BROADWAY STYLE THEATER OR
THEATER FOR TOURING BROADWAY AND
THE PERFORMING ARTS – WHAT IS THE
RIGHT SIZE?
| |
|
|
| In the ongoing debate
about new theaters in Salt Lake City, Sandy
and other parts of
Salt
Lake
County
, one argument against a new,
larger theater appears repeatedly. Broadway shows perform in
New
York
in theaters smaller than the Capitol Theatre, therefore we do
not need a bigger theater in
Salt Lake
City
. A simple look at the facts readily disproves
this and shows why
Utah
needs a new and bigger theater. |
|
 |
| |
|
|
THE ARGUMENT AGAINST A
LARGER THEATER
In New York, the biggest Broadway theater is
1800 seats, about the same size as the Capitol Theatre. The average theater in the Broadway theater
district is about 1250 seats. Why would Salt Lake City need a 2400-seat theater for
Broadway shows when Broadway itself thrives in theaters smaller than the
Capitol? The performing arts belong in smaller theaters where the audience is
closer to the actors and the performance experience is better.
FACTS AND REALITIES
If Salt Lake City could run every touring
Broadway show for six months to three years, smaller theaters could make economic
sense. But when most shows play SLC for
one week and blockbusters play 3-12 weeks, financial success isn’t possible
with 1250 seats. Even a theater with 1850
seats like the Capitol is financially unattractive to the producers of shows
such as Lion King. Lion King opened on
Broadway ten years ago and still hasn’t come to Utah because our largest theater has too few
seats.
The financial model for
touring Broadway is quite different from non-profit opera, ballet or locally-produced
theater. Touring Broadway pays sales
tax, does not receive ZAP tax subsidy, does not receive grants from public and
private organizations and pays much higher theater rent. These higher costs mean that each touring
show must sell more seats to cover the costs of operations. While a typical non-profit receives 50-70% of
its revenue from subsidies and grants, almost 100% of revenue for a touring
Broadway show must come from ticket sales. By paying higher rental rates and
taxes, touring Broadway helps subsidize and support non-profit performing arts
organizations.
Because it is much more
difficult for producers to make a profit in an 1850 seat theater, the most
popular touring shows bypass Utah
and go to other, sometimes smaller cities that have theaters with more
seats. The difference between 1850 useable
seats in the Capitol and, say, 2640 seats in Spokane is the difference between making
money and breaking even for a show like Jersey Boys or Color Purple. Audiences in Spokane
and Oklahoma City have already seen Wicked and
Lion King – years before Utah
ticket buyers will have a chance. Lansing,
Michigan has less than half the
population of the SLC metro area but has 2400 seats in the Cobb Great
Hall. In 2008-09 they will have their
second visits from both Wicked and Lion King.
Some shows, such as the original production of Miss Saigon, never come
to Utah
because of the physical limitations of the Capitol Theatre.
Almost every city over 100,000
population in Canada and the
US, from Regina,
Saskatchewan to El Paso, Texas,
has a performing arts venue with more seats than the Capitol Theatre.
When Salt Lake City does host a major blockbuster
to visit, ticket buyers pay a higher price than in most cities.
Randy Weeks, president and chief operating officer
of [the non-profit] Denver
Centre for the Performing Arts….. is familiar with Salt Lake City. "Unfortunately, in the
world of touring Broadway, the Capitol is becoming a little theater. It's just
not quite big enough, unless you don't mind paying $125-$150 a ticket." – Deseret News,
3/23/08
Most large and mid-sized
cities in the US and Canada have have theaters in the 2000-3000 seat range (see list
below). None have a primary performing
arts venue smaller than the Capitol. Until we get a theater with more seats, Utah audiences will
continue to be last in line to see the biggest and most popular musicals from
Broadway.
Although it was grand in
its time, the Capitol Theatre has other significant limitations and problems –
small lobby space, poor sightlines, inadequate rest rooms, small stage,
inadequate dressing room space, no loading dock and more.
Touring shows [must] struggle with Capitol
Theatre's limited backstage space and lack of loading docks. And every female
theatergoer has tales of lengthy restroom wait times. Besides, as a theater
built for vaudeville and later movies and not Broadway-style stage, many seats
in the house have poor visibility — a disappointment to theatergoers after
paying top ticket prices. - Deseret News, 3/23/08
Most importantly, SLC
needs a state-of-the-art performing arts venue that is comparable to other
theaters in the US and Canada. Salt
Lake City is a growing international urban center –
growing in population, in economic activity and in the performing arts. We need a performing arts center that will
bring us into the 21st century and be competitive with the rest of
the world – both in size and in technical capabilities.
John
Ballard, May 2008
Peer
Cities (Salt Lake venues are the smallest in
capacity)
Appleton, Fox Cities PAC 2070
Baltimore,
France-Merrick PAC 2232
Birmingham, BJCC 2814
Cincinnati, Aronoff Center
2623
Columbus, Ohio Theatre 2747
Columbus, Palace Theatre
2623
Calgary, Southern Jubilee 2525
Edmonton, Northern Jubilee
2525
Ft. Lauderdale, Broward Center 2653
Fort Worth, Bass Hall 2032
Honolulu, Blaisdell
Auditorium 2121
Jacksonville, Moran Theatre
2856
Kansas City, Music
Hall 2200
Louisville, Kentucky Center
2479
Louisville, Louisville
Palace 2645
Madison, Overture
Center
2216
Milwaukee, Uihlein
Hall 2305
Norfolk, Chrysler 2451
Omaha, Orpheum Theater 2546
Orlando,
Bob Carr 2367
Ottawa, National Arts Centre
2245
Portland, Keller 2992
Salt Lake City, Capitol Theatre 1917
Salt Lake
City, Kingsbury Hall 1971
Saskatoon, TCU Place 2027
Spokane, INB PAC 2640
Tampa, Morsani
Hall 2466
Tempe, Gammage
2797
Toledo, Stranahan
Theater 2409
Touring Broadway Venues
San Francisco, Curran 1667
Salt Lake City, Capitol Theatre 1917
Colorado Springs, Pikes
Peak Center
1970
Salt Lake City, Kingsbury Hall 1971
Albuquerque,
Popejoy Auditorium 1985
St Petersburg, Mahaffey 2030
Fort Worth, Bass Hall 2032
Boise, Morrison
Center 2040
Appleton, Fox Cities PAC 2070
Indianapolis, Clowes
Hall 2074
Palm Beach, Kravis Center
2115
Minneapolis, State 2119
Honolulu, Blaisdell
Auditorium 2121
Kansas City, Music Hall 2200
San Francisco, Orpheum 2203
Madison, Overture
Center 2216
Baltimore,
France-Merrick PAC 2232
Washington, DC Opera House 2294
San Francisco, Golden Gate 2297
Milwaukee, Uihlein
Hall 2305
Fresno, Saroyan
Theater 2343
Miami, Arsht
CPA 2348
Orlando,
Bob Carr 2367
Toledo, Stranahan
Theater 2409
East Lansing, Cobb Great Hall 2420
Nashville, TPAC-Andrew Jackson Hall
2425
Norfolk, Chrysler 2451
Tampa, Morsani
Hall 2466
Louisville, Kentucky Center 2479
Eugene, Hult Center
2487
Omaha, Orpheum Theater 2546
Minneapolis, Orpheum 2588
Boston, Opera House 2592
Indianapolis, Murat
Theatre 2621
Cincinnati, Aronoff Center
2623
Columbus, Palace Theatre 2623
Houston, Hobby Center-Sarofim
Hall 2637
Spokane, INB PAC 2640
Louisville, Louisville
Palace 2645
Fort Lauderdale, Broward
Center 2653
Cleveland, Palace Theatre 2658
Pittsburgh, Heinz 2663
Los Angeles, Pantages
2703
Des Moines Civic Center 2721
Columbu,s
Ohio Theatre 2747
Tempe, Gammage
2797
Seattle, Paramount 2811
Birmingham, BJCC 2814
Pittsburgh, Benedum
2824
Jacksonville, Moran Theatre 2856
Akron, EJ Thomas 2863
San Antonio, Majestic 2911
Portland, Keller 2992
Costa Mesa, Orange County
PAC 3034
Cleveland, State Theater 3194
Kalamazoo, Miller Auditorium 3483
Richmond, Landmark 3538
Atlanta, Fox Theatre 4480
Austin, UTPAC-Bass Concert Hall 4480
St. Louis, Fox 5060