Does Our Theatre Need To Be "Saved"? Would These Ideas Help?

One of our actors posted a link to a column called "Ten Things Theaters Need To Do Right Now To Save Themselves". It was an interesting read, even if it was seemingly meant for more "big city" theatre groups, more semi-professional or professional houses. Some of the author's suggestions don't apply to us at all, but some may bear some thought and hopefully discussion.

Get them young. Seattle playwright Paul Mullin said it best in an e-mail last week: "Bring in people under 60. Do whatever it takes. If you have to break your theater to get young butts in seats, then do it. Because if you don't, your theater's already broke—the snapping sound just hasn't reached your ears yet."

Brunswick Little Theatre's audiences tend toward the over 50 demographic. Heavily. A lot of this is because of the demographics of our county, we are a retirement destination, but is that the only explanation? There are plenty of young people and families living here as well, is there something we can do to get them to shows? Should we change our show selection? If so, how? Should we change our marketing? Our image? Attempt somehow to reach out to new audiences? Are ticket prices reasonable for families? Are we already broken or are we just fine playing to our regulars?

 Offer child care. Sunday school is the most successful guerrilla education program in American history. Steal it. People with young children should be able to show up and drop their kids off with some young actors in a rehearsal room for two hours of theater games. The benefits: First, it will be easier to convince the nouveau riche (many of whom have young children) to commit to season tickets. Second, it will satisfy your education mission (and will be more fun, and therefore more effective, for the kids). Third, it will teach children to go to the theater regularly. And they'll look forward to the day they graduate to sitting with the grown-ups. Getting dragged to the theater will shift from punishment to reward.

Set aside the fact that you'd be hard pressed to find any "nouveau riche" in Brunswick County, this idea may have merit. What do you think?  There are issues of liability, space and volunteers to overcome, is it worth the trouble? Would YOU be more likely to come to an "adult" show if you could have on-site child-care? Would your children enjoy theater-based fun? Your grandchildren? BLT has developed a hugely successful children's workshop catering to those 4-13, could we capitalize on that to bring a smaller version to each performance? Should we try?

Build bars. Alcohol is the only liquid on earth that functions as both lubricant and bonding agent. Exploit it. Treat your plays like parties and your audience like guests. Encourage them to come early, drink lots, and stay late. Even the meanest fringe company can afford a tub full of ice and beer, and the state of regional- theater bars is deplorable: long lines, overpriced drinks, and a famine of comfortable chairs. Theaters try to "build community" with postplay talkbacks and lectures and other versions of you've spent two hours watching my play, now look at me some more! You want community? Give people a place to sit, something to talk about (the play they just saw), and a bottle. As a gesture of hospitality, offer people who want to quit at intermission a free drink, so they can wait for their companions who are watching act two. Just take care of people. They get drinks, you get money, everybody wins. Tax, zoning, and liquor laws in your way? Change them or ignore them. Do what it takes.

Here's a little more controversial one. North Carolina's liquor laws are a bit Byzantine, but they do provide for non-profits to sell alcohol on a temporary license at events, so it is do-able without ignoring the law. Is it something BLT should explore? Would it help attract audience, make theatre more accessible and "cool" or would it cause more problems than it solves? How about the idea of a hang-out with the cast and crew after a show? Would that work with or without alcohol involved? Is it worth a try or too much trouble?

 Boors' night out. You know what else builds community? Audience participation, on the audience's terms. For one performance of each show, invite the crowd to behave like an Elizabethan or vaudeville audience: Sell cheap tickets, serve popcorn, encourage people to boo, heckle, and shout out their favorite lines. ("Stella!") The sucky, facile Rocky Horror Picture Show only survives because it's the only play people are encouraged to mess with. Steal the gimmick.

This does harken back to Shakespearean days, when the audience whole-heartedly  cheered, jeered and harassed the actors. In those days, theatre was for everyone, could we bring new faces to the show if we made it less of a sit and watch experience? Is a jeering and yelling crowd disrespectful to the hours of hard work the actors put into a show, or a compliment to their entertainment skills?  Would designating one night during a show as "audience participation night" work? Disney just ran a sing-a-long version of Frozen in theaters, could we follow suit with a live orchestra and actors? Would you want attend such a show? Perform in one? Where would be a good place to try this, if at all, a free park show perhaps? Odell? Amuzu?


 Let us know your thoughts. Comment below, email us at brunswicklittletheatre@gmail.com, Tweet us, Facebook us, or find us out and about and share your thoughts. Community theatre belongs to the community, tell us how we can make that a reality right here.