Isaac Butler NYT piece: "American Theater Is Imploding Before Our Eyes" and needs a government bail-out

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 7/19/23 at 5:47pm

I agree.

It's unlikely it will ever happen on the scale he proposes, but it's much needed.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/19/opinion/theater-collapse-bailout.html?smid=url-share

[BJR]

Posted: 7/19/23 at 6:05pm

Agree, and I'm happy someone is finally addressing this directly. A bloodbath has started and it isn't close to over.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 7/19/23 at 6:17pm

I agree funds are needed, in some cases desperately, but I think that, in the current political climate, the chances of an "intervention" is zero. It is thus naive and unhelpful to take up a bunch of column inches proposing it. What does have at least some chance of making a difference is to put a bulls-eye on big philanthropy and big grantors for this bailout. As has always been the case, getting big bucks for a building is easy, but it is silly to spend hundreds of millions on marble and artwork and expensive architecture if there is not going to be anyone worthy to occupy these fancy spaces. And at the same time, we need to get serious (both commercially and in the non-profits) about figuring out the formulas for getting new audiences into theatre seats to see some of this fine, fine theatre we've been making that's mostly being seen by the same demographics that were filling those seats when Harding was president.

[Kad]

Posted: 7/19/23 at 6:43pm

The comments on it are… dispiriting.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 7/19/23 at 6:53pm

HogansHero said: "It is thus naive and unhelpful to take up a bunch of column inches proposing it."

Thank God the condescending harbinger of doom has once again came to school us all. Someday you're going to find your tail, Eeyore. And then who will you be?

This isn't an argument made in a vacuum. This column is hitting as the entire film and television industry has come to a standstill amid comically villainous CEOs offering actors $200 for their likenesses forever and hacking trees to make sure they cannot find shade. IATSE has authorized a strike (that I hope they avoid). More and more unions are calling bluffs. We have not seen the type of organized labor activity in decades. We are still coming out of a profoundly brutal economic nightmare. Now is exactly the time to start making this argument. The big philanthropy/foundation game is just as broken as...well...everything else. Take the big swing. Note the precedent of federal help to the arts. Demand in the paper of record that an industry that pumps billions of dollars into the economy deserves the help...especially after forcibly being shut down for so f-ing long. We are in a system that is entirely unsustainable without real reform. I'm not talking about subscription models...I'm talking about the nonprofit behemoth as it exists in this country. 

 

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 7/19/23 at 7:19pm

I agree that a federal bail-out is extremely unlikely. Realistically, not all theater companies were meant to last forever, and some are going to close. I fear however that many of these companies will not be replaced by new ones as many members of the new generation will continue to stream movies and TV online instead of going to the theatre.

It will help if companies gradually program less and less boomer-friendly shows and design their seasons more and more for younger, more diverse audiences. For example, within the next ten years, the likes of South Pacific will be replaced by musicals like Beetlejuice, and sitting-around-and-talking realism plays will be mostly usurped by more inherently theatrical works. In general, I actually see “straight plays” becoming less and less common outside of community theaters and school productions, and shifting away from big social issues etc. and more towards pure entertainment, i.e. Harry Potter, The Play That Goes Wrong, etc.
 

Ultimately, the best solution is to give audiences what they want, and not what producers think they should want. Especially if tickets are so damn expensive.

 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 7/19/23 at 7:28pm

Those 850 comments are.....rough. Perhaps Trina from Seattle has a point? Dunno.

"This article does indeed make me sad. However, I think the COVID effect is only part of the story. In talking to friends in the Pacific NW, some folks said they cancelled their subscription because they get tired of every program/production being "instructive' , pertaining to some timely social or political issue that the audience needs to be "schooled' in or about. Sometimes people just want to be entertained. I'm not saying it all needs to be entertainment, but major theatres around here-Seattle Rep, Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon seem to be all about hitting the audience over the head over some gloomy, foreboding or shameful political/social realities."

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 7/19/23 at 7:53pm

Yeah a lot of the comments basically said the same thing. I don’t agree, but I see where they are coming from. The average person has zero interest in things like Cost of Living, as much as theater nerds like us may enjoy them.

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 7/19/23 at 7:59pm

"In talking to friends in the Pacific NW, some folks said they cancelled their subscription because they get tired of every program/production being "instructive' , pertaining to some timely social or political issue that the audience needs to be "schooled' in or about. Sometimes people just want to be entertained. I'm not saying it all needs to be entertainment, but major theatres around here-Seattle Rep, Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon seem to be all about hitting the audience over the head over some gloomy, foreboding or shameful political/social realities."

Bingo!! Everyday life in the US can be tough enough for people in this country and sometimes you just want to be entertained and not preached at which sadly is happening less and less. Of course, there needs to be a balance and there is a time and place for thought provoking theater. My wife and I recently saw "Six The Musical" and just loved seeing something that was wonderfully entertaining for our money. That being said, we plan on seeing the movie "Oppenheimer" in the near future which is about something very serious in our nation's history. Personally, I think shows like "Six the Musical" and "Some Like It Hot" are more likely to draw in new people to see live theater than some deep thought-provoking show. 

There are still quite a few companies and people in this country who are quite wealthy, and it would be nice if they stepped up and supported American Theater with some money. I know my wife and I support our local "Arts and Science" Council with donations every year.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/19/23 at 8:04pm

I just think we over-corrected and produced too many shows that, while great pieces of theater, the general public doesn't want to see or feels is heavy-handed, and honestly, a lot of felt very "preaching to the choir." Hopefully the companies have learned from that and we can get some shows in that people want to see. 

[Joey Ledenio]

Posted: 7/19/23 at 8:16pm

There have been so many shows that aren't "preachy" that have failed on Broadway since the pandemic (Almost Famous, Bad Cinderella, Camelot, now Grey House) and some with very serious subject matters (Parade, Leopoldstadt) that have done very well, that when people comment about woke theater being a major reason why theater is failing... it makes me scratch my head. Obviously there's a current audience for more heady topics that touch on the real world AND call out social injustice AND that can be successful while doing so, and there always has been an audience for it – West Side Story, Hairspray, Angels in America, etc. I'm scared of the message that theaters should pivot away from challenging work cuz challenging work has been successful (and by some measures still is) – maybe it's up to theater marketers and producers to be more creative in selling them. 

[JasonC3]

Posted: 7/19/23 at 8:20pm

Most of the piece references nonprofit theater outside NYC where the issues of audience development and challenging work, not what is happening on Broadway.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 7/19/23 at 8:31pm

Publius from Florida with the burn!!!

Or maybe, just maybe, this has something to do with the contemporary theater world’s all-consuming obsession with race, class, and gender, which makes going to see new work feel like a mirthless evening at reeducation camp?

[pmensky]

Posted: 7/19/23 at 10:11pm

I don’t think programming in regional theatre has changed from pre-pandemic times as much as people claim. I think casts are more diverse and audiences are just more conscious of issues like race, gender, and sexuality, all of which were themes in balanced, well-programmed seasons before the pandemic. Some audience members may not want to have conversations on these topics so often at the moment, but they must be had in the theatre. It has always been and always should be a reflection of the human experience, so I don’t see programming models changing anytime soon. If people don’t like it, they can choose to subscribe to the tours that come through their local road houses, and regional companies will have to make adjustments to survive.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 7/19/23 at 10:27pm

SonofRobbieJ said: "harbinger of doom has once again came to school us all." 


I am not the harbinger of anything. I just think it makes no sense to present a solution based on the U.S. House of Representatives, controlled as it is by the radical republican racist right, supporting a bailout of the arts. You are right we need to find paths to real reform. I charted two. Please add others, but make them realistic. Mine is. 

 

 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 7/19/23 at 11:19pm

I think above all this is a cry for help for SOME type of financial acknowledgement from the government that they care about the nonprofit arts. I don't have high expectations for the NEA funding growing significantly under Dem regimes, and certainly not under Republicans, but I'd like to think there is something that could be done even if it's a one-time thing.

The other issue with the NEA and most government grants is that they're project-specific, and they like to diversify grants, and the company must demonstrate financial soundness. Which is great in theory. But $50-150k grants for projects that will happen regardless of the grant isn't going to prevent a company from closing. We're talking about companies that need emergency funding in the $500k-$1m range, and the feds won't touch that.

I'd like to think state and city arts councils could pick up the slack and support the companies that bring commerce and distinction to their communities, especially for work by local artists.

It's all just a nightmare.

Updated On: 7/19/23 at 11:19 PM

[Soaring29]

Posted: 7/19/23 at 11:49pm

Broadway needs better material- I've been less and less interested in shows for awhile now.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 7/19/23 at 11:54pm

Soaring29 said: "Broadway needs better material- I've been less and less interested in shows for awhile now."

This is a conversation about regional theatres fighting to stay alive. For once, Broadway is not the subject.

(Though imho there's plenty of excellent shows on Broadway)

[Soaring29]

Posted: 7/20/23 at 3:25am

It was an off-topic comment but it's hard to be inspired for me right now.

[JasonC3]

Posted: 7/20/23 at 4:57am

Product
Price
Promotion
Profit

Each theater likely has somewhat unique considerations in one or more of these common categories ... as has always been the case. Making those decisions always requires thoughtful understanding and insight into the current market conditions, as well as relevant foresight into emerging trends and their implications. 

My sense as a board member for several arts groups is that many organizations are using outdated assumptions and business models.  Bailing them out might minimize current financial challenges, but does not necessarily ensure long-term sustainability.

"Future-proofing" an organization's efforts often requires knowledge and skills that current leadership (board and staff) may somewhat lack.  The challenge is that they may not realize this until it is potentially too late.

Updated On: 7/20/23 at 04:57 AM

[Seb28]

Posted: 7/20/23 at 5:30am

Theatre is very much about audiences. What they want to see. We need to make sure that we don't alienate ourselves from the general world with certain views. productions, casting, writing, etc.

 

 

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 7/20/23 at 7:28am

Well the generations with money are dying off and drying up. It’s not that younger folks do not want to support theatre. They can’t. They don’t have the disposable income. This problem is going to increase over time. The government and the 1% are going to have to get more philanthropic. Small theatre companies will not thrive unless they are attached to some great benefactors. Theatre companies have tried many ways to get creative with subscribers including flex ticket packages and free guest tickets. The list goes on and on. Its not working. 
 

While I have never subscribed to the doom and gloom “Broadway is dying” argument, I feel this dying, the financial threat is very ominous and very real. Art and theatre are as vital to a person as oxygen. Art and theatre create a culture worth living and save lives. Losing so many theatres is terrifying and dire.

All that being said, we need exceptional skilled leadership running these organizations. People with a great head for business and an artistic grounding. I feel that so many organizations are run by visionaries with no business acumen who run these places into the ground. Creatives are known for being bad with money.  The gravy train for grants and funding is over, at least for the time being. We need leaders who are smart with funding. 
 

 

Updated On: 7/20/23 at 07:28 AM

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 7/20/23 at 4:39pm

I've always been skeptical of those, like so many in the comments, who claim certain pieces to be "screechy and preachy" because that usually just means simply the presence of a social issue, or even a person of color. They could be referring to pieces like Sweat or Clyde's, both popular in the regional setting, that deal with class and race but are certainly never in your face about it. To me, this falls into the category of those who bemoan the woke-ness of Doctor Who for daring to hire a woman doctor (one of fourteen) or, more currently, those screaming "trans grooming" because a single trans actress just appears in Barbie. Appealing to the people who are challenged by even the mention or presence of something outside their purview is probably a losing battle. At the same time, these are possibly those who having the consumer power to keep a regional theater open. I'm not sure what the answer is, if there even is one. Because doing Mamma Mia with a cast of POC leads could probably set these people off into an "anti-woke" frenzy even though you're delivering the "fun" they're calling for. 

[joevitus]

Posted: 7/20/23 at 5:39pm

Soaring29 said: "Broadway needs better material- I've been less and less interested in shows for awhile now."

It's all about cost, right? The more expensive it becomes to produce (and attend) a show, the less chances are taken. I don't even mean taking chances like startling subject matter or avant-garde approaches to production. I mean things like untried talent, non-formulaic endeavors, a fresh approach. So you get the same bloated, bland adaptations of hit movies and jukebox musicals and whatnot. It's sort of financially disastrous to attempt something new or interesting. 

Updated On: 7/20/23 at 05:39 PM

[JasonC3]

Posted: 7/20/23 at 6:56pm

Any nonprofit right now should assertively be cultivating major gifts from aged baby boomers who theoretically have both the capital and the caring to make significant contributions.  We're in the midst of one of the largest generational transfers of wealth in history and if arts organizations aren't prepared to benefit from that, I don't know what they are thinking.