Is PIAF in trouble?

The new look Perth International Arts Festival has hit all kinds of delays over recent months. But the programme of events published and distributed in recent weeks promises some exciting performances and spectacular events.
I certainly hope I'll be able to attend more than a few performances throughout PIAF's run, but this wouldn't appear to be a view shared by many visitors to this site. The current on-line poll is asking visitors how many PIAF events they expect to attend in the New Year. At present 50% of respondents don't plan to see anything at the Festival.
Is this figure representative? A survey of visitors to the site earlier this year:
http://cygnus.uwa.edu.au/%7egmalcolm/cgi-bin/survey/survey.cgi?action=VIEW&filebase=feedback
indicated that about 90% of respondents attended both professional and amateur theatre. Is PIAF a special case?
If you're not planning to see anything at PIAF, why?
Cheers
Grant

My 2c worth...
I am well aware that my own theatre going tastes differ markedly from the rest of humanity's, therefore the fact that I find this to be the single most exciting festival since I've been paying attention may well spell it's doom.
Am I going?
I may not be eating for the entire months of January and February to pay for all that I want to see...
Off the top of my head, these are the shows I MUST see:
The entire eighteen hours of 'The Peony Pavilion' (about $200)
Both Castelucci productions ($60)
The Robert Wilson 'Dream Play' ($60)
All 3 Philip Glass films ($75)
as well as his Choral Symphony (Free)
'Faust' in the Park (Free)
The closing fireworks concert (Free)
Amanda Muggleton playing Medea ($30)
Steve Reich's 'The Cave' ($20)
So I'm up for about $450 in tickets before I even start...
Then there are the ones I WANT to see:
Both companies of the Netherlands Dance Theatre
'The Weir'
'The Gigli Concert'
That play about the Queen
At least one of the lieder recitals
'The Angel Project' [If the publicity for this is anything to go by, it could be the single perviest event of the year!]
Then there is the gigantic carrot that Mr Doran has dangled in front of my eyes:
Wagner's 'Ring' Cycle, starting in 2001!
I apologise to everyone else, but as far as I am concerned, Mr Doran is a GOD! [Now, if he could just manage to get little things like PROGRAMMING correct!]
Paul "Doranphile" Treasure

Simple (?too simple) reason why many poll respondents are NOT planning to attend any/many PIAF events -MONEY or to be more precise lack thereof!
Absolutely accurate as far as I'm concerned!!!!!!!!

Norma Davis wrote:
> Simple (?too simple) reason why many poll respondents are
> NOT planning to attend any/many PIAF events -MONEY or to
> be more precise lack thereof!
I think you're probably quite right, Norma. Take a look at the ticket prices that Paul Treasure is planning to pay. $400 on theatre in one month? I'd like to be able to afford that!
You could see one community show per week for almost the entire year, for what it's likely to cost Paul to see a few shows at PIAF.
In my experience, the prices are ludicrously high and outrageously subsidised by the common punter and taxpayers. You've got to be really keen or something of a mug to pay the ticket prices they are asking.
I've had the interesting experience of collecting tickets at the door for several Festival of Perth productions over the years and have been astounded at how few people actually pay anything for their tickets.
I've worked on Festival shows where, throughout the course of the run, not just during previews and opening nights, there have been more than 50% "complimentary" tickets. I'm not pulling this figure from thin air. I was curious enough to actually count the tickets each night just to see.
Did the comps go to people who might have been struggling to afford to buy a ticket? Students? Struggling actors? The down and out or less than well off? Nope. Practically without exception, it was the glitterati, the hoi polloi, the very well-heeled and chauffeur-driven.
Where did these people get the invitations? They were on the boards of funding bodies, arts officers and staff, corporate executives and highflying friends, politicians and arts ministers.
The theatre industry might really be better off without some of its so-called commercial sponsors and funding agencies.
For every dollar gained in corporate sponsorship, it appears very much to me that there are two dollars spent in glossy brochures, free champagne, supper with the stars, corporate boxes, glossy brochures and handsome posters plastered with so many sponsorship logos you could be forgiven for not being able to make out what the event being sponsored is about.
The state and federal arts funding bodies are telling theatre companies that they must seek corporate sponsorship, but many corporate sponsors are getting back two dollars back for every dollar they invest. Which effectively halves the taxpayer funding given to the arts company in the first place.
More Business Welfare bludging benefits for the rich?
Cheers
Grant

Grant,
[Hi, just borrowing someone's net access, love the new site!]
Yes, I fully intend to pay $400+ to see stuff in the Festival...
Yes, I too would love to actually be able to afford that amount of money.
I don't know which category I fall into (Really keen or bit of a mug), but I know that I do not fall into the category of people who can afford to pay these prices (and rarely do).
I do know that I haven't seen any professional theatre in the last half of this year apart from 'Romeo et Juliette'. I missed 'Saltimbanco', 'Hobbit' and 'Chicago' to be able to afford to go to what I want to see at PIAF.
And No, I have no regrets about this course of action.
[Sorry, I think I've used that pun before]
If what you say is true about the amount of comp tickets, thenm I have but one thing to say...
HOW DO I GET ON TO THAT LIST!!!
Paul Treasure