When I startedAisle Seat Review almost a decade ago, I wasn’t at all sure how long our run would be. But I was damned determined that we would give it our absolute best. And now, after all this time and over five hundred posts, it’s time to “Turn off the ghost light” and wrap the show.
Across the years, the content we produced is, in my humble opinion of course, as good as almost any on the web. I am particularly proud of the content we produced during COVID. When 99% of theaters in the greater San Francisco Bay Area were closed, we pivoted to interviewing the people who make the Bay Area one of the top five theater destinations in America.
As for me, I left the Bay Area and moved to Spokane, Washington, over four years ago. And yet we continued to produce ASR until this very day. And if I may in a point of personal privilege, that’s because I genuinely love The City by The Bay – and the theater.
I won’t burden you with why we’ve retired from publication.
I will say that ASR had dedicated writers and readers, and I valued almost every one. We had the occasional misfire, as any publication does, but our content stood the test of time.
So, here’s a special “Thank you and Farewell” to all the ASR editorial staff.
I’ve observed a troubling trend in the pricing of tickets for many local, regional, and touring theater productions.
Despite the magic of live theater, the rising cost of admission raises questions about accessibility and sustainability for the average American – long the backbone of local and regional theater in this country.
Rising Ticket Prices
Over the past two decades, ticket prices for regional and touring theater productions have increased significantly. In the early 2000s, one could expect to pay around $25-$35 for a regional theater ticket.
Today, it’s common to see prices ranging from $45 to $60 and up, even, sad to say, at the local level. On the other hand, and not to be unexpected (but still!), tickets for popular touring shows like “Hamilton” can range from $138.26 to over $1,600, depending on the seating and venue (TicketSmarter).
” … People remember ‘events’ such as going to the theater … “
At the San Francisco Opera, the price for a most favored seat exceeds $440 for some productions. Now, I get that Opera is a horse of a different theatrical color, but you see my point relative to the cost of a single seat.
American Theatre magazine adds these notes: “Nearly all (theater) artistic and managing directors polled saw their company’s price increases as “marginal.”
But, for many Americans, an increase of a few dollars per ticket can be significant, especially when piled on top of every other rising cost for goods and services. The New York Times raised an alarm about similar trends when it recently asked its readers if a $5 entrance fee increase for the city’s art museums meant that these museums were only “for the wealthy.”
Even more affordable balcony seats in many theaters are priced at $35-$55, reflecting a substantial increase over the years (TicketSmarter).
Declining Audience Numbers
Parallel to the rising ticket prices, theater attendance has declined. According to data from the Theater Communications Group, annual productions in regional theaters dropped from 14,000-25,000 in the early 2000s to significantly fewer in recent years, with indisputable evidence that audience numbers are dwindling.
American Theatre magazine again, “Piling onto … the economic reality is the difficulty that theatres have had in getting paying audiences to return at pre-pandemic levels. Survey respondents’ companies mirrored national trends that have shown up in other reports: 47% said their overall attendance was down between 10% and 30%, while an additional 27% reported seeing an even more drastic decrease.
(To be fair…) not all companies are doing poorly: The survey found that 13% of respondents said their attendance numbers have stayed put, and another 13% said overall numbers have increased by 10% or more.”
Fair enough — but that still leaves the other 70+% of theaters. So, it doesn’t take an AI tool to see fewer people willing – or able- to pay higher prices for live theater experiences.
Economic Factors
Several economic factors contribute to this issue. The production costs, including set design, costumes, rights, and talent (for those theaters that pay their actors), have all increased. Additionally, theaters have faced higher operational costs, such as rent and utilities, which they often pass on to consumers through higher ticket prices.
While these increased costs are understandable, they add to the unaffordability of live theater and, by extension, are additive to a barrier for many potential audience members, particularly those from lower-middle-income households.
The Impact on Accessibility
The steep prices discussed here limit accessibility, making theater an elitist experience rather than a communal one. This exclusion not only reduces the diversity of theater audiences but significantly, also impacts the cultural enrichment of the community.
Live theater should be an inclusive art form accessible to people from all levels of society. Fine idea. Except, current ticket pricing suggests other truths.
The Cost of a Theater Outing
Let’s sit down at the kitchen table and do some back-of-the-envelope math.
We’ll break down, as an imaginary example, the “real” cost for a family of five (2 adults, two children (and a no-charge toddler, to save the cost of a babysitter) attending a regional theater production. Again, we’ll assume the toddler’s cost is negligible in this example:
Tickets:
Average price per adult ticket: $50
Average price per child ticket: $30
Total for four tickets: (2 x $50) + (2 x $30) = $160
Parking:
Average cost for parking near a theater: $15
Dinner (Burger King):
Average cost for a modestmeal for the family: $50
Snacks at the Theater:
Average cost for a drink: $5
Average cost for popcorn: $6
Total for snacks (4 drinks and four popcorn): (4 x $5) + (4 x $6) = $44
Total cost for a night out at the theater: $160 (tickets) + $15 (parking) + $30 (dinner) + $44 (snacks) = $249.
One night, one show. Two hundred and forty-nine dollars.
Read that price again — if you can take it. And soon this family will have to add that fifth mouth and ticket to this calculus.
Possible Solutions
To address this issue, theaters, and production companies must explore alternative funding models. Increased sponsorship, government grants, and community partnerships can subsidize ticket prices, making them more affordable.
On the other hand, theaters, especially community and regional, may have to hold back on bringing the latest, for example, Disney-inspired fare to the stage. The rights to these offerings can, and often are, pejorative to that end of the theater marketplace.
I get the allure of bringing the latest word in the playwright’s art to the stage, especially for the children and teens who get to enjoy the rush of producing and acting in the same. But not at the expense of pushing a theatrical company into reducing the number of shows it wants to deliver in a season. America needs more cost-effective theater experiences, not less.
Finally, theaters could offer more discounted performances, pay-what-you-can nights, and targeted outreach to underrepresented communities. I also get the argument that these approaches may bring in fewer dollars per performance. But I contend that once people see quality theater — at affordable prices – and enjoy a pleasant theatrical experience at the same time, they will at least consider getting out of the house to create another family memory.
People remember ‘events’ such as going to the theater. Many folks are hard-pressed to remember what they watched on TV a month ago. A week ago. Last night?
“There’s trouble in River City, Folks.”
Net-net, while the allure of live theater remains strong, the rising cost of tickets threatens its accessibility and sustainability at many levels, especially at the community and regional levels.
To preserve our art’s cultural and communal benefits, every theater must find ways to make attendance more affordable for the average American.
Otherwise, we risk further alienating a sizable portion of potential audiences and diminishing the rich, diverse tapestry, history, education, memory-making, and enjoyment that theater offers.
Thank you for your attention.
Lights up!
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Kris Neely
Mr. Kris Neely is the owner, founder, and Editor-in-Chief of Aisle Seat Review.
2023 was a wonderful year for live theater in the Bay Area. Although many companies are still struggling financially, it’s clear that artistically most have bounced back from the pandemic. Rather than a “best of” list, here are ten of the past year’s favorites submitted by ASRians.
Dinner with Friends: In June, Sonoma Arts Live served up a Pulitzer Prize-winning treat. Director Carl Jordan had the perfect recipe for casting Ilana Niernberger, John Browning, Katie Kelley, and Jimmy Gagarin. Recipe?
The play’s friends are foodies, couples who uncouple and all but food fight on a multi-stage set by Jordan and Gary Gonser. The play had just the right amount of both relationships’ spice to flavor any postprandial discussion. — Cari Lynn Pace
Dragon Lady: Spanning most of the life of Maria Senora Porkalob, the playwright/performer’s grandmother and a first-generation Filipina immigrant, Marin Theatre Company’s Dragon Lady was an inspiring, entertaining survival yarn and a master class in solo storytelling. Part biography, part autobiography, part cabaret musical, and part comedy, Dragon Lady was a tour-de-force written and performed by Sara Porkalob, with wonderful instrumental backing by three members of the Washington-based band Hot Damn Scandal.— Barry Willis
… 2023 was a wonderful year for live theater in the Bay Area …
Stones in His Pockets: Spreckels’ production of this whip-smart Irish comedy was touching, insightful, and laugh-out-loud funny. It demanded the utmost from only two actors, playing no fewer than fifteen characters of varying ages, cultures, social classes, and genders.
All that and no costume changes, no props beyond two simple wooden crates, and a bare-bones stage with only a small stone wall and a projection screen to serve as a backdrop. A brilliant exercise in theater done right. — Nicole Singley
Crowns: Walnut Creek’s CenterREP presented an exhilarating, uplifting celebration of life with this serio-comedic musical. A coming-of-age story about a hip-hop girl from Brooklyn on a journey of discovery in a small South Carolina town, the revival-meeting production starred Juanita Harris as the town’s no-nonsense matriarch and queen bee of a bevy of church ladies, each with a collection of elaborate fancy hats mostly reserved for Sundays, when they want to look their best “to meet the king.” — Barry Willis
Silent Sky:Napa’s Lucky Penny Productions gave us a lovely rendering of Lauren Gunderson’s biographical tale about pioneering mathematician/astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, who toiled at Harvard University Observatory for approximately twenty years until she was finally allowed to look through the telescope. She faced opposition from the scientific establishment of the era, but Leavitt’s insights led to major breakthroughs in human understanding of the universe. — Barry Willis
The People vs. Mona: Pt. Richmond’s cozy Masquers Playhouse delivered a delightfully interactive comedic musical about a trumped-up murder case in the tiny south Georgia town of Tippo. The engaging Nelson Brown served as both MC and inept defense counsel Jim Summerford, who comes to the trial having never won a case. Shay Oglesby-Smith was tremendous as the town’s prosecutor and manipulative mayoral candidate Mavis Frye, matched by Michele Sanner Vargas as the accused Mona May Katt. — Susan Dunn
Clyde’s:Berkeley Rep’s Peet’s Theatre was the scene for this scathing comedy by Lynn Nottage, in which four parolees try their best to thrive under an oppressive boss.
April Nixon was brilliant as the voluptuous, wise-cracking owner of the roadside diner named for her character—a deliciously malicious force of nature. An uplifting, uproarious, and realistic tale about hope, Clyde’s was among the best comedies of the year. — Barry Willis
Hippest Trip—Soul Train, the Musical: The stage of ACT’s Toni Rembe Theater was transformed into both a giant 1970s television set and the production studio for Soul Train, reportedly the longest-running music-and-dance show ever made. Dominique Morisseau’s dazzling retrospective of the groundbreaking television show was wonderfully directed by Kamilah Forbes. Played by confident Quentin Earl Darrington, Soul Train founder Don Cornelius was a former Chicago crime reporter who envisioned a TV show that would uplift his community. Through sheer willpower, he made it a reality, and so did ACT. — Barry Willis
The Wizard of Oz: The Emerald City met Beach Blanket Babylon in ACT’s spectacularly goofy psychedelic The Wizard of Oz. The wild production adhered closely to the beloved original, including story and songs, but was as far removed from a 1940s Saturday afternoon movie matinee as you can imagine—a hilariously gender-bending extravaganza just perfect for Pride Month in San Francisco. — Barry Willis
The Glass Menagerie: Ross Valley Players returned to the essence of mid-century theater with a sobering production of Tennessee Williams’ classic family drama. Directed by David Abrams, who also played the role of disaffected son Tom Wingfield, the show starred Tamar Cohn as his delusional, manipulative mother Amanda, Tina Traboulsi as his asocial sister Laura, and Jesse Lumb as the good-natured gentleman caller Jim O’Connor, who arrives late in the tale and quickly discovers what a dysfunctional morass he’s stepped into. Tom O’Brien’s austere set, period-perfect costumes by Michael Berg, evocative lighting design by Michele Samuels, and music collected by sound designer Billie Cox all made significant contributions to one of the year’s most compelling dramas. — George Maguire
Aisle Seat Review wishes to apologize for any unintended offense that may have come about due to our recent opinion piece about the troublesome cluster of North Bay theater openings scheduled for the weekend of September 8th.
We did not and do not wish to alienate anyone in the hard-working theater community.
Our purpose then and now is not to glorify ourselves or any other critics. What we really hope to do is to encourage theater companies to cooperate and communicate with each other so that all can enjoy full houses, lots of ticket sales, and lots of sales at the concession stand.
…ASR has the Bay Area’s biggest team of expert reviewers…
Optimum revenue for all would be the result of staggered openings—or barring that, press openers held on weekday evenings as is commonplace elsewhere in the Bay Area. Admittedly many such openings are at Equity houses, but not all.
More opportunity for all can’t possibly be a bad thing, can it? Staggered openings would allow theater fans to see everything they’d like to see rather than having to choose among them—plenty of exposure for performers, directors, choreographers, musicians, etc., and a bonanza for fans. A real win-win.
Some detractors mentioned that with so many shows, we should simply recruit more reviewers—a hilarious suggestion in view of the fact that there are precious few people with any knowledge of theater and even fewer with the ability to write a coherent sentence. The literary talent pool is a tiny fraction of the size of the North Bay’s acting pool.
It’s actually frightening how many Americans are functional semi-literates. Even many highly educated people are mediocre writers. Writing ability is simply not a huge value in our culture, except where and when it’s desperately needed.
Aisle Seat Review has the Bay Area’s biggest team of expert reviewers, most of whom have decades of journalistic experience with theater and other special interests. All but one of us are voting members of the SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle (SFBATCC), now the only awards-granting theater organization in the region. ASR is also the only theater-centric website covering the entire Bay Area, a geographic entity the size of Switzerland.
SFBATCC nominations and awards may be of minimal importance to company directors, but they are hugely important to theatrical talents onstage and off, as any perusal of playbill bios will reveal.
ASR’s reviewers don’t attend theater simply to take advantage of free tickets, snacks, drinks, and the opportunity to chat with colleagues. Thoughtful, informative, and entertaining reviews are hard specialized work, something that may not be apparent to casual readers. Everything expertly done looks easy from the outside, but there is enormous knowledge, energy, and skill behind every review that appears on ASR.
We wish to avoid insulting theater companies by not coming to opening nights. How many times have we fielded complaints from company directors that they simply can’t get reviewers to their shows? Or that a review appears three days before closing weekend? The fault is not ours. It’s the failure of theater companies to communicate with each other. If the NBA can schedule hundreds of basketball games each season, without conflict, a handful of North Bay theater companies can certainly do something similar.
Aisle Seat Review’s utmost duty is to inform potential ticket buyers as to whether any production is a good use of time and money. By fulfilling this duty, we hope to elevate the theatrical experience for all.
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ASR ExecutiveEditor Barry Willis is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association and president of the SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle. Contact: [email protected]
When I started Aisle Seat Review almost a decade ago, I wasn’t at all sure how long our run would be. But I was damned determined that we would give it our absolute best. And now, after all this time and over five hundred posts, it’s time to “Turn off the ghost light” and wrap the show.
Kris Neely
