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Post by Rory on Apr 3, 2019 9:26:10 GMT
Apologies if a thread exists already but @theatremonkey has written a really interesting piece on the dearth of theatre coverage in the printed press.
Anorak that I am, I used to love looking at the full daily theatre listings in the papers but now they are gone. The only existing Official London Theatre list appears in the Culture section of the Sunday Times (but not in the Northern Ireland edition).
My parents in their 70s were heading to London recently and were keen to book something but they hadn't a clue where to find out what was on (average interest in theatre and not natural web browsers!). There is a whole demographic who have no ready access to theatre news which surely can't be a good thing?
I've also noticed fewer and fewer colour ads for West End shows in the National press. Sonia Friedman doesn't seem to advertise her shows now in the press (no ads I've seen for All about Eve, Fiddler etc).
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2019 9:34:11 GMT
Print media is dying and theatre is a niche interest, whether we want to admit it or not. Also I don't think the lack of theatre coverage in print media is a problem for the younger generations who aren't going to the theatre, seeing as their au fait-ness with online media is at least part of why print media is dying...
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Post by Rory on Apr 3, 2019 9:37:14 GMT
I totally agree with you @theatremonkey.
If you're obsessed like we are, fine, you know where to go, but the average Joe Soap doesn't really know where to find the info readily. It's shortsighted of the industry in my view to shun print media to the extent that it has.
And, given theatre is a relatively niche interest, do younger generations automatically know where to go online for theatre news or listings if they have no particular interest in theatre and just want to "see something"?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2019 9:44:28 GMT
Print media is dying and theatre is a niche interest, whether we want to admit it or not. Also I don't think the lack of theatre coverage in print media is a problem for the younger generations who aren't going to the theatre, seeing as their au fait-ness with online media is at least part of why print media is dying... True but the younger audiences are also strapped for cash. Those with the disposable income and disposable time (the retired) are the ones still reading printed press and as such not subject to the ads and press releases of time gone. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2019 9:45:47 GMT
theatre is a niche interest Yes, but more theatre tickets than league football tickets are sold each week - yet league football gets at least 6 pages at the back of every newspaper every single day. Also, the Evening Standard and even Metro used to be full of theatre bits - they are all gone, all gone now. That means a breakdown, probably down to the cost of journalists, but even so... And if we can't make young people aware of theatre by every single means, there is no audience tomorrow. That is an interesting point. If so, where's the money going? Because it's not going back into printed press coverage, obviously. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2019 9:47:55 GMT
I honestly think bringing younger audience members (or, rather, younger people who aren't audience members) into this conversation is a very odd sort of stance. Yeah, maybe the newspapers should be stretching their currently-incredibly-fine resources further in the direction of theatre, but "young people not going to the theatre so much" and "print newspapers not covering theatre beyond one or two big stories" are two completely different conversations and I'm not sure they belong together like this.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2019 9:51:31 GMT
I mean do correct me if I’m wrong but are the Yoof regular readers of newspapers in their printed form? I’d wager no...
Also the Daily Fail for its many faults has EXTENSIVE coverage of theatre in both weekend supplements. Not that I’d suggest buying it for that. As does the Times and the Guardian.
The money is either non existent or going into paying digital content creators, because that’s where we’re heading. For some older people yes it’s an issue. But my Mum is 75 and easily, happily navigates the Internet via a smartphone (which FYI Monkey would have solved your issue as Would walking to somewhere with free WiFi?!) and is often quicker off the mark than I am with news!
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Post by kathryn on Apr 3, 2019 9:53:53 GMT
Young people do not read print newspapers. The danger is not to new young audiences - it's to new older audience members, those who would be taking up theatregoing as a hobby in their retirement. My mum being a prime example of someone who has developed a theatre habit (primarily through me, admittedly) in her 60s.
Though they do see theatre news on the daytime telly, sometimes, and ask me about productions I haven't heard of precisely because I don't watch daytime TV!
Mum is a Smartphone/Facebook user - social advertising on FB would probably be a good replacement for print advertising in the press.
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Post by learfan on Apr 3, 2019 11:45:08 GMT
Apologies if a thread exists already but @theatremonkey has written a really interesting piece on the dearth of theatre coverage in the printed press. Anorak that I am, I used to love looking at the full daily theatre listings in the papers but now they are gone. The only existing Official London Theatre list appears in the Culture section of the Sunday Times (but not in the Northern Ireland edition). My parents in their 70s were heading to London recently and were keen to book something but they hadn't a clue where to find out what was on (average interest in theatre and not natural web browsers!). There is a whole demographic who have no ready access to theatre news which surely can't be a good thing? I've also noticed fewer and fewer colour ads for West End shows in the National press. Sonia Friedman doesn't seem to advertise her shows now in the press (no ads I've seen for All about Eve, Fiddler etc). There havent been proper listings in the National press for years. The Fail has a spread on a Friday plus as you say the ST. People will go on the web. The SOLT site is always a good start for the non geeks. The Times Saturday review has ads. |
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Post by shady23 on Apr 3, 2019 16:11:59 GMT
The Metro paper does have reviews of productions, but they tend to swerve towards the ones with a "name" attached, or the most random of plays that I have never heard of.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2019 18:29:47 GMT
Also I notice on reading you mention 'outside London' do you mean 'people outside London knowing what's on in London' or 'theatre outside London in print media' because those are very different things.
Firstly try getting ANY major outlet to cover your show if it's outside zone 2 never mind London. But local press (printed yes) do list almost weekly, and run adverts for local productions, and review everything. Here in Cardiff we also have three free local magazines that are HEAVILY circulated and read, and these all have extensive coverage. Obviously print coverage will vary with locality, but actually once again maybe the regions are better at it...
As for people in the regions knowing what's on in London, well if they're THAT clueless about what's on they'll likely be booking with a coach/travel company who do it for them OR they'll wait until they're in town and ask their hotel/go to Leicester Square etc.
But the more I think about it the more this is assuming huge swathes of the potential theatre-going public don't know how to google...and the average youngster (as the top seemed to be about youngsters) will be internet savvy enough to figure out the 'real' resources.
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Post by Dawnstar on Apr 3, 2019 18:51:02 GMT
As for people in the regions knowing what's on in London This is a bit of tangent but does anyone else who doesn't live in London have the opposite problem, i.e. it's easier to find out what's on in London than in the regions? On a number of occasions I have discovered at the last minute that there's something on in Cambridge that I would be interested in seeing, except I'm already booked in London that day. This is for one-off events, not the week-long runs at the main theatre. Apart from looking at posters in the market square - which I'm rarely in since the company I temp for moved further from the centre of town last year - I don't know of any centralised source for events in Cambridge, whereas there are a number of websites for what's on in London. Do other people have this problem with their local town/city? |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2019 19:08:45 GMT
As for people in the regions knowing what's on in London This is a bit of tangent but does anyone else who doesn't live in London have the opposite problem, i.e. it's easier to find out what's on in London than in the regions? On a number of occasions I have discovered at the last minute that there's something on in Cambridge that I would be interested in seeing, except I'm already booked in London that day. This is for one-off events, not the week-long runs at the main theatre. Apart from looking at posters in the market square - which I'm rarely in since the company I temp for moved further from the centre of town last year - I don't know of any centralised source for events in Cambridge, whereas there are a number of websites for what's on in London. Do other people have this problem with their local town/city? I don't think we have any centralised listings either now that i think of it. And if I'm visiting somewhere, I'd have to know the names of the venues mostly to find the listings, without any 'local' knowledge. Even bigger touristy cities don't seem to have greatly comprehensive events listings. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2019 19:42:01 GMT
musicaltheatrenews.com is my go to site for touring show dates
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Post by Dawnstar on Apr 3, 2019 20:15:50 GMT
musicaltheatrenews.com is my go to site for touring show dates Tours are generally reasonably easy to find details for, in my experience. I was referring more to one-off events that are only happening in a single, regional, location, where I find information tends to be lacking. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2019 20:57:17 GMT
We are lucky in the Midlands to have the free and frankly brilliant What’sOn mags which cover areas such as Staffs,Warwickshire,Shropshire etc etc and can be picked up in theatres.Also the Birmingham Mail’s web-site is very good for live events.Tourist information offices are very useful, but most of all just check individual venues and subscribe to e-mail alerts.As for newspapers,well,I think we are seen as a middle-class niche market in many ways and niche doesn’t generate newspaper sales.On a slight tangent but in regard to how theatre is still a closed-book to so many people despite community out-reach and education,T.I.E, the likes of accessible writers like Godber,Cartwright etc,I did a youth production preceding Matthew Kelly’s Of Mice And Men At Brum Rep many years ago and couldn’t get more than a few of the predominantly working-class parents to come and support their OWN children because ‘theatre isn’t for people like us’... heart-breaking, but a true story.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2019 21:07:52 GMT
Stood at the TKTS queue in Leicester Square so many times and listened to people in the queue who are frankly clueless about many of the shows on offer and even seconds away from the cash desk don’t seem to know what they are wanting to see or not see.Baffling! A bit like going into a restaurant, not understanding the menu and just ordering for the sake of it!
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 3, 2019 21:10:46 GMT
Years ago you read the Evening Standard and I am sure it had a full 2 pages of classified adverts for theatre and cinema and as a kid I seems no remember Run for Your Wife and No Sex, We’re are British and sure I only remember the last one as a kid it sounded saucy!! Today there are only 2 adverts in the bottom left hand corner.
When I leave Baker Street Station I tend to have a Time Out shoved in my face, which I refuse, but this should really be up my street but it just doesn’t appeal, even if it’s free.
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