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n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m | S e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 1 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 27 In Person HBJ and NHB Event FARMINGTON GARDENS NOVEMBER 3RD | 7:45AM - 11:45AM Patrik Jonsson, Regional President, Curaleaf Connecticut Andrea Comer, Interim Deputy Director, Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection and Chair, Social Equity Council Andrew Glassman, Member, Pullman & Comley FEATURED SPEAKERS: PRESENTING SPONSOR: GO TO>> NEWHAVENBIZ.COM/EVENTS CLICK ON BUILDING A CANNABIS BUSINESS IN THE NUTMEG STATE FOR MORE INFORMATION If you are interested in sponsoring this event please contact Tom Curtin at tcurtin@hartfordbusiness.com was the primary economic template for not- for-profit play houses, giving performance venues a large pool of money at the start of every season. But in recent decades, peoples' entertainment habits changed, with many preferring the flexibility to buy tickets a la carte instead of committing to perfor- mances months in advance. at pool of cash-in-advance money for many theaters has been shrinking. In 2020 there were 2,958 Long Wharf subscribers. Ten years ago there were more than 5,100. Twen- ty years ago there were more than 10,700. In the 1980s, there were even thousands more. Ingui also points to another change that gradually devalued the subscrip- tion model. "e intention was to give the sub- scriber the best ticket price," she said. "But what ended up happening is that the decline in subscription revenue [at the beginning of a season] forced theaters to discount single tickets during the year. In the end we were not necessarily giving sub- scribers the best price." Ingui says the COVID crisis and subsequent shutdown and shakeup of theaters has allowed for a reevaluation of Long Wharf 's business model in light of new ways venues are creating content, from out- door performances at various locations to streaming content online or in-person with restrictions. ose options don't lend them- selves to the subscription model of having a predetermined seat on a certain date for a series of shows months in advance. "is was the moment for us to try something new and to invite our longtime subscribers to come along this new ride with us," she says. e membership model also dovetails with Long Wharf 's mission as seen by its artistic director, Jacob G. Padron. Rather than presenting traditional classics and shows poised for Broadway and that ap- peal to Connecticut's Gold Coast clientele, the theater is now focused on presenting advocacy theater aimed at a diverse New Haven community. "Not to be dramatic, but we want to change the world through theater," says Ingui, "so we're wearing that on our sleeve now and we want others to join us by being members." With an entry point of $10 a month, Ingui is hoping to expand the number of members from the New Haven commu- nity. "We want folks to feel they belong at Long Wharf, as opposed to just, 'I saw a show at Long Wharf ' " she said. Ingui says she hopes that the combi- nation of memberships — which will be marketed year-round — and individual ticket sales will equal their earned income of past years, with the aim to further grow that more stable membership base. TheaterWorks and Goodspeed Long Wharf is not alone in looking at different business models. Earlier this year eaterWorks Hartford added a member- ship template, too, but one that offers access to content presented in any form: online, outdoors or (hopefully) back inside its newly-renovated, 188-seat basement theater in downtown Hartford on Pearl Street. eaterWorks, which has had one of the largest subscription bases in the state (with more than 5,000 subscrib- ers), is now offering $95 memberships for people who want to take in the new season's four shows (down from five), but only online. Subscriptions for the shows online and/or in-person, as well as other perks, such as invitations to see workshop productions, are $190. "We see opportunity now in attract- ing a different audience so we have to figure out if we lean into that," says producing executive director Rob Ruggi- ero. " 'What exactly is membership' is the question. Is it like Netflix or Hulu? Does it attract a younger audience that wants options? I don't know. We want to remain agile. But I definitely see more theaters do- ing this. I would say we are at the beginning of a potential change in the industry." eaterWorks and Long Wharf e- atre have been approached by other play houses around the country about their business-model shis. So has Goodspeed Musicals in East Haddam, which has seen subscriptions fall 7% over the past decade for its three shows at the Opera House. Goodspeed has a hybrid model of mem- berships and subscriptions. David Byrd, the new managing director of Goodspeed Musicals, also points to the loyalty factor in memberships. "During COVID it's been the members that have stood by us because we haven't had any offerings really for subscribers," he says. "During COVID our members stayed with us the entire time and many gave more because they have a very specific relationship with us. e membership is more of a relational experience, not a 'one and done.' A subscription is more transactional." "I applaud Long Wharf," says Byrd. "For them it's about accessibility. It's a different model than what we have but not entirely dissimilar. We all have to reassess what business looks like going forward at this time as the industry has been ravaged by the pandemic. It's time to look inward and figure out whether it's time to do something a little bit different going forward. I'm waiting with bated breath and excited to see how it works for Long Wharf." n Kit Ingui TheaterWorks Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero. Goodspeed Musicals Managing Director David Byrd. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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