For Community Theatres, is this a time for reinvention or to play it safe?
The other day I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who runs a community theatre. He was telling me about the process that was underway for the theatre to resume operations later this fall but, most of all, the stressful process of selecting what material to produce.
He expressed that it’s one of his priority goals to make bolder choices with what goes on the season. He wants to produce shows that present new perspectives, promote inclusivity, and challenge audience expectations.
At the same time, they’re reopening after being shut down for over a year and revenue needs to be raised. This particular theatre, and I’m sure many others like it, didn’t have a large subscription base before the pandemic and certainly doesn’t have one now. So, in order to sell tickets, widely-known shows that attract audiences are more likely to be favored for seasons than others.
So, coming out of a shutdown, should local theatres be looking to do more of Suzan-Lori Parks’ work or Neil Simon’s? Is this the time to be bold and reinvent? Or should community theatres try to fill as many seats as possible by doing well-known, beloved “chestnuts” and worry about boldness for a later time?
The truth is, depending on your community and circumstance, there isn’t necessarily a wrong answer. I also don’t think it has to be an “either/or” situation. Community theatres can do both. Would I love to see a community theatre really challenge itself to evolve and take risks? Absolutely. But I also know that’s not possible in every community.
That’s why I always recommend multiple steps for theatre officials who might be sifting through this dilemma.
Communicate with your audiences – Ask them what types of material they’d like to see. Get specific with those questions too. The more feedback collected, the better you can gauge the directions you can go. When local theatres don’t do this, they often underestimate their audiences’ taste and assume they’re not as open to change as they might be.
Look deeper into the themes with “chestnuts” – Too often I see local theatre officials scoff at well-known shows because they might not have the forefront themes they want to promote. I suggest really taking a second and deeper look. Yes, is Legally Blonde a popular show? Sure. But it’s also about looking past outer appearance, overcoming adversity, and promotes self-motivation. The same could be said for well-known shows like Honk! and You Can’t Take it with You. Newsies is a popular Disney musical that will certainly attract an audience but it’s also about social injustice. So if you’re looking to promote certain themes in a season, there are ways to do that with shows that many people know. Also, having the right creative team to highlight those themes is a good step too.
Get creative with season schedules – One community theatre I love in my area has both a main stage season and a “Stage 2” type of season where either new, bold, or even avant-garde works are produced. And you know what? Every performance I’ve been to has had a full audience. Again, don’t underestimate what your audiences like to see. Yes, they might love that mainstage season, but providing more performance options is a great idea. I understand not every theatre has the means to do something like this. But if you do, it’s something worth considering.
Have a multi-year plan – Have a long-term, multi-year plan in place if you want to reinvent your theatre. Maybe 2021-2022 isn’t the year to change course. Maybe that’s something for 2023-24 and building revenue and getting people back into the theatre is the main goal. That’s fine and that’s why local theatre officials should start drawing a multi-year map of where they’re headed. One local theatre president showed me their entire 5-year plan of the types of material they want to produce. While I didn’t agree with all of their choices, I loved that they were organizing this way and thinking ahead. I cannot recommend this more.
These obviously aren’t all the answers and, again, they may not work for every theatre community but I applaud any local theatre official for wanting to expand and evolve for their audiences. Timing is everything and the time may be right to do this, but there’s nothing wrong with setting certain priorities when you’ve been closed for over a year.
Also, please please please produce more works of Suzan-Lori Parks. You won’t regret it.