As the credit, banking, housing and auto industries crashed and burned in 2008, Michigan's performing arts troupes proved once again that when times get tough, theaters innovate. And while rumors of impending doom swirled throughout the community, theaters from Lake Michigan to the Detroit River trimmed budgets, adjusted business plans and continued to pump out programming to an audience thirsty for entertainment.
And what a year it was! One sign of the industry's continued strength is reflected in the number of productions promoted throughout the year in Between The Lines' weekly Theater Events listings. This comprehensive column, which includes professional, amateur and university shows produced throughout the state and across the border in nearby Ontario, Canada, saw a jump in the number of shows listed to 550 at 133 venues, up from 515 at 122 venues the year before. While some of this is the result of first-time listings by existing theaters, the 6.8 percent increase includes a handful of new theaters that came into existence since the beginning of the year.
Theater reviews in 2008 suffered a slight decline, however. Curtain Calls' busy team of theater critics reviewed 103 local professional productions at 28 venues, down slightly from 108 shows at 29 theaters the year before. The 4.7 percent drop reflects the handful of theaters that curtailed their activities at various points throughout the year.
2008 highlights
Leadership changes took place at a handful of professional theaters in 2008. BoarsHead Theater managing director Marlene Shelton packed her bags and headed to warmer climes last June and was replaced by executive director John Dale Smith. Mori Richner was named executive director of the Blackbird Theatre, while Meadow Brook Theatre has managing director Cheryl Marshall and artistic administrator Travis Walter at the helm.
Two area theaters earned prestigious awards in 2008. Williamston Theatre founders Tony Caselli, John Lepard, Christine Purchis and Emily Sutton-Smith were honored with the 2008 Robert Busby Award, while the Detroit Repertory Theatre was bestowed with Actors' Equity Associations' Rosetta LeNoire Award.
Meanwhile, local playwright Joseph Zettelmaier had his play "It Came From Mars" selected to perform in the National New Play Showcase in Orlando. And Performance Network Theatre revived its popular Fireside Festival of New Works.
Detroit's fabulous Fox Theatre turned 80 in September. Earlier, Broadway lovers were thrilled to learn of the 2009 My Foxtown Theater Series that opens this month. Nearby, "Wicked" made the December holidays very merry for Alan Lichtenstein and the Nederlander Company, LLC.
New theaters continued to spring up in 2008, despite the bleak economy. Dog Story Theater, Grand Rapid's only professional producing theater, premiered first in a temporary space and later in its own facility. Go Comedy! Improv Theater took Ferndale by storm beginning in November with five nights of programming, while Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company first took to the stage in December at The Gryphon in downtown Detroit.
A few theaters took a sabbatical in 2008, however, including Detroit's Plowshares Theatre and Lansing's Icarus Falling. And Zeitgeist Gallery and Performance Venue closed up shop for good, leaving The Abreact without a permanent home for the second time in as many years.
Finally, sad news bookended 2008. Jim Posante, a beloved member of both the theater and LGBT communities, passed away in January, while Randy Godwin, a longtime favorite at The Purple Rose Theatre, died in December.
The economy
But the major story of 2008 was the economy. Hammered since at least 2007 by a one-state recession, theaters at all levels battled yet another significant crisis as the national and worldwide economies tanked mid-year.
And as theater patrons disappeared and finances worsened, the question asked throughout the industry was this: Which theaters would survive and which wouldn't?
Many theories and opinions were whispered, of course, but no accurate answer was readily apparent.
So in mid-December, Curtain Calls e-mailed a survey to 96 theaters throughout Michigan (58 professional, 27 civic/community and 11 collegiate/university theaters) to help determine the financial health of the industry. The survey consisted of 16 questions – some of which had multiple parts – that primarily asked for one and two year percentage changes in subscription sales, group sales, individual ticket sales and donations. Because of privacy concerns, no actual sales data were collected.
For purposes of this report, only data comparing 2008 to 2007 will be highlighted, unless otherwise noted.
As expected, a handful of theaters declined for various reasons – and few educational theaters responded. (Most colleges and universities had already closed up shop for winter break.) Twenty-nine theaters complied, however, and the portrait they paint reveals a struggling, but innovative industry that's quickly changing course to stay at least one step ahead of bankruptcy.
Subscriptions
Subscriptions are the lifeblood of many theaters, as advance ticket sales provide a revenue stream to pay bills during the off-months and help with the heavy expenditures required to launch a new season.
Of the 17 respondents that offer subscriptions, six have experienced a drop of 3 to 40 percent, while four have seen little change. Seven, however, worked hard to increase subscriptions from 2 to 120 percent.
How did they do it?
Alan Lichtenstein of Detroit's Fisher Theatre added premium seating and a "swap one" benefit, which helped add 12 percent more subscribers to the rolls.
Northville's Tipping Point Theatre began selling subscriptions a month earlier than the previous year and did not increase the price. "Based on verbal feedback, (that) enticed a lot of people to renew," explained Jennifer Steger, whose subscriptions rose 40 percent.
Canton's Spotlight Players took a more personalized approach – and doubled their subscriptions. "We called all current subscribers and invited participation as well as offered a discount for season subscriptions," said Barbara Bloom, president.
Gregory Grobis of the University of Detroit Mercy Theatre Company developed new marketing strategies that reached out to groups associated with the University. Their numbers jumped 120 percent.
Jeff Stillman of Avon Players, however, attributes 2007's gain and 2008's eight percent loss to a unique event. "Our sixtieth anniversary (last season) presented five audience favorites in order to stimulate new subscription sales, and we hoped this surge would carry over to the current year."
Unfortunately, it didn't.
