group read the articles about U.K. theater being cleared to reopen, and become more aware than they ever were about the contrasting ticket prices between London and here (or elsewhere), I do think there’s going to be a bit of a reckoning not only with regard to tourists and when they’ll return, but among older theatergoers that are the industry’s bread and butter. No doubt, many will still dutifully and even excitedly buy tickets for a Music Man or Neil Simon revival. But I really do think this extended shutdown is going to curtail the regular theater HABIT of the 60-70-80 somethings who routinely saw 10 or 20 shows a year at full price (or even sometimes premium), and that many of those people will simply do what younger fans do (waiting for discounts, or maybe worse, being more discerning and waiting for reviews).... and in many cases, more than ever before, limiting their theater budget and quota to just the universally acknowledged 2 or 3 big-ticket items every season. I know this seems like heresy or blasphemy, but just like surprisingly many people apparently haven’t missed the big-screen movie experience but are getting used to movies on demand, Netflix, pay-per-view, etc., so do I keep hearing from people who are suddenly discovering BroadwayHD and happily enjoying Hamilton on Disney+, the National Theater offerings at home, the play readings over Zoom, and events like the live-streamed production of Lungs. This isn’t how I feel, mind you... but I do think the producers and unions are going to have to be more creative and flexible and find a way to a) allow more reasonable rates to film or broadcast productions here in the US, to allow them to coexist with live theater, and/or b) work to get ticket prices down, or at the very least see to it they don’t rise any further, for a very, very long time. The giant and out-of-proportion inflation in ticket prices from $40 to $200 over just the last 30 years (not even taking premium into account) simply won’t be able to continue, at a time when movies that cost $10 in cinemas forty years ago can now be beamed into your home on weekend of release for only $20 to screen for the whole family, and at a time when people will be recovering from not just this pandemic, but from this economy, for a long long time to come, and at a time when they’ll need to be coaxed to be heading back to theaters, getting back into the routine of going to see live entertainment again at all (you’ve seen the surveys in the New York Times and elsewhere), and making it part of their spending for any discretionary income again. Disagree with me by all means, because I’d love to be wrong - but just think twice and make sure you’re not merely shooting the messenger, because I’m merely digesting and repeating what I’ve been hearing from a good 25 or 30 people. |
|
| reply | |
|
|
|
| Previous: | re: Broadway theater might have a more serious problem than Covid-19 - PlayWiz 12:46 pm EDT 07/20/20 |
| Next: | re: There is an equally big problem, and it’s one I thought he was going to mention (long)... - AlanScott 10:29 pm EDT 07/20/20 |
| Thread: |
|
Time to render: 0.019376 seconds.