Budget cuts, too, have all but eliminated arts education in public schools.
“Now, you see fewer and fewer people being exposed to the arts, in any kind of significant way, when they’re young,” Gularte says. “So they’re not getting that initial imprint.”
Without a fresh generation of playgoers waiting in the wings, what will happen when the present-day faithful are long gone?
Gularte decided to boldly go where no theater company (to her knowledge) had gone before: Offer free tickets for anyone under 20. To any and all mainstage shows during the calendar year 2018.
She calls it the Young Americans Under 20 Passport and yes, she knows there are risks involved and questions yet to be answered — it’s a work in progress — but building new audiences is crucial if a theater is to remain healthy. It’s an investment in the future.
“We encourage them to bring their parents,” Gularte explains, “so that we’ve got the young people who are going to get in for free, but maybe we’re also developing a new audience, the parents. Who weren’t coming before, maybe because it hadn’t occurred to them.”
The current season was already in place when this bold initiative was conceived (the first play for which free tickets will be available is A Raisin in the Sun, running Jan. 24-Feb. 18).
If the Under 20 Passport is successful, next season’s calendar will probably include some edgier, more youth-friendly material.
Probably. As always, it’s a balancing act.
“I think there’s a responsibility on the part of artistic directors to program pieces that are going to be interesting to younger people,” Gularte says. “It’s one of the things that’s the trickiest for theater companies. We do not want to alienate the audience that’s been there for us, and that are our key donors.
“And it’s not about compromising your artistic credibility, or doing work that’s not worthwhile, but if you just create more youth-centric programming, are you going to lose the rest?”
Gularte’s “40 Forward” plan also includes the Under 30 Pass, a subscription series allowing ages 20 to 30 unlimited tickets for $15 per month.
“It’s an affordable step up,” she explains. “This way, we’re not teaching young people to think of theater as something that doesn’t cost anything. But making it affordable for them, based on where they are in their lives. So hopefully, by the time they turn 20, the idea of $15 a month for unlimited theater is worthwhile.
“And then when they turn 30, the idea of a subscription package …. It becomes a regular part of their life.”
Essential to keeping all these eggs in the air is the fact that, risks be damned, ticket prices for everybody else will not rise.
“That’s the commitment I’m making,” she explains. “We’re not going to raise the single ticket prices for everybody else, but what we are going to do is ask those who have the means, and can afford to do so, to make a tax-deductible donation to help support this. And that’s the way we’ll be able to continue the programs beyond 2018.”
The third tier to the 40 Forward enterprise is an immersive, year-long apprenticeship program, including all aspects of American Stage life, from the creative to the administrative. The goal, Gularte says, is “deepening the talent pool. Building the population of creative talent, and arts leadership, in our community.”
St. Petersburg, and the bay area arts scene, is very much on Gularte’s mind as American Stage hits the big four-oh. “One of the things that really drew me here from California was the roots this organization has in the community,” she explains. She’s approaching her third anniversary as artistic director, and she’s come to understand that the community values American Stage, and relies on its consistency. And its spirit of innovation.
“To me,” she says, “that looks like being at the forefront and leading the way, in terms of where the arts are going in our community. And thinking progressively — looking forward for both the company and the community at large.”
For details about the Under 20 Passport and the other American Stage 40 Forward programs, click here
This article appears in Dec 28, 2017 – Jan 4, 2018.