The drawn-out pandemic kept people on their couches for so long that they got out of the habit of leaving home for live performances.
This fall, audiences are slowly returning to indoor performing arts events, but ticket sales have yet to rebound to pre-pandemic levels in Maine or the nation. And patrons, more averse to long-term planning, are waiting longer to purchase tickets than they did three years ago, making it harder for performing arts organizations in Maine to predict their cash flow at a time when they need the revenue.
It all amounts to bad news for organizations that depend primarily on ticket sales for income.
That includes the Penobscot Theatre Co. in Bangor, which has a new artistic director this season but has yet to see its audience rebound.
About 70 percent of its annual revenue comes from ticket sales, with the rest from donations, grants and sponsorships, according to Jen Shepard, the organization’s executive director. But the theater company saw a 50 percent drop in attendance during its 2021-22 season compared with pre-pandemic years.
The venue has gotten by with the help of a federal Shuttered Venue grant that was part of a $16 billion COVID relief program for arts organizations nationwide, as well as corporate support and individual donations, Shepard said.
“We are working hard to keep producing at the same level that people have come to expect from us, while keeping costs down, but something will have to change if we don’t see more people coming back to theater,” she said.
Penobscot Theatre isn’t alone in seeing a large drop in attendance. Portland Stage saw a 50 percent drop in its 2021-22 season from pre-pandemic years. The Theater at Monmouth, a summer repertory company, had a 30 percent drop.
Groups that are not as dependent on ticket sales, including the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, will weather the revenue loss more successfully.
Prior to the pandemic, 40 percent of the symphony’s income came from ticket sales, with other revenue coming from donors, grants and sponsorships, Executive Director Brian Hinrichs said. That figure fell to 20 percent last season, as attendance was down about 40 percent compared with 2018 and 2019.
Attendance at Opera House Arts in Stonington this year has been on par with pre-pandemic levels, but single-ticket buyers are waiting longer than ever before to purchase tickets, Executive Director Tony Adams said.
“The most significant change is the timing of ticket sales,” he said. “The majority this year have been within 72 hours of a performance.”
That has also been true at the Collins Center for the Arts in Orono, according to Danny Williams, the center’s executive director.
The center delayed mailing out its brochure from July to September this year because ticket buyers are not planning as far ahead as they did pre-pandemic.
Audiences did return to outdoor concerts in large numbers, which is part of a national trend, according to Alex Gray of Waterfront Concerts, which books concerts at the Bangor Waterfront. However, older concertgoers, who may be more vulnerable to the coronavirus, are slower to return than younger audiences.
Some Maine theater groups that traditionally perform outdoors in the summer drew crowds this year. Ten Bucks Theatre ’s annual production of “Romeo and Juliet” attracted some of the largest audiences it’s ever seen in its final week at Fort Knox State Historic Site in Prospect, according to Ten Bucks founder Julie Lisnet.
One step some performing arts organizations have taken is to offer programming they’re confident will attract patrons.
The Bangor Symphony’s season, for example, features popular works conductor Lucas Richman knows will bring in an audience, including Ludwig Van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 and Richard Strauss’s “Also Sprach Zarathustra.”
“I think we all got used to staying inside during the pandemic, and we all have a wealth of entertainment options to take advantage of from the comfort of home,” Hinrichs said. “Add to that the challenging political and cultural environment, ongoing health concerns with large gatherings and the pressures of inflation, and I think it’s safe to say there is a general malaise that has set in.
“It’s going to take time, first and foremost, but also really ambitious, creative programming to get audiences back.”
For its 20th season, Good Theater Co. in Portland chose two classic shows — “Carousel” and “You Can’t Take It With You.” The company, based at the St. Lawrence Arts Center on Munjoy Hill, will also produce the beloved comedies “Crimes of the Heart” and “Nureyev’s Eyes,” which is about Maine painter Jamie Wyeth.
“I believe that people’s theatergoing habits changed during COVID. It is harder to get people to the theater unless it is something they know they want to see,” cofounder Brian P. Allen said.
Good Theater also is offering something most other companies are not — two performances each week, on Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons, where masks are required. Tickets for those performances sold out quickly, according to the company’s website.
Portland Stage also is requiring masks during the third week of its productions’ runs.
While organizations last season required proof of vaccination and masks, all have dropped that requirement this year.
Maine performing arts organization leaders aren’t sure what it will take to get people back in their venues’ seats other than time.
“We are still, as a society, working our way back to normal,” Shepard said. “We’re not sure when we’ll get there, but we remain hopeful.
“What we offer — the opportunity to see excellent live theater, connect with your fellow community members and to witness stories that engage patrons both in moments of shared recognition and discovery — can’t be had anywhere else. You’re not going to get that experience on your couch with Netflix.”
Correction: An earlier version of this report incorrectly stated only one performance arts company is requiring masks.