Theatre's in trouble

>> Re theatres "in trouble"> 1) If we don't get bums on seats we don't get to put on another> production so it's necessary to be very practical about this. Perhaps> the solution is three bums on seats shows and one 'for ourselves'> per year?> 2)We did an audience survey last year at Melville and the basic> answer was that our audiences like comedy, comedy, Agatha Christie,> comedy, 'thrillers', comedy, musicals and comedy - preferably well> known ones!> Two years ago we put on "The One Day of the Year",> saturated everyone we could think of with advertising and audiences> were mediocre, Later we did David Williamson's "Travelling North"> , results ditto. We have just finished "Murder at the Vicarage",> not one of Agatha Christie's best and we had practically a sell out> - I've just about given up. Against that when Stirling put on "The> Crucible", everyone thought that it would only attract modest> audiences and it was virtually a sell out. Musicals are almost guaranteed> to be a success but are horrendously expensive in money and effort> and exhaustion sets in from cast and crew.> 3) Remember we are (mostly) in this for fun and when it stops> being enjoyable a lot get out!! Add a few egos thowing spanners in> the works and life gets hard.> 4) most clubs are kept going by a small number of stalwarts and> even they get weary eventually.> 5) Contentious this point but the younger folk don't appear to> have much of a commitment to a club, they just go where the parts> are and many of them don't ;give' much> I await with interest the rebuttals!> Norma Davis. (Secretary of ITA)>