Brendan McMurtry-Howlett - Thought #4 - The Consumerist Mindset of Theatre

When was it that we decided to try to fit theatre into the consumerist model of selling a product to the public? As a "product" Theatre has got to be the worst thing to try to sell -  it costs a lot to create and has an unforgiving expiry date – if a seat in a theatre is not sold one night, you can never try to sell it again. Whereas a can of soup can sit on a shelf for months, even years. I think theatre's strength is that it offers an opportunity to be a part of a community and it seems antithetical to try to "sell" that notion in a supply and demand context. I'm hoping we can find alternative economic models that takes the pressure off of trying to sell tickets to meet budget and allows us to focus on making the community experience of theatre truly inclusive and accessible for all.