Despite the efforts made by many theaters and performance halls to offer advantageous prices, the relatively high price of tickets discourages many spectators from traveling.
Pauline Beauregard writes to us: “My city will soon receive Daniel Bélanger, I wanted to hear him so much, well, no. The ticket is $75, think about it: $75 × 2 = $150. My grocery store for a week. I love culture, but when I open my wallet, that’s where it happens, sorry for the artists. I simply remain hungry. »
The current economic context is not trivial. With a high inflation rate and rising interest rates, which force households to review the amounts paid to repay their mortgage loan, choices are necessary. At nearly $80 a ticket to go to the theater or see a show, it’s an expensive evening… Restaurant and transportation not included. Broadcast venues that have an advantageous price list – at floor prices varying between $25 and $35 per ticket – would undoubtedly benefit from making it better known.
Denis Lagacé is against service fees. “We wanted to see The Addams Family at St-Denis. On the website there were tickets at a good price. On the other hand, the Ticketpro service fee on the internet, per ticket, was $11.99. For five people, it’s $60, the equivalent of one ticket. We decided not to go. »
The reaction of two theater directors
PHOTO DAVID BOILY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Claude Poissant, artistic director of the Théâtre Denise-Pelletier
“Theaters are making efforts to make plays more accessible, but it’s certainly a challenge,” says the artistic director of the Théâtre Denise-Pelletier, Claude Poissant. Our prices vary from $29 to $45 per ticket, which is still affordable, especially since public money has not increased much. But there is no law on that, because there are shows that are expensive and sell well…”
PHOTO ANDRÉ PICHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Catherine Vidal, artistic co-director of Quat’Sous
The new co-general director and co-artistic director of Quat’Sous, Catherine Vidal, wishes to “communicate more with the public”. She is aware that even at $43 a ticket, “not everyone can afford an evening at the theater.” “The example of Prospero – which implemented accessible pricing where people can choose the price they pay ($25, $35, $42 or $50) – is really interesting. I can’t wait to see the result of this measure. We also started offering up to 10 unsold tickets for $20 one hour before the start of our performances. »