Subscription Addiction

My addiction to performing arts subscriptions began in my late 20s-early 30s in New York City, when, despite not loving opera, I subscribed to both the Metropolitan and the New York City Operas!? Those quickly gave way to the ballet (mostly New York City Ballet, which I maintained throughout my temporary move to London and only reluctantly gave up after moving to Rochester) and theatre (Manhattan Theatre Company and Roundabout Theatre). In Morristown, we subscribed to a performing arts center that presented a mix of performances: dance, comedy, concerts (classical and pop), etc. It was one of the things I missed most moving to Rochester. 

Early on I realized the benefits of subscribing: locking in your preferred seats, theoretically getting the best ticket price (although a poor-selling stinker might end up selling tickets cheaper, since theatre seats are wasting assets; and as I’ve gotten more educated about non-profit arts organizations, I’ve felt a moral obligation to make donations to them to help offset the discount, because I am lucky to be able), and getting preferred access to add-on shows. In 2014, between subscriptions and additional shows I couldn’t live without, I attended my all-time high in a calendar year: 66 performances. (And that didn’t include the ones I performed in as a member of a chorus.)

This season (which corresponds to school, not calendar year) I’m taking it to new heights; in addition to the usual subscriptions at Geva, RPO (half classical, half pops), Eastman Presents, and Nazareth (mostly Rochester City Ballet (RCB), but not exclusively) … Blackfriars Theatre beckoned. That comes to almost 30 performances, before I starting adding and subtracting (yes, there is one show at Geva I will give our tickets away for, since we saw it on Broadway and didn’t enjoy it then; and there’s an RPO concert I probably won’t get to hear, but that’s the subject of a future blog…). Charlie is a peach to come along for the ride on most of these, although he draws the line at dance and more than one theatre subscription.

Shaw Festival Artistic Director Program Notes

I love sitting in a hall with lots of strangers and experiencing a live performance together. I love turning off my cell phone for an hour or two, and turning my mind from current events to let it be entertained and transported for a brief moment. I love a memorably good show, and even the memorably bad ones can provide laughs for years to come. I love my thick folder of tickets to performances to look forward to that will slowly deplete as we inch towards May. Mostly, I love my role as audience!