Theatre Subscriptions in a Changing World

Amy S. Kaissar

Submitted in partial fulfillment

of the requirements
for the degree of Master of Fine Arts
in the Division of Theatre
School of the Arts

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
May 10, 2005
A Very Special Thank You To:
Ben Cameron of Theater Communication Group
Steven Chaikelson of Columbia University
Ken Kaissar
Harriet Singer
Bonnie Burke
Rachel Smith and Kathryn Moroney
Amy Singer Kaissar
Theatre Subscriptions in a Changing World

SECTION THREE: FINDING SOLUTIONS 2

CUSTOMER SERVICE 3
FLEXIBILITY 5
THREE PLAY PACKAGES, MEMBERSHIPS, FLEX PASSES AND MORE 8
ADDING VALUE 16
TECHNOLOGY AND SUBSCRIPTIONS 24
TACKLING THE NEW ACQUISITION 27
TACKLING THE RENEWAL 34
AUDIENCE ABUSE! 37

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SECTION THREE: FINDING SOLUTIONS

In setting out to research this thesis, the plan was to discover the

panacea. But a mission to find that one strategy that can undo a few

years of attrition, is one doomed to fail. For just as there is no single

problem faced by regional theaters subscription managers, there is no

one-size fits all solution to the ailment. But there are a number of mini-

solutions that each tackle a different part of the problem. This section will

explore each of those mini-solutions that a theater could use to

reinvigorate its subscription base.

The 2003-2004 Performing Arts Research Coalition (PARC) Study

which looked at the value of the performing arts in American communities

reports that “the findings [of the study] are extremely encouraging. They

reveal an arts audience far larger and more diverse than currently

believed, comparable in size to audiences for movies and sports.1” So if

the audience is that big, how can theatres encourage a greater level of

commitment?

By fully exploring the issues in their own communities, theatre

companies could pick and choose solutions from those discussed in this

1 Kopczynski, Mary and Mark Hager. (2003, March). “The Value of the Performing Arts in Five Communities: A

Comparison of 2002 Household Survey Data for the Greater Metropolitan Areas of Austin, Boston, Minneapolis-
St. Paul, Sarasota, and Washington DC.” Performing Arts Research Coalition. Page 6.

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section and end up with a strategy to combat their own losses. Through a

combination of improved customer service policies, creative and flexible

ticketing plans, added subscription-only value, and technologically savvy

purchasing options, theaters could entice lapsed subscribers back and

woo new subscribers to the organization.

Customer Service

Ben Cameron, Executive Director of the Theatre Communications

Group points out that people patronize restaurants, knowing that the

restaurant isn’t great, just because of the service and/or convenience. I

can’t even count the number of meals I’ve eaten at the diner across the

street, even though the food is overcooked and the plates occasionally

dirty, just because they know my name and what my “usual” is, they

occasionally throw in a free cookie, and they’re across the street.

The importance of customer service and convenience cannot be

underestimated. One dramatic example of customer service winning a

subscriber was told by a woman about a New York theatre company to

which she was a new subscriber. When asked why she had joined she told

the following story: She took her daughter to see a show (one that in the

end, she thought was decent, but not exceptional). In the middle of the

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first act her daughter had a violent coughing fit. Unable to stop coughing,

the daughter excused herself and ran up the aisle and out the door. She

was met in the lobby by the house manager. And that’s when customer

service sold two subscriptions. The house manager got the daughter a

cup of tea from the concessions stand and sat with her while she drank it.

Because the daughter missed so much of the first act the house manager

suggested that she come back another night when she was feeling better

and told her to bring a friend. The daughter did so and the mother was so

impressed by the personal attention that she subscribed for the following

year.

The Pasadena Playhouse has a fabulous position called the

“Customer Experience Manager”. This person’s job is to sell tickets and

subscriptions by, “ensuring that every aspect of the customer experience

is accurate, complete, fair, uniform, fiscally responsible, and artistically

interesting for the Playhouse and the patron, and/or donor.” This job

description clearly indicates that the company understands the full value

of every patron. They begin as single ticket buyers, are converted into

subscribers, and then cultivated into donors. This progression is critical and

this one job addresses all the facets of a customer’s experience. There is a

specific staff member, whom subscribers can call on the phone. They

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know his name and his number, and he makes sure their experience is a

positive one. This is a position that I urge all theatre companies to adopt.

Danny Newman says that “it is specifically the . . . box office that is

directly responsible for the success or failure of our relations with those

people who are so important to us, our subscribers.2” Just think if all

theatre companies could hit these patrons with a one-two punch. One –

a positive and friendly first experience with the box office when they

purchase their first ticket to the theatre. Two – their later personal

experience with the Customer Experience Manager when they subscribe.

Customer service satisfaction ratings would shoot through the roof.

Flexibility

“It is interesting to note that museums, which have higher

attendance rates than do any of the performing arts, have
greater flexibility in terms of the hours they are open and the
material they offer.3”

Certainly museums are the arts organizations most easily able to be

flexible. They have ever changing displays, many can house multiple

exhibits simultaneously, and they are generally open all day. It would, of

course, be impossible for a theatre to have ongoing performances all day

2 Newman, Danny. (1983). Subscribe Now! New York: Theater Communications Group. Page 87
3McCarthy, Kevin F. and Kimberly Jinnett. (2001) A New Framework for Building Participation in the Arts. Santa
Monica: Rand.

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long and financially prohibitive for even the largest theatres in the country

to produce more than five to seven shows a year. But while the

performing arts cannot mimic the built in flexibility of the visual arts,

performing arts organizations can significantly increase the flexibility of

their scheduling and ticket exchange policies.

Every theatre needs to look at the scheduling constraints of its

target subscribers and work to bring the performance schedule in line with

the audiences needs. Is the aim to win back the AARP crowd? Then

perhaps matinee heavy scheduling is the answer. Is the target young

professionals who live in the suburbs? Then push the 7pm mid-week show

so they can come straight from work and not have to commute on their

day off. Is the goal to push for college and graduate school students?

Then how about a 9pm curtain that allows for a late dinner and some

drinks first? Every community has different scheduling needs, but the 8pm

curtain doesn’t fit all schedules any more.

To combat the barriers to subscriptions caused by the increased

pace of life in this country, companies must strive to maintain flexible

exchange policies. There is no way around the increase in administrative

hours that are required by an increasingly flexible plan. But while a

theatrical organization with a fulltime staff of 50 can afford greater

flexibility than can an organization with a fulltime staff of five, it is essential

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for all subscription houses to strive to keep customers happy by

accommodating busy schedules.

Two companies with strong subscription bases mentioned flexible

exchanges as an important factor for their subscribers. Harry McFadden,

Director of Marketing at the New York Theatre Workshop, says that his

subscribers love their exchange policy which allows ticket exchanges up

to 24 hours before the show. And the Goodman Theatre promises

“flexible” exchange policies prominently in subscription brochures.

The Oakland Angels, a baseball team, started Ticket Exchange with

Ticketmaster. This ingenious program allows season ticket holders (who

hold as many as 80 tickets to home games as opposed to the 5-6 held by

theatre subscribers) to resell tickets to the games they can’t attend. For

the sale, the season ticket holder receives credits toward other tickets4.

Here’s how a similar plan would work in theatre. Subscriber Jane has

been called out of town on business and can’t attend the production at

Theatre X. Since the show is closing before she gets home, she can’t

exchange her tickets for another night. Instead, she goes online and offers

the ticket for auction. Single-Ticket Buyer Jill purchases the ticket. Theatre

X has not only made extra money on the sale (they’ve sold the same seat

twice), but the seat is now still full, concessions are being sold, and a new

4 Lansner, Jonathan. (2004, June 20). “The Orange County Register, California. Jonathan Lansner Column.”

Knight Ridder Tribune Business News. Page 1

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audience member has been brought through the door. Subscriber Jane

benefits by exchanging her ticket for “credit” which she uses to get an

extra ticket to the next production. She brings her friend Janet to that

show and voila – another patron through the theatre’s door. No money

lost, and two new potential subscribers. Brilliant!

Three Play Packages, Memberships, Flex Passes and More

The old subscription plan is outdated in other ways as well. For many

target subscribers, picking a Tuesday night series ten months in advance

just doesn’t work. Theatres around the country are finding innovative ways

to redesign their offerings. It’s out with the old and in with the new.

One popular approach for theatres offering five or more shows a

year is the Three Play Package. Combating the all or nothing idea, this

plan allows interested parties to pick three plays out of the entire season.

For the subscriber, it’s a great way to try out a subscription at a low cost,

and, for the theatre, it’s a great way to woo a potential subscriber.

Unfortunately, while the plan does bring in money at the beginning of the

season, it does nothing to guarantee an audience for that “risky” play

which these mini-subscribers are likely to avoid like the plague. If a theatre

is able to convert these trial subscribers to full subscribers, the plan

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succeeds as an audience expansion tool. But, should the theatre fail to

convert them quickly, the Three Play Package is a risk to the full

subscription plan since it undermines the attractiveness of the full offering.

One of the most popular plans with patrons is actually not a

subscription but a membership. Members pay a fee to join at the

beginning of the season allowing them to purchase tickets at a discount

before they go on sale to the general public. Memberships are perhaps

the most flexible for the patron when it comes to scheduling but, like the

mini-subscription, do not protect that off-beat play by the unknown

author, and might not provide adequate money to the company at the

start of the season. However, numerous New York City subscribers who

have dropped other subscriptions have confided to me in interviews that

one of the few they have retained is Lincoln Center (a membership

theatre) due in part to the unending freedom of this plan.

One of the simplest increasingly popular “new” plans offered is the

Pay Now Book Later option favored by the Manhattan Class Company

(MCC) and Primary Stages. In Pay Now Book Later, subscribers order their

full subscription (and pay for it) at the start of the season. However, they

are not locked into a schedule. A few weeks before tickets go on sale to

the general public, subscribers get a phone call (or email or direct mail)

letting them know that it’s time to book their tickets. They are then able to

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call the box office at any time to request seats. While this plan does not

allow the subscriber to sit in the same seats for every show, and it could

potentially shut them out of a popular performance if they don’t book in

time, it does allow the busy individual to purchase a subscription without

fear of a scheduling problem. Additionally the Pay Now Book Later plan

gets all the money to the theatre upfront and more or less guarantees the

audience for all shows (since they’ve already paid for them all).

For larger cities with a wide selection in theatrical organizations I

propose the Theatre Lover Pass as a way for two theatres to work together

to introduce interested theatregoers to their work. For instance, a classical

theatre and a theatre focused on new work could market Theatre Lover

Old and New. A mid-size theatre and a fringe theatre could work together

to offer Theatre Lover Uptown Downtown, and so on. Using the Three Play

Series at each theatre, such a pass would enable a subscriber to

purchase a six show season. By limiting the offering to two theatres (as

opposed to asking patrons to pick two theatres from ten or eleven) the

choice is less overwhelming for the purchaser and the accounting is

simpler for the theatres.

While many groups have tried multiple venue flex passes in the past,

very few such programs have actually worked. In fact, many such plans

have not even made it off the drawing board. Examples include attempts

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by Lincoln Center (including ballet, opera and theatre), the city of

Chicago, the ANTIC theaters of New York City and more. Anecdotally, the

most commonly given reason for the failure of these plans is accounting.

A patron pays one price for the pass but then uses it at three or four

organizations each with different ticket prices. Perhaps they do not ever

visit two of the organizations offered, perhaps they visit one organization

four times. In the end, deciding what percentage of the proceeds each

organization receives is an un-navigable web of accounting. In the

simpler Theatre Lover pass offered here, two theaters decide in advance

how many tickets the subscriber gets to each organization, how many

performances are included, which productions are included, and how to

split the profits; thus simplifying the accounting.

There are a few arts organizations that have especially interesting

programs which are worthy of note. These include Critic Credit at the

Pasadena Playhouse, Repeat Offenders at the Sledgehammer Theatre in

San Diego, and Sound Check at the St. Louis Orchestra.

Critic Credit is the creation of Joseph Yoshitomi, the Customer

Experience Manager at the Pasadena Playhouse. This ingenious program

encourages subscribers to try out the theatre by offering them the

equivalent of a money back guarantee without actually giving the

money back. Should a patron not enjoy a performance, he or she can go

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to the box office at intermission and request a “credit” in the form of

tickets to another show in the season. This extra ticket can be used at any

production during the season. Although initially concerned about abuse

by the audience, Yoshitomi reports that very few subscribers have actually

requested the “credit” while many have commented on the guarantee

as something that encourages them to re-subscribe.

Repeat Offenders, at the Sledgehammer Theatre, is a program that

encourages subscribers to introduce friends to the theatre. Repeat

Offenders are subscribers to a package that allows them to come to a

show as many times as they want. Along with their tickets, Repeat

Offenders get two “First Offender” passes which allow them to bring

friends to the shows for free. After the First Offender passes are used up,

the subscriber still comes as many times as they would like for free, but

friends have to pay. This forward thinking program encourages potential

subscribers to come through the door to “try out” the theatre.

The strength of this program is not that it lures lapsed subscribers

back or new subscribers in. In fact, out of 204 randomly surveyed

theatregoers only five listed the possibility of seeing shows multiple times as

an enticement to subscribe5. The advantage is that this program

encourages singles (a hard to capture market due to the uncomfortable

5 This option scored least appealing to all survey segments. For details, see Subscriber Survey results in Appendix

II.

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social situation of attending theatre alone) to subscribe by introducing the

possibility of bringing a last minute date for free. And, more importantly,

this program has the potential to establish relationships with unlimited

numbers of potential new subscribers brought to the theatre for the first

time as First Offenders.

Sound Check at the St. Louis Orchestra is not a subscription per se,

but a program that develops tomorrow’s subscriber. Sound Check, allows

students aged 17-30 to purchase two student tickets in advance pulled

from the best seats available6. When it comes to younger patrons the

theatre, as an industry, seems to be doing everything in its power to

ensure that they will not develop the habit of subscribing. In general,

theatre professionals talk a good game about arts in education and do a

decent job of bringing students to special matinees. There are any

number of programs out there which capitalize on the theory that people

who frequently attend the arts as children are more likely to attend the

arts as adults. But there are not many analogous programs to develop

subscription habits in young adults. In fact, we do the opposite of

encouraging subscriptions. Look for a moment at the typical student

ticket policy. Often called “student rush,” these cheap tickets are

available only on the day of the show and if purchased at the box office.

6 Miller, Sarah Bryan. (2004, Sept. 26). “In Search of Audiences.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri). Section:

Newswatch, page B01.

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To this student, theatres are saying, in effect, “don’t plan in advance”

whereas the St. Louis Symphony’s novel program does two things: one, it

encourages this younger generation to plan in advance and two, it

promotes the idea of theatre as a social event by allowing students to

bring a friend. Although not formally a subscription plan, it is certainly

worth exploration by any theatre company interested in long range

strategic planning.

The final subscription plan covered in this analysis is actually not a

new one. It’s straight from the pages of Subscribe Now!, that tome that

subscription managers just cannot escape. In it Mr. Newman suggests that

subsidized subscriptions be offered to kids, seniors, students, low income

individuals, etc. with corporations paying the bill7. In an Editorial in

American Theatre, Ben Cameron argues:

Orchestras regularly fight for endowments and talk about

how “every citizen . . . deserves to hear the great symphonic
works” . . . However, few of us stood and said, ‘we believe
every citizen, every child, deserves to see Shakespeare and
the great theatrical works performed by a live theatre
company.”8

Fighting for an endowment is the subject of another paper, but fighting to

get everyone in the door is the stump speech that should be given to

corporations interested in having an impact on their communities. How

7 Newman, Danny. Subscribe Now. Page 214.

8 Cameron, Ben. (1999, July/August). “Numbers and Consequences.” American Theatre. Page 4.

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noble to offer the Merrill Lynch Elders Theatre Subscription Series. Even on

a local level the benefits are many. What if instead of sponsoring that little

league team a company introduced the Joe’s Pizzeria 9th Grade

Subscriptions Series? The theatre would be happy to put Joe’s logo on the

fliers that go home to Mom and Dad and they could even offer special

Tee-shirts with the theatre’s logo on one side and the pizzeria’s on the

other, or notebooks (for use as a “theater log” for this student audience).

All of these logo driven benefits to the local corporation serve to inform

the public (and more specifically, mom and dad) that Joe is giving back.

This is a great marketing opportunity for Joe to rally the community around

his pizzeria. Why not support the local business that sends your kids to

theatre?

Most subscription sales are made on the basis of a pair of tickets. It

would be much more cost effective for a campaign to sell subscriptions in

15-20 ticket blocks. With corporations purchasing blocks of subscriptions

everyone wins. The theatre has a guaranteed audience (and if it’s

students they’re simultaneously building future subscribers) and its money

up front; the subsidizing corporation is promoting itself having a positive

impact on the community; and a whole group individuals who would

never otherwise have the opportunity to subscribe, now can.

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Adding Value

There is more competition today than ever before for every hour of

leisure time. And there are two basic approaches to scheduling activities

for those limited hours: one can plan ahead and sign up for a host of

events including theatre, music, or dance subscriptions, book clubs or

classes, and season tickets to one’s favorite sports teams, thus ensuring

participation; or one can choose spontaneity and instead make decisions

closer to the actual date of each event, leaving open the possibility of

staying in. Essentially, our target subscriber chooses at the beginning of

each season how involved he/she will be.

A successful subscription campaign depends on convincing

individuals that planning ahead is essential. This can be done by adding

significant value to the subscription plan. “Adding value” is a common

buzz term when discussing the marketing of the season ticket. The value

previously ascribed to a subscription is no longer as high as it once was.

The ease of purchasing tickets all at once without going to the box office

is no longer a precious commodity. Additionally, the value of the

subscriber discount has been significantly undercut by the abundance of

discounts widely available to theatrical events. So now, theatres must

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identify and promote those other values that will persuade target

individuals to sign on the dotted line. This must be done by increasing

those things that make an individual feel important while decreasing the

dependence on those things to which an individual must commit. This

section will explore ways for theatres to add value through group

subscriptions, childcare, corporate subscriptions and access to artists.

In talking to lapsed subscribers one quickly discovers an interesting

trend. While they drop subscriptions for a host of reasons including

production quality, comfort and location of the theatre, scheduling

conflicts, family health and so on, there are two subscriptions that patrons

rarely drop: the one to the theatre that is consistently sold out (where the

patron must subscribe to see the show) and the subscription the patron

purchases with a group of friends.

One subscriber explained that he has dropped every single

subscription he had (including The Roundabout Theatre, City Opera and

the Metropolitan Opera) except one. He and his wife subscribe with five

other couples to the New York Philharmonic. After 20 years of history with

this organization he has no thoughts of dropping his subscription (even

though, another subscriber from the same group added, many of the

group dislike several concerts each year) – it’s just too much fun to get

together as a group of twelve for dinner and a concert.

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Think for a moment about the financial impact of this purchase. For

the price of one renewal (say $1-$2) the sales representative who takes his

yearly order makes twelve sales. In 2004-2005 at the New York

Philharmonic that equals $6,120 in a single sale for his weeknight series.

The economics of group subscriptions are astounding for theatres and the

social ramifications are a dynamic motivator for subscribers.

This subscriber who orchestrates the group subscription is an

“initiator.” Initiators are those individuals who not only participate in book

groups but also host them, those who organize friends to take a

continuing education class together, those who host dinner parties, and

those who have the phone number of everyone with whom they’ve ever

come into contact. These are the people who will orchestrate group

subscriptions. These are the people theatres must find and recruit. The

Long Wharf Theatre has begun a new outreach program to identify

initiators and while the program is currently in its infancy, its success or

failure will be important to watch in the coming years.

Initiators are not the only group to which to reach out. Often,

subscribers are lost when they have young children at home. But what if

there was a way to retain those subscribers who have begun a

relationship with the theatre before the kids? Is there a way to entice

those young parents to subscribe instead of renting a movie? Is there a

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way to encourage these individuals to introduce their children to theatre

through the organization? There is.

Childcare ranks high on the list of common personal barriers to

theatre-going9. Businesses around the country are finding creative ways

to bring mother and child into their folds and theatres should do the same.

Shopping malls are offering babysitting services with beepers for the

parents who are then free to shop until their child needs changing. At that

point they are paged and can quickly return to the child. Movie theatres

are offering daytime screenings for mothers who are free to breastfeed

and diaper change mid-movie in an environment forgiving of the

occasional wail. Gyms are offering workout classes that incorporate

children. But theatres are saying, “Come back when she’s ten.”

By offering childcare at matinees and early curtain evening

performances, theatres could entice this crowd back into regular

attendance through subscriptions. One subscription plan that I propose

might appeal to any number of parents in that mid-30s crowd is a

Saturday (or Sunday) Matinee Childproof Series. Parents at this series can

arrive anytime after 12:30 pm for puppet making with older children and

“scene painting” with younger ones (a.k.a. finger painting). At 1:45, after

juice and cookies, Mom and Dad head for the theatre while their children

9McCarthy, Kevin F. and Kimberly Jinnett. (2001) A New Framework for Building Participation in the Arts. Santa
Monica: Rand. Page 90.

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participate in the puppet show (with their puppets of course). At the

special 20 minute intermission, parents are free to check on their kids,

change diapers, breast feed, whatever is needed. After the second act,

parents collect their children and head home. Such a program meets

numerous needs. First, it introduces parents with a common interest in

theatre to one another. Because these parents are on a series they will

see each other at every production and can develop relationships that

hold the organization at the core. Second, it offers parents a unique

service. By enrolling in this program they are simultaneously enrolling their

child in an arts enrichment program and enrolling themselves in a much

needed break. Third, with the family firmly in the theatre’s grasp a

relationship has begun that may continue in children’s acting classes,

teenager subscription plans, the donor base, etc. A threefold victory is

had. The theatre is creating a bond, filling a need, and making some

money all at the same time.

Another commonly voiced prospective subscriber complaint is that

in today’s world it is difficult to plan in advance. In most theatre

subscription plans patrons are asked to commit to a maximum of five

events per year. That’s not a whole lot. Season tickets to a basketball

season on the other hand, require patrons to commit to 20 events and for

a baseball season a whopping 70-80 events! How do those organizations

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sell such huge packages? Often they do it by convincing corporations to

buy season tickets to give to clients and employees as perks and

incentives.

For corporations this is appealing in multiple ways. For a salesman,

keeping one ticket and giving one to a client allows a few hours of face

time to make a sale. The client is relaxed with a beer and pretzel and the

salesman gets to slowly make the deal. For an employer, giving a ticket as

a perk to an employee makes a great reward for business well done. In a

sales driven environment tickets may go to the employee who sells the

most in a given week or month. All of these uses can be fulfilled by theatre

tickets as well.

The wine and cheese series is an opportunity for a salesman to

impress his client with panache. If wine and cheese starts at 7pm, our

businessperson has a whole hour of uninterrupted face time with the client

before the show. At intermission they have more time together in the

subscriber lounge (complete with more liquor and snacks) and after the

show they are free to talk details in the bar across the street.

As for the employee reward or incentive - what a gift theatre tickets

would make! While the employee could buy cheap seats to a baseball or

basketball game, he could not do the same to a show– theatre is a

special event. Theatre represents a night on the town. Corporations could

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buy a few subscriptions (a financial drop in the bucket compared to cost

for season tickets to a sports team) to give out as a reward. The rewarded

employee then takes a spouse/child/friend to an elegant evening at the

theatre. Complete, again, with special service in the VIP subscriber

lounge.

One thing that can easily be offered to all subscribers as an added

value is a pre-show meet the artists program in a private setting (like our

subscriber lounge). Rather than the giant post-show discussion (available

to all audience members) in which the artists are visibly separated from

the audience, these pre-show conversations would be an informal

discussion of what the patron will see. While the actors would, of course,

not be available, directors, writers, and designers might be, and

subscribers would likely love to meet the Artistic Director. Instead of asking

patrons to stay after the show, late at night, when they probably have

work the next morning, ask them to come a little early. Give them a drink

and some snacks (maybe even sandwiches for a light dinner) and sit

around to talk one on one about how the show was created, what the

artist’s favorite moments are, what the salient images were that the

designer worked with and so on. Perhaps one might even share the

bloopers and inside jokes. What went wrong, who broke a toe learning

what dance step that they’re about to see, what moment did the

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playwright change because his/her original idea just didn’t work? By

adding this value to one series per show we are adding a social value

(subscribers will find themselves in a discussion with the same audience

members at each production) and we are adding a personal relationship

to the art. The real value here is that when the curtain rises, the subscriber

will know more than the non-subscriber sitting in the next seat. The

subscriber has become an insider.

One of the most inspired members only service is the Walk on the

Wild Side winter walking program at The American Museum of Natural

History in New York. Offered only to certain members, this program is an

enticing reason for anyone who likes to walk to join and donate. Because

speed walking, a popular form of exercise, is often impossible to do

outside during the New York winter, many New Yorkers resign themselves

to the gym. But not these members of the AMNH. They participate in a

group led speed walk through different areas of the museum each week.

Instead of staring at the wall in front of the treadmill, these members

power past dinosaurs and enormous replicas of the planet earth while

listening to mini-lectures by volunteers. This work out, and the light

breakfast that follows, even has a social aspect, as members have time to

chat and get to know one another. Certainly, such a program is not

possible at the average theatre company (what a theater building that

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would be!), but subscription managers should look to it for inspiration not

imitation. There are things that each company can offer that others can’t.

An upstate New York company could offer a class in Adirondack furniture

building in their scene shop. A Pennsylvania company could offer

Pennsylvania Dutch quilting classes in their costume shop. The ideas are

only as limited as the imaginations of a theatre’s staff.

Technology and Subscriptions

Theatres have allowed technology to surpass their ticket purchasing

systems. It is no longer good enough to offer direct mail sales. Consumers

expect more options. Companies must employ telemarketing (to create

sales) and online purchasing (to make paying for subscriptions for simpler)

as well.

But, alas, most are woefully unprepared to do this. While almost all

theatres offer a box office for phone sales and many offer faxable order

forms, astonishingly few companies offer the ability to subscribe online. Still

fewer offer simple online sales systems and even fewer offer “high

impact10” systems. One- hundred forty-three TCG theatres that offer

subscriptions were surveyed. Only 37% offered online ordering at all, and

only a disappointing 7% offered high impact ordering.

10High Impact refers to homepages that offer a large and obvious link reading, “Subscribe Now!” or “Subscribe
Today!” or something similar.

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Now that consumers are familiar with online purchasing, theatres

must have appealing and easy to use websites. It is no longer sufficient to

have a site with small print, numerous pages to click through, or trails that

lead, in the end, to a faxable form.

The majority of surveyed theatres that did offer online sales had

highly complicated systems. With most of these systems, the website visitor

first had to spend time to locate the subscriptions page on the website.

Much of the time this involved clicking through four to six pages including

Box Office, Ticket Sales, Season Tickets, Purchase, etc! Some of these sites

were so disorganized that after minutes of reading it was still

overwhelming to determine which subscription plan and which

productions to purchase. The print on one Ohio theatre’s website was so

small it was almost unreadable and after completing quite a few steps the

website was unable to process orders. On one Delaware company’s

website it was easier to listen to show tunes than purchase a subscription

and on a large Colorado theatre’s website the options included a list of

every single performance of every single production of the entire season!

Kudos to them for even offering the subscriptions online, but there is a lot

farther for the majority of web enabled companies to go. Once a theatre

has taken the technological steps to getting online ordering up and

running, they can certainly manage the programming and design

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Theatre Subscriptions in a Changing World

involved in getting a bold hyperlink on the homepage! This obvious link

should bring subscribers to a secondary page on which they chose their

package and enter a credit card. The whole process should take the

patron only a minute.

Moving forward, it is also imperative for theatres to diligently collect

email addresses. To encourage subscribers to give up this highly guarded

information it is necessary to allow them to dictate how their information

may be used: May announcements be sent about shows or would they

prefer to receive only renewals and critical notices from a webmaster? If

a subscriber expects spam he/she will not give an email address. But if

addresses can be collected, theatres have in their hands the absolutely

most economical way to renew a subscriber.

The website is most valuable where renewals come into play. Email

reminders with hyperlinks should be sent to subscribers at renewal time.

Clicking on the hyperlink would immediately take the subscriber to a

renewal page which, upon signing in, asks if they would like to charge the

renewal to the same credit card as last year (kept on file). In seconds of

the subscriber’s time and for pennies of the theatre’s budget, the renewal

is complete. Without all that much more work than a little computer

programming, theatre companies can make renewing much easier.

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Now to that pariah of the subscription marketing world:

telemarketing. As a consumer I hate telemarketers. Before they can get

out much more than their name, I’ve already replied, “thank you, I’m not

interested; please take me off your list.” But although I’m amazed that

anyone ever talks to a telemarketer, there is a whole population that

does. Telemarketing works.

Since telemarketing companies work mainly on commission, there is

just no reason on earth to drop telemarketing. The company that has a list

of patrons who have already seen a show at their theatre and chooses

not to call to offer their fabulously exciting subscription package, and

then complains, is like the citizen who chooses not to vote and then

complains about the outcome of the election. Telemarketing works.

Period.

Tackling the New Acquisition

“The most skilled salesman cannot always make the sale on

his first call; why expect a brochure to do it?”11
-Danny Newman

Let’s look for a moment to a success story – the New York Theatre

Workshop. In the last three seasons (2002, 2003, 2004) their membership

has actually grown in numbers. There was no obvious event in the last

11 Newman, Danny. Subscribe Now! Page 178.

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three years to cause this growth. They did not have a sudden commercial

mega-hit (as they did with Rent in 1996); they didn’t have an influx of

movie-stars on stage; they were not suddenly discovered by the New York

Times; they didn’t have a new building, etc. The only identifiable change

was the method of selling subscriptions. In addition to their already

successful telemarketing campaign, the New York Theatre Workshop

added a direct mail piece and an email campaign. By tripling the

number of communication channels they were able to increase their

member (subscriber) numbers at the very same time that subscription

rates around the country were dropping. Based on the fact that the

broadened marketing methods came at a time when there were no

major simultaneous artistic shifts or other institutional changes, one can

ascertain that this modification was the primary factor.

Simply put, most theatres are not persistent enough. They do not hit

the potential subscriber enough times and through enough channels,

using all the resources at their command. All too often the season

brochure is the only approach or, at most, the brochure plus a phone call.

If one is serious about dramatically boosting subscription numbers,

creativity and persistence are necessary. Campaigns must include not

only the brochure, the follow up letter, and the telemarketing campaign,

but also the radio and local TV spot, the cocktail party, the subscription

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ambassador, the artistic director’s pre-show appeal, the email campaign,

the cross promotional web spot and more.

Many theatre companies are offering their subscription campaigns

earlier and earlier in an attempt to boost sales. This is problematic for two

reasons. First, it is shortsighted. If each year a theatre company offers its

subscription for sale one month earlier, eventually that company would

be selling subscriptions an entire season ahead of time. Moreover, it calls

attention to the issue that subscribers are paying too far in advance. To

pay for a September-starting season in May is one thing. To pay in January

is quite another. The longer in advance that patrons are asked to

purchase, the more likely that they will consider all the possible conflicts

that have yet to arrive. For an audience of busy people, with last minute

plans, this could backfire by prompting the decision to buy later than they

otherwise would have.

In subscription marketing, the focus is on developing a relationship

rather than pushing any one show. The subscription manager develops

loyalty so that even when a subscriber doesn’t like one show out of the

season they continue to attend and purchase next year’s subscription.

The goal is commitment. Not to a show, but to an organization. This loyalty

and commitment is fostered by encouraging a real relationship. Expenses

such as subscriber newsletters more than pay for themselves by forging a

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bond. Subscribers become insiders when they are given information to

which the rest of the public is not privy. While the expense of newsletters,

email updates, and abbreviated study guides may not directly earn

income for the theatre, they have an indirect income effect from the

relationship that is established. These items should be thought of as

renewal appeals.

While there must be an increase in the number of channels through

which new subscribers are contacted theatres should not discredit the

impact of brochures. The traditional subscription brochure still sells more

subscriptions for more theatres than any other method. Brochures should

be everywhere – in the lobby, in the offices, stuffed into newspapers, left

in the lobbies of local businesses, dropped off at PTA events, added to the

welcome packets of new recruits at local business and students at local

colleges. The mailing list is only the beginning.

The very first priority of a brochure is to get the recipient to open it.

This is why pictures of celebrities go on the outside, not the inside. Names

of important people, discount offers, etc. must be easily readable and

visible to entice the recipient to open and read.

Victoria Bailey, Executive Director of The Theatre Development Fund

(TDF) advocates handing brochure proofs to individuals and watching as

they open them. If as the reader opens the brochure he/she has to flip it,

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rotate it, or change its position, the brochure fails. It should open and read

without manipulation. Simplicity is the key.

Once the brochure has been opened the first hurdle may have

been cleared, but the race has only just begun. Is it easy to read or will it

end up in a wastebasket because it is simply overwhelming for the

addressee? All too often brochures are wordy, complicated, and in small

print. Anyone interested in studying a highly effective and yet inexpensive

brochure should consider the 2003-2004 Roundabout Renewal Piece (see

appendix III). This brochure encapsulates 18 different series into a clear

and readable brochure.

In addition to brochures there are many more avenues to explore

such as the local radio or TV spot. All radio and TV stations are required to

dedicate airtime to public service announcements (PSAs). While In the last

20 years the frequency of public service announcements has decreased,

the FCC still requires all stations to spend time on public service

announcements12. Any not-for-profit looking for airtime can check a

stations’ public files to see how many hours of airtime are allocated to

which types of announcements and petition local stations for that

coveted airtime.

12According to the FCC Customer Service Center a 1981 FCC ruling changed the regulation from a set number
of minimum hours to more general language that allows each station to “evaluate the needs of their own
markets” in determining how much time to spend on Public Service Announcements. But all stations are
required to dedicate airtime to PSAs and to keep public records of those spots.

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If free Public Service Announcements are not readily available, an

industrious marketing department might orchestrate ticket trades for

airtime. A station manager would receive a certain number of

subscriptions for use by him/her, by clients, or as employee incentives, in

exchange for airtime ads for the theatre and its subscription series.

“Subscribe now to Theatre X and see five great shows for only $100 dollars.

This season, Theatre X brings you Shows A, B, and C with local celebrities

Sue and Joe. Visit www.theatrex.org to subscribe today!” Interviews, on air

songs from a theatre’s latest musical and more could all be part of the

trade.

Another new acquisitions tactic is the one on one time provided at

personal events: barbecues, cocktail parties, or luncheons. Orchestrated

by board members, these events gather high potential patrons (friends of

board members) in a small environment with the artistic director or artists

from the theatre. For example: Board Member A hosts a weekend

barbecue for his/her friends. All invitees are encouraged to bring friends,

relatives, neighbors etc. The barbecue includes a performance by a

singer or group of actors, decorations provided by the production

department, and one on one schmooze time with artists and staff

members. Sometime after the performance and before people leave, the

board member calls everyone’s attention and makes a pitch for

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subscribing to this great organization of which they are a part. Brochures

are handed out and a computer is available to order right then and there

in the backyard. Wireless internet and notebook computers do amazing

things.

What does an event like this accomplish? This is a relationship sale. It

says, see how much fun Theatre X is, see how great the performers are,

see that this theatre is a part of your community. And it increases the

pressure to buy right then. Daytime barbecues, evening cocktail parties

and afternoon luncheons for board members’ friends are all great

environments to introduce, seduce, and sell.

Subscription managers need to think like time-share salespeople

who offer an incentive too good to pass up just to allow themselves the

time to pitch. Does the board include younger members? Can they host

softball games, salsa or swing dancing parties, dinner parties, etc? All of

these events are ripe for the picking. They are not fundraisers, they are

friendraisers. And they all end with an aggressive sales pitch and onsite

ordering capabilities.

In an earlier chapter initiators were discussed, those individuals who

will organize a group subscription. Related to these initiators are the

groups in which they already participate. Theatres should hand out

brochures, bookmarks, mugs, postcards (all with subscription information

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printed on them) at book clubs, museum groups, art-discussion groups

and more. These assemblages of individuals who go out and do things

(especially arts related things) are perfect targets for the subscription

campaign. Entice them to subscribe.

Companies do this by, again, developing a relationship over time.

An individual or group who has never experienced an organization is

unlikely to sign on for a five play season. To these groups (and others)

theatres should offer deep discounts (50% off or even complimentary

tickets when they are available) to come as a group. For their second

encounter offer them a block of great seats or the chance to talk to the

artistic director privately before the show. For the third encounter they

purchase at the regular or group rate. By then they’re hooked. Now they

can be converted into subscribers. Once they know and like the

organization an aggressive sales pitch can follow. Maybe next year they’ll

even host one of those barbecues for their friends!

Tackling the Renewal

The process of a renewal is different from that of an acquisition and

should be easier and more cost effective. After a season worth of great

theatre, regular communication, and special subscriber opportunities, our

patron should be eager to renew. How to get them back? With a few

simple steps.

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Theatre Subscriptions in a Changing World

Step number one: The Subscription Ambassador. This is an individual

standing near the door to the theatre at renewal time wearing a big smile

and possibly a shirt or hat that says, “Subscription Ambassador”. This tactic

is modeled in part by the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) where a

subscription table is strategically located past which members must walk

in order to enter the theatre. Staffed by smiling individuals, happy to talk

about the benefits of subscribing, this is the perfect place to encourage

subscribers to re-up. As they walk in the door, they could be asked if they

would like to renew and the ambassador could charge their credit card

right then and there. The advantages to the subscription ambassador are

that (assuming this person is a salaried staff member) it is a way to renew

subscribers without spending additional funds and the ambassador puts a

face on the subscriber relationship.

At Pittsburgh’s City Theatre, at renewal time, subscribers find a

renewal form on their seat. While this is still a cheap renewal strategy, it

leaves the incentive with the subscriber to fill out the form and mail it

back. It is not as persuasive or as personal as the smiling ambassador and

is likely to be less effective.

Step number two –Email. Again, start cheap. To any subscriber who

did not renew with the ambassador, send an email. Please see

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Technology and Subscriptions for details on this hyperlinked reminder

email.

Step number three – The First Letter. Now it’s getting serious, the

theatre is making an investment. Money is being spent. A letter and

brochure gently reminds subscribers that the time is now.

Step number four – The Second Letter. This is the one which informs

them that if they don’t renew by a set date, they will lose their seats and

other benefits. The consequence of this is that they won’t be assured their

same seats, they won’t be guaranteed their same series, and they might

even have to purchase at the new subscription price!

Step number five – the Phone Call. Maybe they missed the last

show, the email went into the spam folder and they accidentally put the

mailer in the trash. Just in case, a call is placed to find out if they would

like to renew and if not, why. This important information allows subscription

managers to make adjustments to meet the changing needs of their

subscribers. This telemarketing call is the last step in the renewal process

because some of the sale will go as a commission to the telemarketers. If it

is possible to renew the subscriber without giving up any of the

subscription income, clearly that is the first choice. But if the subscriber

cannot be renewed by other means, a telemarketing call is in order.

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Audience Abuse!

Subscription, marketing, and box office departments spend far too

much time luring subscribers into theatres to lose them because of poor

customer service. Forget not the story of the woman who, after her sick

daughter was cared for by the box office staff, became a subscriber. But

while extreme cases like this may cause a few individuals to subscribe, it is

in renewals where the effects of customer service can most clearly be

seen. And it is the recent drop in renewal numbers that has most of

America’s regional theatres worried. Subscriber retention rates are the key

to maintaining audience size and health at a low cost to organizations.

When the box office staff finds common complaints they must act

on them. In an interview, one theatre company reported to me that two

of the three most common subscriber complaints were ticketing

duplicates and tickets being mailed too late. This high level company

representative concluded that these complaints were, “out of our hands”

because the company outsourced their ticketing services. Many

companies outsource ticket sales, but if the top two complaints have to

do with the ticketing agency (who is paid for their services) clearly the

problem must be addressed either by fixing the current system or finding a

new ticketing agency! To dismiss complaints such as these is nothing short

of audience neglect, if not abuse.

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Theatre Subscriptions in a Changing World

Amy Kaissar is the Co-Producing Director of the Epiphany Theater Company

www.epiphanytheater.org in New York City, a company dedicated to
providing a supportive and professional artistic home for early career
theater artists. "Theater Subscriptions in a Changing World" was written as a
thesis for the Columbia University School of the Arts, Theater Management
Program, under the advisement of Ben Cameron of TCG and Steven
Chaikelson of Columbia. For more information please contact
amy@epiphanytheater.org.

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