Category: theatre

How Theatre Audiences Have Responded To Digital Performances During The Pandemic: New Study

“Key findings of the study include that 43% of audiences for digital programming were new to the organization; that digital audience members who previously attended in-person events are paying higher ticket prices; that digital performances with multiple dates have higher revenue potential; that audiences for digital performances book their tickets closer to the performance date than in-person audiences did; and that 10% of digital audiences add a donation on top of the ticket price.” – American Theatre

Playing Tetris With Patron Seating And Whack-A-Mole With Problems: How Front-Of-House Staff Reopened UK Theatres Under COVID

Before the latest lockdown, “it was all looking so hopeful. Reopening theatres after seven months was never going to be easy, but big and small teams across the country had been rising to the challenge and welcoming audiences back with gusto.” Here’s a look at how the ways they went about it. – The Stage

What Is The Great Art That Will Come Out Of This Pandemic?

“What, I wonder, is the fate of so many of these projects and events, some of them topical and inordinately perishable? With arts groups across the country deprived of ticket revenue and focused myopically on survival, where goes the impetus for the sorts of ambitious dramas, operas and other productions that put a stamp on an era?” – Washington Post

As It Seeks New Owners, Can Second City Fix Its Perennial Problems?

“The company’s ownership and leadership teams are in flux after allegations of institutional racism went viral on social media, and the remaining decision makers vowed to review everything from human resources protocol to material used in shows and artwork on their walls.” In a multi-article package, the Chicago Tribune examines the current state of the institution, considers the search for new owners, looks at the diversity promises the company made this past summer, and spoke with numerous BIPOC Second City alumni. – Yahoo! (Chicago Tribune)

Virtual Cabaret That You Can Boss Around

“In addition to occasionally telling a performer what to do, audience members set the order in which the show’s components — short scenes (written by Bear), dances, musical bits, computer-generated poetry — were executed. We could raise a virtual hand to roll virtual dice, and the cast of six would perform whatever scene had been assigned to the resulting number.” – The New York Times

How Will Britain’s National Theatre Deal With The Second Shutdown – And Christmas Pantos?

The NT has a lot more plans this time: “It’s radically different from last time. We’ve got a space that’s ready to go and we know what the shows are that we want to do. We’re hoping lockdown will be lifted at least for a time over Christmas so that the panto that’s in rehearsal [Dick Whittington] can take place. If by any chance the lockdown continues, then we’ll capture it and do something with that recording. The other thing that’s in rehearsal is Romeo and Juliet, which is a film.” – The Guardian (UK)

Penumbra Theatre Is 44, And In Middle-Age It’s Sitting Pretty Even During The Pandemic

With Ford and Mellon grants plus pledges of twice its annual operating budget from other sources, the St. Paul theatre is on firm financial footing. The artistic director says, “This allows us to dream,” while the managing director is happy that “We’re now resourced in a way that we’ve never been, so we’re getting out of grind mode.” It’s an enviable position to be in right now, but it only comes after decades of that grind. – Minneapolis Star-Tribune