Theatregoers who are interested in benefiting from their loyalty and attendance now have a few new options to explore. Like grocery store shoppers or frequent fliers, arts patrons can earn bonuses through Audience Rewards, a new program created by Broadway theatre-chain owner the Nederlander Organization. And patrons across America can take advantage of Theatre Communications Group's Free Night of Theater 2006, taking place Oct. 19 in 11 metropolitan areas and five additional states. Both represent the latest push from savvy theatre organizations to boost attendance and successfully market theatre online.
"The trends for theatregoing around the country are not wildly on the uptake," said Susan Lee, chief marketing officer for Nederlander. "The demographic shifts are impacting us, the popularity of the shows, the price of shows — there's a million reasons why people don't go to the theatre."
To remedy this, Lee said, the Nederlander Organization decided to fund the first-ever online loyalty program for the arts: Audience Rewards. By signing up for the program, theatregoers will eventually be eligible to accrue points and get access to VIP events, exclusive behind-the-scenes experiences, insider news and information, souvenirs and memorabilia, and offers from program partners such as Panasonic, Madame Tussauds, and Ticketmaster.
Actors' Equity Association President Mark Zimmerman said of the program, "Rewards programs are a new concept for the theatre industry, and audience development is important to theatres of all sizes." Such programs are apparently important to theatre audiences as well: Thousands of people have already signed up for Audience Rewards. Lee noted that the company aims to eventually have the site function as a public service for arts consumers seeking not only information about plays but also dates, times, and locations of concerts, dance performances, and opera. It's currently the only national listing of all Broadway shows in New York and on tour across America.
Other theatre owners and organizations in New York, including Jujamcyn Theaters, the Shubert Organization, and the League of American Theatres and Producers, have taken an interest in the rewards program, and Lee hopes they and other theatre owners across the nation will join regardless of their affiliation. "My great hope for the future is that arts organizations recognize that they are not each other's competition in any way," she said.
To create the Audience Rewards system, Nederlander hired Loyalty Lab, which provides the technology that enables businesses to give consumers rewards and incentives for frequent purchases. Mark H. Goldstein, chief executive officer and president of Loyalty Lab, said theatregoers deserve rewards for their loyalty like any other consumer.
Goldstein noted that alternative mediums prove to be the biggest competitors to theatre, so theatres must use new technology as a marketing tool to maintain relevancy. "Just because they're selling an older form of entertainment doesn't mean they should be using older technologies to communicate it," he explained. The loyalty program, he said, will help theatres level the playing field with their competition.
The Price Is Right
Theatre Communications Group, a national organization for American theatre, is using another strategy: free tickets. Phillip Matthews, TCG director of communications, said the concept of a free theatre night was developed in 2003 in response to lagging ticket sales. It was created, he said, with the goals of attracting patrons who had never been to the theatre before — or who rarely attended — and promoting the diversity of theatre. Last year, TCG launched the free theatre night as a pilot program in three cities, with stellar results: More than 8,000 people attended 150 theatres in San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Austin, Texas, and one in three attendees returned to buy at least a single ticket from that same venue within nine months.
Free Night of Theater 2006 will take place in 500 venues across the country. "In six of the communities, we completely sold out of tickets in the first day [of ticket sales]," said Matthews, noting that TCG's website got 450,000 hits as a result of the promotion. But, he added, it's ultimately up to the local theatres to get patrons to return. TCG tries to facilitate that by providing a template that theatres can personalize and insert into their programs for that night, encouraging future attendance.
Terence McFarland, executive director of LA Stage Alliance, said more than 45 Los Angeles theatres plan to participate in Free Night of Theater 2006. "It's just a matter of awareness," he said about increasing attendance through the program. "In this day and age, it's really hard to cut through the clutter. There's so much stimulus; 'free' is a really nice way to get people's attention."
Audience Rewards and Free Night of Theater 2006, Lee said, offer a proactive solution to the all too familiar problem facing the arts. "We are more and more marginalized every year," she said. "And everybody needs to wake up to the fact that the government is not going to save us."
Some actors seem delighted to welcome newcomers. Said actor Rachel Jendrzejewski, "Someone who goes to a show for the pure experience of seeing something new would probably be a lot less hung up on analysis and more open to the thrill of live theatre and enjoyment of the story. Naturally it's great to have people out there who appreciate the work and artistry of what you're doing, but I think much of the real audience energy comes from the people who can put those things aside and become immersed in the temporary reality of the story being told."
Said an actor who asked not to be named, "A full house is always better to play in front of, regardless of how they got in there." But, he added, speaking as executive director of a 99-Seat company, "I don't think they do anything but take money away from an industry that is already lacking in funds. I know the goal is that if you give it to someone for free, they'll come back and pay. Having used discount houses and free houses, I find that that is not the case at all."
For show schedules and information about Free Night of Theater 2006, visit www.freenightoftheater.net. To sign up for Audience Rewards, access www.audiencerewards.com.