The Price is Right

For those of you that may not be familiar with the website www.2amtheatre.com yet, I highly encourage you to check it out. It’s a very cool collaborative site where theatre artists and administrators from across the country are brainstorming and sharing ideas online. There is a really interesting post on there this week by Trisha Mead from Portland Center Stage in which she talks about her theatre switching over to a dynamic pricing model and how that helped increase their earned revenue. This idea has come up a bit recently in the blogosphere and twitterverse as well. Here’s Trisha’s description of dynamic pricing:

“Under this model, you advertise your lowest regular adult price, with the phrase “Starts at $XX.” Then you make sure the lowest advertised price requires them to buy early, come to the least popular performance night and sit in the very visible but not very good seats right up front on the side. If they want a better night, a better seat, or the chance to wait until the last minute, it will cost them more. And if you haven’t advertised your additional prices in advance, you can adjust these numbers on the fly, experimenting until you find the right price breaks for this audience for this particular show.”

Sounds like a great way to capitalize on a show and not encourage patrons to wait until the last minute to buy tickets. Our friends over at Target Resource Group have been promoting this pricing model as well. It seems like its really valuable, but I’m only aware of a few theatres in town that use it. I’m curious for those theatres that already use it, how has it worked for you? What are the drawbacks or biggest challenges? Has anyone looked into it and decided it’s not for them?

Citadel Theatre announces move to a new theatre space

The Citadel Theatre in Lake Forest announced that it has finalized lease negotiations to move into a new theatre space in the Lake Forest High School's West Campus. Renovations are already underway to transform one of the existing lecture halls into a professional theatre space that can accomodate 150 patrons, doubling Citadel's current capacity at Gorton Center. Citadel has been performing in the Grotto at Gorton Center for the past seven years. A capital campaign has been launched to cover renovations in the new space.

Citadel plans to kickoff the 2010-11 season in the new space with a November production of The Boarding House by local playwright Ann Noble. To learn more about Citadel Theatre or to make a donation to the New Theatre Capital Campaign visit www.citadeltheatre.org or call 847-735-8554.

Industry Ticket Offers

Endgame - Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted, is offering $10 tickets for performances from May 30 through June 6 for League members. Please call 312-335-1650 and mention code 6943 when ordering.

Body Awareness - Profiles Theatre, 4147 N. Broadway, is offering $15 industry tickets to all Thursday 8 p.m. and Sunday 7 p.m. performances through June 27 with headshot, resume or business card. For reservations call 773-549-1815 and mention this industry offer.

Industry Ticket Offer

Low Down Dirty Blues - Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd. is offering $10 industry tickets to all preview performances, May 27-June 5. Offer available by phone or walk-up, Call the Box Office at 847.673.6300 and mention the code "INDUSTRY" to reserve. Proof of industry (headshot, business card, etc.) requested upon ticket pickup. Visit www.northlight.org for specific performance times.

Industry Ticket Offers

Jacob and Jack – Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, is offering a limited number of $10 industry tickets for the June 1 performance at 7:30pm. Call 773-871-300 or visit the box office and mention the code JACK. Visit www.victorygardens.org for more information

Hunting and Gathering - Theatre Seven of Chicago at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln, is offering $14 industry tickets to all Thursday and Friday performances through June 27. Industry tickets must be purchased in advance and are only available by calling 773-404-7336. H/R or business card will be required at the door.

What Shall We Do With The Cello? - The International Voices Project at the Alliance Francaise de Chicago continues on May 27th at 7:30 p.m.. This free event is in association with Trap Door Theatre. Free admission includes wine reception. Call 773.250.7055 to RSVP or sign in at the door on the night of the event. www.ptapchicago.org/ivp.

Blog It Baby

If you had a blog, what would you blog about? Each week we sit around the office talking about a blog post – we could just write whatever comes to mind, that would be fun, but we can’t. We can’t do anything too controversial and when we do anything the least bit controversial we have to think about what the repercussions will be and does the topic outweigh those repercussions. If we’re angry we have to be much more measured than we really are. We think of much hilariousness that unfortunately just isn’t appropriate. That’s right, I’m blogging about blogging, but I do have a point. When we launch our new website in July, first of all, it is going to be awesome, second it is going to create an on-line community of theatre lovers and ta-dah…we are going to have guest bloggers every week on the home page. Blogging about theatre stuff, but not stuff we always blog about, not “issues.” This will be a blog for the theatre fan, so blogging about favorite theatrical experiences, what it means to you to run a theatre, why it’s important to you, and so on, want to be a guest blogger? Email ben@chicagoplays.com.

Deb

Industry Ticket Offer

Hunting and Gathering - Theatre Seven of Chicago at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. is offering $10 industry tickets to preview performances Friday, May 21 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, May 22 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, May 23 at 2:30 p.m. Use the code "TEN" at www.theatreseven.org or by calling the Greenhouse Box Office at (773) 404-7336.

Industry Ticket Offers

Baal - TUTA Theatre Chicago at Chopin Theatre Studio Stage, 1543 W. Division, is offering $12 industry tickets to all Thursdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. through June 20th. To redeem these specially priced tickets present a headshot, resume or business card at the box office day of performance. For more information www.tutato.com.

Swear Jar - The Annoyance Theatre, 4830 N. Broadway is offering $5 industry tickets on Monday, June 14 at 8 p.m. For tickets call 773-561-HONK and mention this offer. Visit www.theannoyance.com for more information.

Guy Adkins, 1968-2010

We'd like to extend our deepest sympathies, thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of actor Guy Adkins. Guy was a real treasure in the Chicago theatre community. His work across Chicago area stages touched the lives of so many people and he will be greatly missed.

Milwaukee Ave Arts Festival Performance Opportunity

The Milwaukee Ave Arts Festival is seeking proposals from Chicago area theatre companies to perform during the annual festival taking place July 23 to July 25, 2010 (Friday: 4:00-11:00 PM, Saturday/Sunday: 12:00-11:00 PM)
APPLICATION DEADLINE: May 28, 2010

Click here for the official submission form. Contact danielsmorris@gmail.com with any questions.

Polarity Ensemble Theatre Seeks Proposals

Polarity Ensemble Theatre is accepting directors' proposals for its 2011-2012 season from now through July 20, 2010. Directors are encouraged to propose productions of plays that can be considered "classic" or a new play from the 2010 Dionysos Cup Festival of New Plays (May 13-23). Please visit www.petheatre.com/call.html for details.

Industry Ticket Offers

War with the Newts – Next Theatre at the Mullady Theatre at Loyola University, 1125 W. Loyola Ave. is offering a limited number of $10 industry tickets for the 8 p.m. performances on Friday 5/21, Saturday 5/22, and Friday 5/28. Call 847-475-1875 and mention this offer. Visit http://www.nexttheatre.org/ for more information.

Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers - Chicago Opera Theater at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park, 205 E Randolph is offering $25 industry tickets May 14, 2010 at 7:30p.m. To purchase tickets go to http://www.chicagooperatheater.org/ or call 312.704.8414 and use the promo code THEATRE25.(This offer is not valid on previously purchased tickets or with any other offer.)

The Love of the Nightingale - Red Tape Theatre, 621 W. Belmont is offering $10 industry tickets on Monday May 17 at 8 p.m. available at the door or online: http://www.redtapetheatre.org/, code PHILOMELE. Please bring industry credentials when you pick up your ticket. Stay after the show for drinks and snacks!

The Marriage of Bette and Boo - Village Players Theatre, 1010 W. Madison St. in Oak Park is offering a limited number of $10 industry tickets for the performances of May 15 through June 27th. Call 847-475-1875 and mention this offer. Visit http://www.village-players.org for more information.