In region lacking arts bedrock, theater aims for bums on seats
October 1, 2011, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THE performing arts are becoming as important in Minhang as the district's stunning industrial development, but instilling a cultural mindset in regional audiences still has some way to go.
On September 9, Taiwan director Stan Lai's hit comic drama "Love on A Two-Way Street" was staged at the Shanghai City Theater on Dushi Road, the only theater in Minhang and even southwestern Shanghai.
The theatre was filled with laughter and applause from an appreciative audience. But it wasn't filled to capacity. While most seats on the second floor and in back rows of the first floor were occupied, many seats toward the front of the first floor were empty.
Tickets priced under 200 yuan (US$30) are generally snapped up by the public, said Fang Yongnian, general manager of the theater. But anything over that price tends to result in empty seats, he added.
Contrast that with performances at the Shanghai Grand Theater downtown, where popular shows routinely sell out.
"It takes time to cultivate a performance market in a more outlying region," Fang said. "Public tastes and pocketbooks are a bit different."
His theater tries to keep ticket prices as cheap as possible. Yet a top-flight show might cost as much as 500 yuan for the best seats.
Fang is not despairing. It normally takes at least five to seven years for a regional performance market to mature, he said.
The Shanghai City Theater has seating for 1,016 people. Average attendance this year has been about 72 percent of capacity, a drop of 6 percentage points from the same point last year.
"There has been a slip since the theater went into trial performances in November 2009," Fang admitted.
The theater stages a variety of performances, including piano recitals, ballet, Yueju Opera and dramas aimed at different age groups. Among the most popular shows was "Forever Tango," a Broadway favorite staged last April.
Shows to come
Drama attracts the widest range of age groups, while musical shows tend to draw parents with children, Fang said.
The theater is trying to enhance the quality of shows.
On October 1 and 2, it will stage a concert by The Canadian Tenors, a quartet that specializes in a mélange of classical and pop music. The quartet has appeared on stage with popular Canadian vocalist Celine Dion and also performed at the 2011 Emmy Awards.
"Victoria's Secret" will be staged on October 17 and 18. It is the first multimedia show ever presented at the theater.
The comedy "Breakup Master," the musical "In Love with Teresa Teng" and a tap dance show from the Tapestry Dance Company are also scheduled in October.
The theater has staged more than 170 performances since its opening, which was widely hailed as a cultural landmark for the district and surrounding areas. It was built to serve a population of 10 million people.
The theater, located inside the Chunshen Culture Plaza, is funded by the Minhang government and operated by the Eastern Shanghai Broadway Theatre Management Co.
In addition to its marquee programs, it also hosts art lectures and lower-priced performances targeted at students, the elderly and other local community residents.
Since last November, the theater has made a profit of 200,000 yuan, double the earnings of a year earlier.
Fang said a top-flight show can cost up to 200,000 yuan to stage, excluding operating and promotional costs.
The theater needs to dispel perceptions that it is too far away from downtown Shanghai to be a viable performing arts option.
Actually, it only takes about 35 minutes to travel from People's Square downtown to the Xinzhuang stop on Metro Line 1, a 10-minute walk from the theater.
However, the last train leaves at 10:30pm, and Fang said the theater is considering a shuttle bus system to get theater-goers back to downtown after late performances.
On September 9, Taiwan director Stan Lai's hit comic drama "Love on A Two-Way Street" was staged at the Shanghai City Theater on Dushi Road, the only theater in Minhang and even southwestern Shanghai.
The theatre was filled with laughter and applause from an appreciative audience. But it wasn't filled to capacity. While most seats on the second floor and in back rows of the first floor were occupied, many seats toward the front of the first floor were empty.
Tickets priced under 200 yuan (US$30) are generally snapped up by the public, said Fang Yongnian, general manager of the theater. But anything over that price tends to result in empty seats, he added.
Contrast that with performances at the Shanghai Grand Theater downtown, where popular shows routinely sell out.
"It takes time to cultivate a performance market in a more outlying region," Fang said. "Public tastes and pocketbooks are a bit different."
His theater tries to keep ticket prices as cheap as possible. Yet a top-flight show might cost as much as 500 yuan for the best seats.
Fang is not despairing. It normally takes at least five to seven years for a regional performance market to mature, he said.
The Shanghai City Theater has seating for 1,016 people. Average attendance this year has been about 72 percent of capacity, a drop of 6 percentage points from the same point last year.
"There has been a slip since the theater went into trial performances in November 2009," Fang admitted.
The theater stages a variety of performances, including piano recitals, ballet, Yueju Opera and dramas aimed at different age groups. Among the most popular shows was "Forever Tango," a Broadway favorite staged last April.
Shows to come
Drama attracts the widest range of age groups, while musical shows tend to draw parents with children, Fang said.
The theater is trying to enhance the quality of shows.
On October 1 and 2, it will stage a concert by The Canadian Tenors, a quartet that specializes in a mélange of classical and pop music. The quartet has appeared on stage with popular Canadian vocalist Celine Dion and also performed at the 2011 Emmy Awards.
"Victoria's Secret" will be staged on October 17 and 18. It is the first multimedia show ever presented at the theater.
The comedy "Breakup Master," the musical "In Love with Teresa Teng" and a tap dance show from the Tapestry Dance Company are also scheduled in October.
The theater has staged more than 170 performances since its opening, which was widely hailed as a cultural landmark for the district and surrounding areas. It was built to serve a population of 10 million people.
The theater, located inside the Chunshen Culture Plaza, is funded by the Minhang government and operated by the Eastern Shanghai Broadway Theatre Management Co.
In addition to its marquee programs, it also hosts art lectures and lower-priced performances targeted at students, the elderly and other local community residents.
Since last November, the theater has made a profit of 200,000 yuan, double the earnings of a year earlier.
Fang said a top-flight show can cost up to 200,000 yuan to stage, excluding operating and promotional costs.
The theater needs to dispel perceptions that it is too far away from downtown Shanghai to be a viable performing arts option.
Actually, it only takes about 35 minutes to travel from People's Square downtown to the Xinzhuang stop on Metro Line 1, a 10-minute walk from the theater.
However, the last train leaves at 10:30pm, and Fang said the theater is considering a shuttle bus system to get theater-goers back to downtown after late performances.
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