A friend of mine was recently lamenting the parlous state of the one-and-only non-profit theatre in her city — you can tell this was not New York — which was in danger of closing, unless it found an angel philanthropist. Then I learned that last week the Madison Repertory Theatre closed down — at least a half-million dollars in the hole.
So I decided to see where similar theatres stood. I was pleased to find that last fall the Theatre Communications Group started doing “Snapshot Surveys” of its members,
some 460 theatres in 47 states, on fiscal matters.
The first set not only indicates danger — little surprise there — but also shows just how quickly the world has changed for theater in the last six to eight months.
Last September, of the 241 members who completed the survey, 41.5% reported a surplus, while 36.5% said they had ended their most recent season in the red. The rest broke even. Subscriptions and single-ticket sales were growing.
By January, only 11% of respondents expected a surplus at season’s end, while 58% expected to be in the red. Subscriptions, fall and holiday ticket sales and year-end donations had all dropped unexpectedly, and 77% said they were “reprojecting” their expenses for the year.
To cope, two-thirds or more said they were communicating more, using technology and social networking, and revising their planning processes. Better yet, 44% said they were sharing services with other organizations, and 38% said they were narrowing their programs to focus on their core mission.
The snapshot samples are small, and in January only 210 theatres participated. We don’t know how much they overlap with the first set. But the snapshots are useful because they let members share information quickly — and respond. They are also help TCG select areas for additional research.
In September, TCG also asked members what, if anything, was keeping them awake at night. About two-thirds said they were losing sleep about the economy, and 60 percent said they were losing sleep about cash flow. Personnel, workload, ticket sales and board dynamics also weighed heavily on their nighttimes.
TGC didn’t repeat the sleepless questions in January. I guess the answers were obvious.
The full snapshots are available online: September and January (released in mid-February).
I wish more arts groups did surveys like this — and made them public. They could inspire audiences and donors to act, too.
And while we’re on the subject of information, I want to applaud TCG for another new endeavor: Its website now features profiles and media coverage of new plays scheduled at member theatres. Anything that encourages production of new plays is a good thing.