This text is part of the special Theater booklet
While Quebecers are generous in the face of natural or humanitarian disasters and are ready to loosen their purse strings to fund health research, in particular, they do not necessarily have the reflex to do the same to support the world theater. Faced with this observation, the community is mobilizing and inviting the public to get involved… in a different way.
The announcement of Quebec’s hiatus in March 2020 will have allowed the management of theater companies to feel a wave of affection from the public, as evidenced by Valérie Archambault, head of private and philanthropic financing at the Center du Théâtre d ‘Today. For her, “the Billet solidaire movement [transformer en don le coût du billet d’un spectacle annulé]this great surge of generosity, will have made it possible to start a discussion with the spectators, who, if they were often faithful, were not necessarily donors”.
We must indeed demolish certain myths, adds David Laurin, co-artistic director at Duceppe. “People think that we are very subsidized, he laments, whereas, in our overall budget, the subsidies represent only about 20% and that they are mainly used to reduce the price of the ticket. That explains why a theater ticket can cost $150 in New York and $35 here. Our initiatives to seek out new audiences, by going to schools, by offering creative laboratories or writing residencies, can be supported by donations from individuals. »
The theater community and the Conseil québécois du théâtre (CQT) have been working for several months on the design of a joint initiative that will mobilize the public. The result of this consultation will be made public in the coming weeks.
If raising public awareness in order to generate greater support for hard cash is necessary, it is because “99% of spectators have no idea what a creation laboratory is”, underlines Mr. Laurin, who is also an actor and dancer.
However, this awareness should also focus on tax incentives, believes Céline Marcotte, general manager of the Théâtre du Rideau vert. In fact, a citizen who makes a first donation in the cultural sector can receive a tax credit of 25% starting at $5,000. “It’s very good, she notes, but for some theaters, an initial donation of $2,500 would be entirely in line with their needs. So why set the bar so high?
Loyalty to be reinvented
In a time now long gone, the Théâtre Duceppe could boast of having up to 20,000 subscribers. This system, which allowed the public to obtain the best seats at an advantageous price, was also to the advantage of the companies, which thus benefited from attractive liquidity before the start of the season.
This model no longer holds and was already declining long before the pandemic. Two years of confinement, canceled shows and excessive consumption of home theaters have widened the gap, as well as a new behavior among spectators: buying at the last minute.
The subscribers have not all disappeared, far from it, “even if part of the clientele has been scalded [au cours des deux dernières années] recognizes Marlène Morin, coordinator of the Association of Specialized Theater Presenters. The one who has a detailed knowledge of the environment has observed for some time the demographic and sociological changes that are forcing companies to review their loyalty models. “People under 45 are less used to subscriptions, but they are interested in everything, and several studies show this. They mix disciplines, from dance to the circus for example, and are not attached to a single place”, emphasizes the one who sees positive aspects in this trend.
At a time of galloping inflation, would the public suddenly be afraid of prices? The coordinator doesn’t believe it. “No one hesitates to pay $140 to go to the Bell Centre. In general, the price of the ticket is not a brake. When the Festival TransAmériques launched its box office, fans were ready to pay $90 for a show by an Italian or Chinese company because it was their only chance to see this show; there is a price-performance ratio. And the beauty of theatre, regardless of the origin of its artisans, also lies in its ephemeral nature.