No, It’s Your Fault!
“Theater now has a tremendous responsibility to the community, to the people that work within the industry to make it much more accessible…. this is an opportunity for theater to, you know, really have a broader, more accessible reach. That’s how you bring people back.”
— Shubert Theater Manager
An Intricate System
The finance of Broadway is a very intricate system; full of history and contradictions. I’m not aiming to solve the financial issues that plague Broadway, but, my goal is to shine a light on some glaring issues that result in a broken system. Coronavirus has shut off the lights that blinded people from the issues, and now we see the huge financial problems that need to be solved before Broadway can return. Looking at Broadway, one thing can be agreed upon:
Ticket Prices Are Too High
Broadway was once relatively affordable. But after the rise of “mega musicals” in the late 70s and 80s, ticket prices slowly ticked up to accommodate all the aspects that come with a high scaled production. After decades of this, prices became out of control and theater turned into a “luxury” item attracting only the people that could afford it.
So, Who’s Fault Is It?
I’m reminded of the famous Sondheim song Your Fault from Into The Woods. This is a version from my alma mater at NYU (I was not in this production).