Regional and metropolitan performing arts centers and touring houses may have yet one more thing to worry about in their eroding business models — the aggressive entry of Las Vegas into their world. The New York Times covered the trend yesterday (login required, try BugMeNot if you don’t have an Times account). But the issue was bubbling even late last year among industry sources. Says the Times:
If it isn’t already, Las Vegas will soon be the second city of Broadway, home to more New York musicals than any market outside Manhattan. It was this, not just snobbery, behind the “Avenue Q” alarm: the fear of further disruption in an already unstable business. If Broadway shows went to Vegas instead of touring, what would happen to the traditional road theaters and their customers? More saliently, what would happen to their backers, who are often investors in New York productions? If they were outflanked by casino operators, how would that alter the kinds of shows that make it to Broadway in the first place? For even though the tail of touring had to some degree wagged the dog of Broadway for years, Vegas now threatened to clone a new dog entirely. A big dog with sequins.
In Vegas, Broadway producers can get the theater they want (built for them, in fact) rather than cram into the existing, landmarked real estate in New York; their artists can live comfortably in one city for the run, rather than bumping from town to town in a national tour; and with nearly 40 million visitors a year to Las Vegas, they can expect an audience. Since most trim the shows to 90 minutes or less, producers can also run 10 shows a week rather than 8 under the same performer salaries.
While both articles emphasize the impact of Vegas on Broadway, the real folks at risk are the performing arts centers and presenters scattered around the United States. These venues depend on blockbuster tours to keep their accounts in good standing, and to subsidize the rents of resident performing organizations (the symphony, the theater, the ballet, etc.). The positive economics of a Vegas venue, especially for established hits like Avenue Q, Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia, Hairspray, and Blue Man Group make the idea of a long, national tour much less appealing. For at least one popular show, Avenue Q, Vegas is an opportunity not to tour at all. Says one producer:
”What the road seemed to be offering was at most 50 weeks,” said Kevin McCollum, a producer of ”Avenue Q,” “with low guarantees because it wasn’t a show about a warm kitten and your grandmother….Also the size of theater our show works well in, 1,200 seats at most, doesn’t exist on the road. Generally they’re around 2,000 seats, as much as 4,500 in Atlanta.”
At the Wynn [in Vegas], Mr. McCollum got the theater size he wanted, without censorship or the enormous cost of moving each week. And because concierges and cabbies are more influential than critics in Las Vegas, he also got the chance to let the work speak for itself. ”On the road, by the time you develop word-of-mouth, you’re in the next city,” he said.
Much of America’s infrastructure of performing arts centers and renovated theaters was built on the energy, income, and promise of the Broadway tour. If Vegas skims the cream off the top of that industry, local arts presenters will need to find another way to balance the books.
Perhaps its just because it is late in the day on the Friday of a long week and I am tired and pessimistic, but to me, this is just one more ultimate result of the dumbing down of America – the fact that PACs across the country have had to rely on these blockbusters to meet the bottom line, rather than accomplish the harder task of developing a new economic engine that relies more heavily on local and regional artistic talent – its the bottom of the vortex of a vicious downward artistic spiral. PACs who have worked hard to build relationships in their communities so they can be less dependent on touring broadway events are in a much better position to weather this phenomenon, which begs the question, why hasn’t everyone pursued such a model? Touring Broadway should never have been counted on for the survival of PACs.
Less Touring Broadway
Boomer communities (citizens and city administrators) are accustomed to personal amenities which includes a great economy, and the convienence of Broadway road shows. This generational trait is evident and understandable, as they were immersed in a childhood that offered superior K-12 music and art programs in their public education. Since then, those urban public school programs have been drastically cut since the mid 1980s, which in turn, continues to slowly eroded the live audience base.
In hopes of restoring this education to all social classes, especially to advocate for and patronize touring Broadway shows, we need to reinstate superior K-12 arts programs in American public schools. This is a large project. As a 35-year vetern public school band director with graduate degrees in education and art administration, I see both sides of this challenge.
First, I realize that non-profit arts organizations find it not to their interest to be involved with the politics of state and local public education…there may be funding repercussions. From the arts administration side it seems more realistic to spread programs thin offering performances in all city schools, and hoping this will entice people to become a live audience member. Second, even though this marketing strategy continues to be popular, public school music programs continue to erode, and arts organization continue to loose audience. I have a similiar, but more focused suggestion. Rather than going deeper and broader into the current boomer audience base, or hopping from school to school and perform, or following the boomers to New York or Las Vegas, how about considering an in-depth long-term (2 to 5 year) partnership with a few public schools?
To that end, I would like to recommend a specific partnership: one that transfers artistic skills to the students. From experience, I have learned that when the parent community views a transfer of skills which inhances the students artistic abilities, the arts organization receives support from the parent community. I view anyform of “edutainment” or “enrichment” used as the primary plan, to be a waste of time, money, and energy. Use these strategies only during a collaborative transfer of skills partnership, to deepen the attachment. The lesson plan and curriculum must address one clear issue, but presented in many ways so it is of use to the student. The artist and educator must be capable of superior collaboration. There can be no arrogance from either party. Arrogance is the kiss of death to any arts partnership.
If the students and parents are bonded to the music educator, if the educator is bonded to the artist, this connection will reestablish the bridge necessary to support the current venues that present traveling Broadway productions. With public arts education in place K-12, all classes of communities across the country will want to, and insist upon, experiencing touring original Broadway productions. Broadway should not be just for well-to-do boomers who visit Las Vegas, or those who live in or visit New York, but the art of Broadway is for the entire American Village.