I love that there is so much theatre happening in our region right now.
On almost any given weekend, you can find a musical, a play, a youth production, a cabaret or another performance within driving distance. For performers, musicians, designers, directors and technicians, that means more opportunities to get involved. For audiences, it means more choices and more money. For communities, it means more art.
All good things.
As someone who is very active in this community, I have to admit that sometimes the pressure to show up for it all can feel like a beast.
So the question becomes: Are we creating more theatre than our region can realistically support?
Massachusetts certainly has an audience for the arts. According to the
National Endowment for the Arts, more than 45% of adults in the state attended a live music, theatre or dance performance in 2022.
However, while many people want to see theatre, that audience isn't infinite. Think about a typical weekend in our region. Three or four local theatres may have productions running at the same time, or within a relatively short drive or time of one another. (Meaning, they may not have the exact same run, but they overlap by one week/ within a 45-minute drive).
They are drawing from many of the same potential audience members.
Every theatre has its loyal patrons, but there is also a huge network of people who attend because they know someone involved. Friends. Parents. Coworkers. Former castmates. Theatre friends supporting theatre friends. When those same people know someone in three productions running within a few weeks of one another, many have to choose between filling their weekend schedules with nonstop local productions or letting people down.
Beyond that, there is also a financial reality.
The
NEA
recently cited research showing that 53% of Americans want more affordable theatre tickets. That's not exactly surprising. A night at the theatre, particularly for a family, can add up quickly. Tickets, dinner, parking, babysitting and everything else that comes with going out can make seeing several productions in one month unrealistic. And in this economy? Sheesh.
At that point, audiences aren't deciding whether they like theatre or want to attend a show. They are deciding which theatre gets their money.
Theatres themselves are also operating with very little room for error.
Theatre Communications Group and SMU DataArts
found that nonprofit theatres welcomed more than 27 million people in 2023, yet earned income was still 25% below 2019 levels. More recent
SMU DataArts
research across arts nonprofits found that the median financial surplus in 2024 was just 1% of expenses.
In other words, this industry isn't sitting on enormous margins. Theatres need to fill seats to break even. Which makes me wonder... are organizations in one region creating more opportunities for audiences or simply competing for the same people in the seats?
Scarcity also has its merits. When a theatre produces a handful of shows each year, each one can feel like an event. When audiences are presented with dozens of options across the region in a relatively short period of time, does some of that urgency disappear?
There is no research I can point to that says, "Yes, Theatre A opening the same weekend as Theatre B costs both of them X number of ticket sales." I just think it's worth exploring if there is in fact, an impact on them.
If two theatres 20 minutes apart open large musicals on the same weekend, are they bringing two different groups of people into the arts, or are they dividing essentially the same audience?
To be clear, I am not suggesting theatres should stop producing shows. Quite the opposite. A region with this much theatre is something worth celebrating. More productions mean more roles. New performers get onstage. Directors get opportunities. Someone who doesn't find a place at one organization may find one at another. More theatres can mean more kinds of stories, different artistic voices and more entry points into the community.
Competition can be healthy, too. It can force organizations to think harder about programming, marketing, the audience experience and what makes their theatre worth supporting.
Maybe the conversation is more about how to support the amount of theatre being offered within communities?
Could organizations pay more attention to what neighboring theatres are doing, when productions overlap, and whether there are opportunities to coordinate instead of competing for the same audiences, performers, and volunteers? Are we bringing enough new people into theatre to keep pace with the number of productions we're putting on? Maybe our region can support this much theatre. Maybe it can support even more. But if we're all drawing from the same pool of people, time and money, there may eventually be a limit. I don't know where that limit is, or if we've reached it.
With theatres everywhere still dealing with attendance challenges, rising costs and tight budgets, it feels like a conversation worth having.
For those involved in local theatre, what are you seeing?
Has the increase in productions created more opportunities for you, or has it made you more selective about which shows you audition for, work on or attend?
Resources
National Endowment for the Arts. (n.d.).
Massachusetts.
https://www.arts.gov/impact/state-profiles/massachusetts
Theatre Communications Group. (2025, March 3).
TCG releases 44th annual research report: Theatre Facts 2023.
https://tcg.org/Web/Web/News/Press-Releases/TCG-Releases-44th-Annual-Research-Report--Theatre-Facts-2023.aspx
Spingler, L., Lindsay, J., Ruiz, R., & Yuan, N. (2024).
Curtains up: Critical factors influencing theater resiliency. National Endowment for the Arts.
https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/NASERC-Theater-Resilience-during-COVID-11192024.pdf
SMU DataArts. (2025).
Bottom line.
National Trends 2025.
https://stage.culturaldata.org/national-trends/national-trends-2025/bottom-line/
