Double, Double Toil And Trouble

For me my blog has become a bit of a microcosm of what life is like for many in the entertainment industry. Ignored during busy times and doted over in idleness. For any of you who have spend days, weeks and months on a project know what it’s like to suddenly start spending a lot more time at home. Corners get cleaned, taxes get paid, dinners are eaten off plates that you have to wash yourself and if you’re old enough, tending to health matters that waited until you found the time. If you’re young enough, you continue to ignore your health and you go catch up with the regulars at the your favorite bar.

Until the next project. Then reverse and repeat.

I was able to catch up on some blogs and I want to draw your attention to an interesting post on Ken Davenport’s Producer’s Perspective. The post on March 30th discusses a study about discount tickets and the impact on attendance, etc since 1992 to 2008. The study used “Phantom Of The Opera” as the control. Graph One shows that gross sales continue to climb albeit at a slower pace since 2000. Graph three shows that Average Paid Admission has continued to climb with an increase in the growth rate since 2000. Graph Four shows Full Ticket Price increasing at a rate faster than inflation for the period.

For me the most interesting chart is Graph Two. Graph Two shows that in 2000 the number of Tickets Sold has actually leveled off, with a growth rate since of only 7%. My take on this is that Broadway is putting as many fannies in as many seats as it possibly can. But we’re not growing. Broadway can’t really be considered a growth industry.

The advice to Mrs. Worthington may still hold true.