"The more straight-faced, incendiary boo of displeasure has been all but silenced, bar lone tuts or harrumphs. But for centuries, theatregoing etiquette allowed for heckles and hisses alongside cheers and whistles, all permissible within the great debating chamber of drama." - The Guardian
Stop clapping so much! Stop drinking so much! Don't use your phone's flashlight to find your seats! And for pity's sake, stop eating potato chips during a movie or play! (And other possibly cranky advice from critics.) - The Guardian (UK)
At the Whaling Museum in New Bedford, Mass., "the first speaker took the lectern at noon after the strike of eight bells. 'Call me Ishmael,' the famous opening words, sent a ripple of applause through the room." - Slate
What the Prototype festival brings to audiences: Anything from Biblical translations to "a kind of nostalgic reminder of the loud, messy, nudity-filled, often self-serious, generally baffling shows that were once fixtures of downtown New York." - The New York Times
It isn't pretty: "Publishing is competing with other forms of entertainment in an increasingly fragmented media landscape, and an author with existing name recognition is a tempting prospect." - The Guardian (UK)
Following the 2021 merger of the orchestra with the organization that operates its concert hall and three other venues (and presents shows in a fourth), ticketholders sometimes didn't know which theater to go to. So the umbrella organization has taken a new name that doesn't include a venue. - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
“There’s an opportunity for cable companies to rebundle streaming services in a way that is friendly to consumers,” MoffettNathanson analyst Craig Moffett said. - The Wall Street Journal
The ARChive of Contemporary Music "reportedly holds some of the world’s biggest collections of Broadway, African, punk, jazz, country and western, folk, hip hop, and experimental recordings" - and it's in trouble. - Wired
Customer defections across premium streaming services rose to 6.3% in November, from 5.1% a year earlier. About one-quarter of U.S. subscribers to major streaming services—a group that includes Apple TV+, Discovery+, Disney+, Hulu, Max, Netflix, Paramount+, Peacock and Starz—have canceled at least three of them over the past two years. - The Wall Street Journal
Preliminary findings from an upcoming report reveal that only a third of responding institutions say audience engagement is back to 2019 levels; for performing arts organizations, the figure is only 15%. 23% of the groups are still at "reduced capacity," down 10 points from last year. - WHYY (Philadelphia)
"Despite positive attendance numbers in the spring and fall, … several of the city’s larger organizations … are in a similar boat — single ticket sales are increasing, but not fast enough to cover the decrease in subscriptions. As an outlier, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust reports robust subscriptions for its Broadway series." - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Los Angeles Times design columnist Carolina A. Miranda looks at how, despite exteriors that can seem intimidating, the new Perelman Performing Arts Center near Ground Zero and the reconstructed David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center undo the separation between artists and audience. - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
Far higher than that of Americans as a whole, according to the Broadway League's demographic report on the 2022-23 season. Now we know why they can pay for those $200-and-up tickets. - TheaterMania
