Entertainment spending

PGS

You can afford to be entertained?

ivory

It's partially cost of living pressures and the price of theatre productions compared to a cheaper day out over lunch with friends.

capfantastic

Every time I turn on the ABC they say the arts are suffering. Recently there has been somewhat of a catastrophe with the Oz representative to appear at the Venice Biennale canceled because of a painting from 10 years ago depicting a Hezbollah leader. I think it was right to cancel them. We don’t want depictions of terrorists humanised in pieces of art that will be celebrated on the world stage, however artists around Australia are outraged.

Juliette31984417

I think that cost of living is definitely biting. With entertainment spending as a family group the costs can mount rapidly . To see the National Gallery of VIctoria's current Yayoi Kusama blockbuster exhibition a family ticket is $94.00. Surely only a minority of families have that level of money available to spend on a family day outing, and you add food and drink, transport costs all in all a very expensive day out. Many children will be missing out on significant cultural experiences, be they in the live theatre, music or visual arts.

Juliette31984417

I think that cost of living is definitely biting. With entertainment spending as a family group the costs can mount rapidly . To see the National Gallery of VIctoria's current Yayoi Kusama...

I am very lucky to live somewhere where a local suburban group have been putting on a [happy, no death or violence] Shakespeare play every year in the local park for nearly 20 years, with costumes made from opp shop cast offs, including lots of curtains and table cloths. There is a little bit of editing of obscure words into modern English, but these productions are really enjoyable and accessible and they are fun to watch and I think the cast seems to have a hoot too. These classic artworks still speak across the centuries. Their ticket prices start at about $15 for concessions. the audience brings their own rugs, cushions and folding chairs and table (and food) Some of the actors were saying that this year has been their biggest audience since Covid hit

Tragk

People are definitely cutting back on spending since the cost of living has increased. We stopped going to the cinema altogether after Covid happened, never mind our local one shut down. The theatre is fun and all, but when tickets are $90+ for a single person, that money adds up. You could feed four people at the local pub for that much so it's no wonder we're opting to spend cash at restaurants etc. where people can enjoy each other's company.

vettsies

I think cost of living are making things really hard and interest rates. I have noticed not even cafes, bars or restaurants near me are getting the customers needed to continue with more businesses closing.

pontins

covid did alot of damage to the performing arts industry. Its not just the current cost of living, but also the fact that many people have just got out of the habit of going out for entertainment. many venues have suffered and have been unable to build their audience back to pre covid levels.

ab

Eileen

As someone who loves the theatre and the energy a performance delivers, your experience is saddening.

Personally, this season I too have bought fewer tickets to performances to the theatre company I patronise. Why?... a little judicious trimming of discretionary spending against necessary spending ie I have a budget… LOL

I think that your suspicions and the comments from Thom and jtmorri are probably ‘bang on the money.’

What to do… well for a start… get some hard data before you do anything. Don’t fall into the trap of ‘something must be done, this is ‘SOMETHING’ therefore it must be done.’ If you do, you’ll blow thousands on advertising and achieve potentially nothing because awareness wasn’t the problem.

To get the data you need, I’d be tempted to design a survey, beta test the survey, email it to my client base, and pray they have the time and desire to complete it. IF you get sufficient feedback, collate the results, and move forward from there.

Failing that, maybe a scatter gun approach:
- with your marketing; maybe engage with local schools to place posters on their notice boards or where kids are picked up and dropped off
- or, offer free face painting for the kids
- or, all tickets will go into a draw for a prize (eg $200 gift card for dinner at a local restaurant)

Good luck… all the best 😊

gayta

Perhaps you need better advertising/PR. I bet lots of people don't even realise you are up and running again

Thom3268

Could be due to a host of different reasons. Cost of living is right up there. Could be a shift in the tastes and preference of your local community. This may be tied in with a demographical change, particularly as many youngsters and young families are older - although entirely a guess. I've noticed this within my own community, seldom are there kids running around in parks and streets anymore, either they've all gotten older and/or prefer to stay inside.

jtmorri

If you were getting audiences and traction previous years, I would certainly put it down to cost-of-living pressures and having to cut back for the past two Christmas seasons.
If your marketing budget and strategies to target your specific audience hasn't change and if your prices have not increased then I'd say that is all it is.
One thing to keep in mind is to not repeat content and change something about it, as once a person has seen the production one year they may not wish to the next as they think it will the same again.
You have to keep building your audience base year upon year by targeting the younger families, so be mindful of where you do market. All the best.