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long_report_wilma_theater.docx
November 18, 2014
Brandon Niezgoda
Com 270 Professor
Drexel University
Dear Professor Niezgoda,
With this letter I am enclosing the report I prepared on the ways that Wilma Theater, and other similar Independent live theaters have adapted, and must continue to adapt to survive in 2014 America.
Local live theatres will continue to struggle in post-recession America. Without a fixed demand for the products available, and with the harsh competition from other entertainment venues, adaptation must be constant and awareness of audience needs must be thorough.
By having cheaper ticket prices, diverse shows within a modernized theater, they can succeed. They must be adaptive and localized in their playwrights and actors, and start with education.
I hope you find this report helpful, and in fulfillment of the requirements of our Com270 Final Project displaying what I have learned throughout these ten weeks.
Sincerely yours,
Brandon Niezgoda
Communication and Culture PhD Student, Class of 2017
Enclosure: Report
Wilma Theater and the Quest for Relevance and Sustainability in Contemporary Live Arts
Brandon Niezgoda
Communication and Culture PhD Student and Adjunct Professor
Drexel University
Prepared for
Brandon Niezgoda
Professor, Com 270
November 11, 2014
Table of Contents
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS………………………………………………………………iii
ABSTRACT...........................................................................................................iv
INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………..1
Background………………………………………………………………….1
Problem……………………………………………………………………...1
Purpose…………………………………………………………………........2
Scope…………………………………………………………………….......2
DISCUSSION……………………………………………………………………...3
Ticket Prices…………………………………………………………………3
Play Programming…………………………………………………………...4
Theater Adaptation……………………………………………………4
Education…………………………………………………………………….5
CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………6
RECOMMENDATIONS……………………………………………………........6
REFERENCES……………………………………………………………............7
ii
List of Illustrations
Figure 1……………………………………… Exterior of Closing Market Arcade Center
Figure 2………………………………………………………… Ticket Prices 1997-2009 Figure 3……………………………………………….......Wilma Theater Summer Camp
iii
Abstract
This report investigates how U.S. local live theaters such as The Wilma Theater can stay relevant in contemporary America by being aware of the current realities of the industry, and adapting to them sufficiently. There is a large disconnect between potential audience members, and theater organizers that is not being fixed. Many operators who continue to use their current business tactics, will lose their company. This ultimately will be a loss to American culture as a whole. Instead of operating blind to the current realities, Wilma Theater must do all that is in their power to survive. This includes adapting ticket prices and funding, show schedules, and implementing modern theater renovations. Additionally, as other companies have successfully done, Wilma Theater should push for a larger educational program.
iv
Introduction
Background
The Wilma Theater began as “The Wilma Project.” In 1973, the Wilma was established to challenge the Philadelphia cultural community to create “theatrical productions of original material and to develop local artists.” Through the years of 1973-1979, the Philadelphia public was dazzled by renowned Avant garde theater artists. This theater, and many others, benefited during the second golden age of the theater from the 1960 through the 19990s with the National Endowment for the Arts giving millions of dollars in grants, along with a surge of awards from Ford, Rockefeller, Mellon, and Shubert foundations. This energized about 400 regional theaters, the Gutherie in Minneapolis, and the Arena Stage in Washington DC.
In 1979, Natives of Czechoslovakia Blanka and Jiri Zizka became artists in residence, with a dynamic physical production style and original music accompaniment. They assumed artistic leadership of the organization, and moved the Wilma to a 100-seat theater on Sansom Street. Within five years they were at 100% capacity. They decided to expand the theatre to a new 296 seat home, and a location was identified at the corner of Broad and Spruce StreetsThe self-written mission is that “The Wilma Theater creates living, adventures art. We engage artists and audiences in imaginative reflection on the complexities of life. We present bold, original, well-crafted productions that represent a range of voices, viewpoints, and styles.” It has been creating plays continuously since 1979.
Problem
Even while operating for many years, The Wilma Theater, and similar local live, independent theaters are always on the brink of extinction. With no fixed demand, they very much face the issue of becoming irrelevant. There are simply many other, better options, than starting or continuing a live local theater, (Novick, 2011).
Especially after the 2008 economic decline in America, expendable income is low. Without adapting to the times, and catering to audience needs, theaters will face strong opposition. As written by Craig Lambert in his article The Future of Theater (In a digital era, is the play still the thing), “Entertainment delivered cheaply to a laptop or handheld device beats theater on price and convenience.” Nonprofit theater faces problems not only from the film industry, but the lucrative world of television which has been siphoning some of the best young playwrights—or potential playwrights- from the stage. With less expendable cash, digital alternatives, and lacking the subsidies that once were readily available, local live theaters face a continuous uphill battle if they want to survive. There is an intertwined system, as seen when the city owned Buffalo’s Market Arcade Center closed when the federal money went dry, leaving the future of the non-for-profit Road.
Figure 1- Exterior of Closing Market Arcade Center
Source: Buffalo News Photography "Closing of Market Arcade Movie House Could Pave the Way for a Better Facility - The Buffalo News."
Purpose
The purpose of this report is to show that because of the current economic climate, and the state of the Cultural Industries, local theatre companies like Wilma Theater must be adaptative in their business models if they want to continue to succeed. This report spells out, compares, and contrasts the current state and business model of the Wilma Theater in relation to trends in the industry and to a parallel company, The Road Less Traveled Theater in Buffalo NY. It describes the areas that must be taken into consideration by the company leaders in order to stay relevant and in business.
Scope
This report specifically focuses on Wilma Theater. It analyzes current literature and news reports on the theater industry, and suggests ways that Wilma Theater owners can learn from this information and from other similar companies.
Discussion
Ticket Prices
One of the main reasons that theatres fail is that they are simply too expensive. With less expendable cash people certainly do not have the money to go to a live theatre industry, when with different deals with entertainment distributors Netflix subscriptions are extremely cheap. While one can blame inflation, the truth of the matter is that ticket prices have far exceeded inflation rates as seen in Chart 1.
Figure 2- Ticket Prices 1997-2009
Source: Nemeth, Terrence. "Theatre Facts." Theatre Communications Group. TCG, 2009. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
Theater industries must find a way to decrease ticket sales. The Wilma, in the past year has done just that. Through Wilma WynTix, a new ticket subsidy program made possible by a generous grant from the Wyncote Foundation. This is an initiative to make theater affordable and available to a much broader audience. Shows make standard full-four week main stage runs, and subsidized rates include $25.00 for general audience, and $10.00 tickets for students and theater audiences. Group rates are also available. This type of subsidy must continue to be done if the theater wants to draw in audiences.
Other similar theaters have done just that. While large government subsidies are not available, community businesses are willing to donate for added sponsorship. The Road Less Traveled Theater in Buffalo created a deal with Mighty Taco to sponsor $5.00 student tickets, along with free taco coupons. The Deal drew in many students. One can seek out local philanthropists in the area to help fund the local arts community. Having a strong Board of Directors and Donors can also help. Having Alec Baldwin on the Board of Directors brought in a lot of money to the Road Less Traveled when Baldwin traveled to Buffalo for a play reading. The Philadelphia Theatre Company, which had been struggling, to develop new business plans and bring in more money. It was reported that “PTC has struggled to meet payroll and has outstanding loans to board members totaling $684,000 and accounts payable totaling $825,000 (Purcell, 2014). Raising ticket prices will not get the company out of such a hole.
As Mike Diasy wrote in his Manifesto “The Empty Spaces,” local theatre owners “could radically reduce ticket prices across the board. Most regional theaters make less than half of their budget from ticket sales—they have the power to make all their tickets 15 or 20 dollars if they were willing to cut staff and transition through a tight season. It would not be easy, but it is absolutely possible.”
Play Programming
The fact of the matter is, you must provide a good mix of shows if you would like to bring in larger audiences. Theatre companies should successfully challenge their patrons with one or two productions that are outside their normal offerings. It should be their mission to expand exposure. This does not mean that all of the plays should be new, but a diverse range of themes should be provided.
Of Wilma Theaters 2014-2015 season, two of the plays are based on Hamlet. One, the play Hamlet, and right after it Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead . This end of the year schedule patronizes its viewers, especially if they are not Shakespeare fans. One of the most fascinating cases of failure at the Road Less Traveled Theater was a contemporized version of Antony and Cleopatra. The show flopped fantastically, performing to only a handful of people each night. It encompassed the characteristics of the “deadly theatre,” coined by Peter Brooke. On the other hand, new and exciting plays written by local playwrights, such as Ibn Shabaz’s Insidious became iconic productions that would be asked to perform in other cities. Another very successful show was a children’s production of A Charlie Brown Christmas. Catering to the local community’s needs, as written by Rececca Novick in the Grantmakers in the Arts Reader “different communities need different models (2011).
There is, as described by Jeff Linamen, an Elite Effect within the live theater community. Community theaters can still offer more interesting, and important ideas, but most do all in their power to provide an open atmosphere for the community. Companies and the art they produce need to be completely accessible to the entire community. Branding, image and reputation play a huge role in the success or failure of theatre companies around the world.”
Theater Adaptation
One way to promote a positive, and contemporary atmosphere is to adapt theaters. The use of digital projection for projects can have a great effect for audiences. Research suggests that innovative firms outperform their competitors in terms of market share and profitability (Leonard-Barton 1992). Yet this is a slippery slope where managing the firm’s innovation and marketing strategies involves balancing exploration and exploitation activities. “Innovative customers may demand new-to-the-world products, whereas less innovative customers may prefer relational stability and incremental improvements” (Voss).
One way that adaptation can be done on local levels, is to keep a more flexible schedule of actors, actresses, directors, and playwrights. Whereas many local theaters keep in residence the same performers, innovation can become stale.
We should not demand that they cloak that straightforward practice in the trappings of a made-up company simply to attract funding or press notice. Moreover, we should encourage artists to operate like bands do — coming together to play a few gigs, then dissolving as people's interests diverge, perhaps performing regularly with a few different groups and experimenting with different styles and genres. Novick, 2012
Education
The Wilma Theater must promote education in order to draw in more audiences. Currently the Wilma Theater, as well as its counterpart the Road Less Traveled Theater, have educational summer camps to bring in children. However both camps are small, and expensive. Other companies have expended their scope.
Figure 3- Wilma Theater Summer Camp
Source: Holmes, Anne. "Education | The Wilma Theater." Education. The Wilma Theater, 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
Shakespeare & Company in Lenox has deeply embedded itself in its surrounding communities by bringing theater to local schools. Their program, which involves nearly all the high schools in Berkshire County, as well as several middle and grade schools, reaches more than 40,000 students and teachers annually with performances, workshops, and residencies. It has engaged close to a million participants since it began, along with the ensemble itself, in 1978. If Wilma Theater were able to follow in the same footsteps they would help spread the word about the theater, and get more of an audience.
The ability to bring Shakespeare to the school, rather than the school to the theater, would help ameliorate some issues with audiences. As taken from a Wilma Theater Yelp review, students at shows were seen to be distracting and on cell phones.
Conclusion
To compete in the global marketplace, Wilma Theater must be aware of the trends and current status of the Theater industry within America. There is a lack of federal funding for non for profit theater. This is existing within the current trend of multinational corporations, and conglomerates of media industries which control the entertainment industry and the cultural industries as a whole. Currently, there is a disconnect between live local, independent theaters and its patrons. Studies show that the ticket prices are fundamentally too high, even when accounting for inflation. There is still a large elite effect when it comes to play programming. Theaters have not innovated enough technologically. Play companies have become static with hiring of the same actors, actresses, and directors for each show. Education programs are too small, and do not bring in enough new participants to the community.
Recommendations
By implementing the following recommendations, based on the conclusions reached in this report, The Wilma Theater can succeed in bridging the disconnect between its industry as a whole, and potential customers; they should be able to find success in to the future.
1. Ticket prices must be lowered.
2. Without large government funding, Wilma Theater must continue to look for subsidized funding in different forms.
3. They must cut down on the elite effect through marketing.
4. Wilma Theater should offer playwrights with direct ties to Philadelphia
5. Play themes should experiment and push boundaries through innovation, but not too far as to lose their base audience.
6. Resident playwrights and directors should be switched in with new faces as to gain more creativity.
7. Educational programs should be expanded.
References
Barker, Jeremy. "Why Theaters Fail and When We Should Save Them."Culturebot. Applied Creativity LLC, 8 June 2011. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
Brook, Peter. The Empty Space: A Book About the Theatre: Deadly, Holy, Rough, Immediate. Reprint
edition. New York: Touchstone, 1995. Print.
Buffalo News Photography "Closing of Market Arcade Movie House Could Pave the Way for a Better Facility - The Buffalo News." Www.buffaloNews.com. The Buffalo News, 19 June 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
Daisey, Mike. "The Empty Spaces." The Stranger. Index Newspapers, 7 Feb. 2008. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
Holmes, Anne. "Education | The Wilma Theater." Education. The Wilma Theater, 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
Lambert, Craig. "The Future of Theater." Harvard Magazine. Harvard University, Jan.-Feb. 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.
Nemeth, Terrence. "Theatre Facts." Theatre Communications Group. TCG, 2009. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
Novick, Rebecca. "Please, Don't Start a Theater Company!" Grantmakers in the Arts. GIA, Apr.-May 2011. Web. 19 Nov. 2014
Purcell, Carey. "Local Philanthropists Offer New Plan to Save Struggling Philadelphia Theatre Company." Playbill. Playbill Inc., 26 Aug. 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
Spatz, Ben, and Lane Pianta. "Changing the Space: An Interview with Ben Spatz of Urban Research Theater by Lane Pianta." (2009): 45-64.
Throsby, Charles David. "Perception of Quality in Demand for the Theatre."Journal of Cultural Economics 14.1 (1990): 65-82.
Voss, Glenn B., and Zannie Giraud Voss. "Strategic orientation and firm performance in an artistic environment." Journal of marketing 64.1 (2000): 67-83.
Voss, Glenn B., Mitzi Montoya-Weiss, and Zannie Giraud Voss. "Aligning innovation with market characteristics in the nonprofit professional theater industry." Journal of Marketing Research 43.2 (2006): 296-302.
