I thought about this the other day when someone told me they didn’t go to the theater as often as they wanted because they couldn’t afford it. In other words – theater tickets are too damn high!
Why Does Theater Cost So Much?
When you ask someone in the theater why ticket prices are so high, you get the same answer. It’s the other guys fault.
Actors blame greedy producers (when they are with other actors). Producers blame greedy actors, except when they are talking to an actor, then they blame greedy theater owners.
“It’s always someone else’s fault” is a comforting narrative, but it’s wrong.
Prices depend on two things:
- how much a thing costs to make, and
- how many people want it that you can sell it to.
Prices go down or stay the same when things can be made cheaper but the demand remains the same. Prices go up when the demand is really high but the supply stays the same. (Think Hamilton tickets.)
In a business other than theater, when demand is weak, other steps can be taken to make profits stay consistent. For instance, you can adjust the pricing. If something costs less to make, the profit can stay the same even if you sell fewer than you did before. And if the demand is high, you can make more. It’s productivity.
The Economics of Theater are Different
Neither of these things can happen in theater. The number of seats per performance is the number of seats per performance. Producers can’t make more of them. And although there are exceptions (I helped produce Bedlam’s Hamlet/St. Joan and 39 Steps so I know there are exceptions), a four character one set show is a four character one set show.
Theater is as productive as it was in Shakespeare’s time. Neither of the things a regular business can do to keep prices in check (reduce production costs or increase supply) can be done in theater.
Some things CAN be done though, and I want to mention how we are working to keep the costs of theater down.
- First, we are making theater for New Yorkers. For people who live here. So you’ll be able to see our shows initially Off-Broadway at Off-Broadway prices before we go into the “soak-the-tourist” Broadway mode.
- Second, we are planning on using social media exclusively to market our shows. We won’t be spending money to send an ignored email blast to people who don’t know who we are. We will keep all of our followers up to date on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Another reason to follow us if you aren’t already.
Finally, do you write plays? Rap? Submit your scripts to info@rhymesoverbeats.org