Arts groups use survey as guide to help fill the seats

By Marc Shulgold, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published May 12, 2008 at 11 p.m.

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A few dozen representatives of local performing-arts organizations gathered Monday afternoon at the Denver Art Museum to learn the good news and the bad news emerging from a city-sponsored survey on audience attendance habits.

Erin Trapp, director of the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs, which compiled the survey, displayed graphs that measured arts participation of three segments of Denver's population - Anglos, blacks and Hispanics.

The purpose, she told the gathering, was "to get performance groups to help understand their audiences."

About one-half of the 814 sampled residents were either black or Hispanic - the oversampling focused on traditionally underserved performing arts audiences, Trapp said.

One thing was clear from the results of the survey: High ticket prices proved to be a major deterrent to attending performances for 75 percent of respondents.

No surprise there, Trapp said.

However, some other numbers were jolting, particularly for leaders of dance troupes, who learned from the survey that only 11 percent had attended a dance performance in the past year.

But some statistics were encouraging, Trapp pointed out: 80 percent showed interest in live performances, with 75 percent stating they would attend if they had a companion.

But the number that drew the most discussion was the 82 percent figure representing those who said they would utilize a last-minute, half-price ticket service.

Opinions about this concept were divided starkly during a post-presentation discussion.

James Wallace, director of the David Taylor Dance Theatre, noted that his troupe only performs for a single weekend, so there'd be no time to advertise a last-minute discount.

Kathy Brantigan of the Denver Brass worried about losing many of the group's regulars, since a large percentage purchase tickets the week of a show.

Others wondered if the promise of a deep discount would discourage early, full-price purchases.

Some in attendance recalled the now-defunct Ticket Bus that was once parked on the 16th Street Mall, offering cheap seats.

Might it be time to resurrect that concept?

Others mentioned TKTS discount booths in New York, which sell discount tickets to Broadway shows.

All agreed that Trapp's suggestion of a discount service, administered by the city as an online and/or downtown site, was worth investigating.

The next step will be to learn the nuts and bolts of similar programs in other cities, such as Philadelphia, and then resume the discussion with local arts groups, Trapp said.

None of the organizations attending Monday's meeting has a discount program in place. Yet most agreed that offering cheaper tickets, under the right conditions, would be a good way to build new audiences.

Marc Shulgold is the music and dance writer. Shulgoldm@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5296

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