SHOW BUSINESS IS GOOD BUSINESS
Albuquerque Profits from Local Live Theater
by
Barry Gaines, Theater Critic, Albuquerque Journal
Too often, I believe, arguments about support of local theater are
presented to depend on a community sense of altruism. Supporting the
theater is “a good thing” and the community should support “good
things.” I wish to suggest that support of Albuquerque’s diverse
theatrical community is good business. It is not only “a good
thing,” it is the profitable and smart thing for the Duke City.
A few months ago I attended a 10-day institute for theater critics
sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts. There I learned
some fascinating things that I want to share with the larger
business community. Did you know, for example, that more people, on
average, read the entertainment section of the newspaper than read
the sports section (63% to 59%), or the comics (63% to 55%)? In the
twenty years between 1982 and 2002, the number of performing arts
organization has increased by 45%. Broadway has set attendance
records in 8 of the 10 last years. Meanwhile, between 1948 and
2006 movie attendance has declined from 65% of the population to
10%.
And that trend in
increased live theater attendance is evident in Albuquerque as well.
Just recently, student performances of Shakespeare’s Twelfth
Night at UNM’s Rodey theater were completely sold out. Extra
chairs were brought in to accommodate the overflow crowd. And this
is Shakespeare, not Phantom of the Opera. Yes, it is “good
for you,” but it is also profitable and good for business.
Indeed, non-profit arts culture in this country is a $35 billion
industry. In supporting live theater, the business and professional
communities, the politicians and power brokers are helping
themselves. There are around one hundred different live dramatic
productions staged each year in Albuquerque, and those productions
usually run for two, three, or even four weeks so that the number of
actual performances is huge. When individuals turn off their TVs and
head to the theater, they often include pre-performance meals and
post-performance drinks or snacks. They read the advertisements in
their theater programs and take note of businesses sponsoring the
shows.
Where can businesses reach such diverse and desirable audiences?
Whether it is Teatro Nuevo México presenting the world premiere of
“The Magdalena Cantata” at the Roy E. Disney Center for the
Performing Arts of the National Hispanic Cultural Center, or the
African-American group Omnirootz performing at the hole-in-the-wall
theater on 4th Street called “Out ch’yonda,” or shows at
the Vortex or Adobe or Sol Arts or Desert Rose—all black box
theaters filled with potential—all of Albuquerque is represented at
the theater. And theatergoers are all potential customers.
From the actors’ equity Fusion Company and its national 10-minute
play contest, to the American Shakespeare Project and its goal of
staging all of the Bard’s plays, to the Tricklock Company and their
Revolutions International Theater Festival, there is something for
everyone on stage in Albuquerque.
Sure, theater is
“good for you,” but it is also good for business. Municipal and
state government, local and national businesses, as well as
altruistic donors should be supporting the varied Albuquerque
theater scene with good will and MONEY. It just makes good
sense—dollars and cents.
