Shows still have low ratings in US – 09/16/2022 – Folha Seminars

The The resumption of live shows in the US After a hiatus due to the pandemic, the last 12 months have been a lot of fun. But the audience turned out to applaud much less than the producers expected.

In New York and other parts of the country, estimates are lower. The number of people who attended Broadway shows in the recently concluded season, for example, That’s half of what was recorded in the previous season 6.7 million viewers before the pandemic and 14.8 million viewers.

The Metropolitan Opera has seen its paying audience numbers drop to 61% of house capacity from 75% pre-Covid-19.

“The magnetism that sofas have on people is more than I realized,” said Jeremy Blacker, executive director of the New York Theater Workshop.

“People are used to not leaving the house, and we’re going to struggle for a few years,” says Blocker.

Many producers predict that The decline at the box office continues Until next season, and beyond. Some fear the virus has helped accelerate long-term trends that have plagued arts organizations for years, such as declining ticket sales for classical music events and the collapse of the season subscription model for many arts organizations.

For some professionals in the field, a segment of the public still feels apprehensive about the prospect of contracting out. Corona virus. “There’s a significant amount of people who are constantly wary of going out in public,” says Oscar Eustis, artistic director of New York’s Public Theater.

However, there are exceptions. Some Broadway revivals have managed to attract larger audiences, including Neil Simon’s wedding comedy “Plaza Suite,” which gave fans the chance to see couple Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick opposite each other on stage.

A Datafolha survey shows that most want to pursue online cultural activities

A highlight is the music program sector, which attracts a younger audience than art programs. Live Nation, one of the international giants in the production of pop concerts, announced that in its latest financial year, it sold 100 million more tickets than in 2019.

However, occasional hits and sold-out shows can distract attention from the reality that for most companies and classical and theater programs, attendance has declined and the number of productions running has dwindled.

Initial optimism about the end of the strike was undermined New virus typesThis led to performance cancellations and artist absences.

Adam Siegel, executive director of Lincoln Center Theater, said, “In the middle of last year, when the vaccine first came out, we were excited and everyone felt it was great, and it was time to come back in full force. The non-profit organization, New York Profits.

“Artistically, it’s been a great year,” said Barry Crowe, executive producer of the Manhattan Theater Club, adding that the organization’s three shows on Broadway have received great critical acclaim. “Financially, it’s a different story. Despite all the artistic success, subscription and individual ticket sales are down by almost a third.”

“There are fewer tourists, fewer older people and fewer groups, and the other thing that can’t be underestimated is that people continue to work remotely,” says Sue Frost, one of the producers of “Come From Away.” attacks September 11 2001, premiered on September 11, 2017. “I don’t know when that will change.”

“I’d be lying if I said I’m happy,” says Brian Kelsey, executive director of the Peninsula Players Theater in Door County, Wisconsin — a popular tourist destination in the Midwest. “I don’t know if people have lost the pet habit TheaterThey don’t know if the shows are back or if the customers the city is getting now are only interested in outdoor gardens.”

The financial damage is real, but so far many organizations, both commercial and non-profit, have received significant financial support from the federal government and donors who may have benefited from the financial market boom at the time. But now the federal money is gone, Wall Street is reeling, inflation is high and there is political instability at home and abroad.

The seminar discusses a return to face-to-face cultural activities; see

Now? What awaits the American culture market? Professionals say we learn to live with uncertainty. The risk of new variants of the disease appears to be lower than at the start of the pandemic, but the risk of business disruption remains high as pandemics continue to trigger cancellations. It is not clear when the public will return to good events.

“I’m under no illusions that things will go right at the snap of a finger,” says Lincoln Center Theater’s Siegel. The Manhattan Theater Club’s Crowe agrees. “I believe the public will come back,” he says. “But I’ve stopped pretending to be a prophet who can predict when.”

Translation by Paolo Migliacci