816 posts
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Post by stefy69 on Mar 9, 2017 12:31:09 GMT
It's a No from me : Sunday should be roast dinner and red wine and being spoilt, although sadly the last named doesn't happen nearly as often as it should !  |
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421 posts
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Post by Distant Dreamer... on Mar 9, 2017 12:47:30 GMT
I believe more shows should run on Sundays, especially in London. What else is there to do?!  |
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5,058 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on Mar 9, 2017 13:19:35 GMT
When you had the traditional roster Monday - Sataurday, once tr Saturday evening performance was done at 10pm ish, I am led to believe there were some quite legendary parties and celebrations were had? So their day off Sunday was usually spent asleep? Doing a Sunday matinee doesn't have the same feeling, to go out and get wasted!
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4,804 posts
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Post by Mark on Mar 9, 2017 14:19:00 GMT
Well from saying I don't like Sunday shows, I've just booked a Sunday performance of Cursed Child (the restricted stalls ones they do) so I'm really looking forward to that again.
My work schedule is erratic so it can be difficult to plan in advance but this date magically worked out!
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119 posts
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Post by SuperTrooper on Mar 9, 2017 14:36:02 GMT
Interesting views from you all! As a West End Techie (with a family) Sunday shows are not for me. I have done a show with a Sunday performance, it was a short contract and we had Tuesday off. I sat down and had a big chat with the family about it and we decided to give it a try,never again! I feel there is a place for Sunday shows but I also think we should have more mid-week matinees. More Tuesday matinees, even the occasional Friday! I don't think Sunday's are going to become as popular in the West End as they are on Broadway, (I hope). Good post and more relevant as it is straight from the 'Horses Mouth' as to say. So on my last post I did suggest if you did do 2 shows on a Sunday, would it be a good trade off, if the theatre is dark on a Monday/Tuesday, so therefore having 2 whole days off, like Harry Potter does, would that suit your family life better? I am a supporter of more matinees and theatre staff working 5 days a week, we are in the 21st Century. If we looked at a spreadsheet of theatre ticket sales for each show, obviously Thursday - Sunday is the most busiest, however performances outside these times, you can be flexible. Friday matinees are a good idea - didn't In the Heights do this, at Kings Cross? We seeing a trend now where shows are doing 3 matinees a week now. I'm show crew, so performance times are my priority. The Potter schedule wouldn't suit me either really, we usually relax on a Sunday as a family, we didn't seem to get the same quality time when I had Tuesday as a day off! What no one here has taken into account is the full time theatre staff hours. They normally work 5 days out of 7 (depending on how many in the dept) quite often a show on a Sunday still means the Theatre is open on whatever day there is no show (albeit 9 to 5) so they would probably end up with *having* to do overtime rather than choosing to! Personally I love Friday/Saturday back to back matinees 4 shows in two days 5 & 8 suit me. I quite like the idea of 8 shows over 5 days (like Potter but without Sunday) but I don't think I'd know what to do with a whole 2 days off! A weekend, like normal people! OMG! I came into theatre knowing that I would have to work 6 days, Bank Holidays, antisocial hours etc but not Sunday! I'm not religious but Sunday has always been family day to me! Off to ramble to myself in a corner, not sure I'm helping here! |
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119 posts
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Post by SuperTrooper on Mar 9, 2017 18:37:18 GMT
Good post and more relevant as it is straight from the 'Horses Mouth' as to say. So on my last post I did suggest if you did do 2 shows on a Sunday, would it be a good trade off, if the theatre is dark on a Monday/Tuesday, so therefore having 2 whole days off, like Harry Potter does, would that suit your family life better? I am a supporter of more matinees and theatre staff working 5 days a week, we are in the 21st Century. If we looked at a spreadsheet of theatre ticket sales for each show, obviously Thursday - Sunday is the most busiest, however performances outside these times, you can be flexible. Friday matinees are a good idea - didn't In the Heights do this, at Kings Cross? We seeing a trend now where shows are doing 3 matinees a week now. I'm show crew, so performance times are my priority. They yy Potter schedule wouldn't suit me either really, we usually relax on a Sunday as a family, we didn't seem to get the same quality time when I had Tuesday as a day off! What no one here has taken into account is the full time theatre staff hours. They normally work 5 days out of 7 (depending on how many in the dept) quite often a show on a Sunday still means the Theatre is open on whatever day there is no show (albeit 9 to 5) so they would probably end up with *having* to do overtime rather than choosing to! Personally I love Friday/Saturday back to back matinees 4 shows in two days 5 & 8 suit me. I quite like the idea of 8 shows over 5 days (like Potter but without Sunday) but I don't think I'd know what to do with a whole 2 days off! A weekend, like normal people! OMG! I came into theatre knowing that I would have to work 6 days, Bank Holidays, antisocial hours etc but not Sunday! I'm not religious but Sunday has always been family day to me! Off to ramble to myself in a corner, not sure I'm helping here! EDIT: if your other half works 9 to 5 and your kids go to school when is your family time? |
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5,058 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on Mar 9, 2017 20:54:24 GMT
No agreed with this in my original post, theatre performs when majority of people are not at work or school has to do this to survive, conversely this has a detrimental effect on people who have partners/families.
I know the Harry Potter schedule won't work for everyone, but it is a reasonable compromise. When Equity announced they would agree to Sunday performances, it was meant to revolutionise the West End, however the revolution turned out to be a anti climax. The West End isn't Broadway, where on a Sunday you go and have a Brunch then catch a show or a game, we like our Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding too much!!!
So really this is where the West End is a winner we have incorporated a Broadway schedule and a traditional West End schedule that co-exists, so looking at Theatremonkey schedule, next week you can hit 12* shows in week, so if you are a visitor you can really maximise your theatre experience, family people can opt to do a more family accomadating roster, where people who haven't got the same commitment can work Sunday if they chose to do so.
I am very happy at that.
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Post by perfectspy on Mar 10, 2017 0:27:34 GMT
I love going to the theatre on a Sunday, one such day I managed to see three plays.
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4,361 posts
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Post by shady23 on Mar 10, 2017 8:07:03 GMT
For shows where the target is children it makes sense to have Sunday matinées or even start the show earlier on a weekday evening.
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1,249 posts
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Post by joem on Mar 10, 2017 10:00:14 GMT
Sundays yay. When you travel to London for a weekend and you watse a whole day it is very frustrating.
I don't see why what is a religious relic from days gone by should be allowed to dictate the way modern lives are led. There are many, many things open on a Sunday, including cinemas, so we've got over the old Sunday has to be boring mindset.
Everyone needs a day off so all theatres should close one day a week but no reason why it has to be Sunday.
Fringe venues, in particular, should promote Sunday shows heavily whilst the current culture of little action persists.
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Post by firefingers on Mar 10, 2017 10:34:03 GMT
Leave Sundays to the fringe theaters and occasional one off concerts and galas etc. I need a day off when my non-theatre friends and family aren't working so I can actually live my life.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2017 11:10:14 GMT
I don't see why what is a religious relic from days gone by should be allowed to dictate the way modern lives are led. There are many, many things open on a Sunday, including cinemas, so we've got over the old Sunday has to be boring mindset. Everyone needs a day off so all theatres should close one day a week but no reason why it has to be Sunday. Sunday working is fine for short periods or for jobs where people can rotate shifts so they have different days off each week, but it's a bit much to expect people to have no day off in common with most of their friends and family every single week. |
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1,249 posts
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Post by joem on Mar 10, 2017 11:14:15 GMT
I don't see why what is a religious relic from days gone by should be allowed to dictate the way modern lives are led. There are many, many things open on a Sunday, including cinemas, so we've got over the old Sunday has to be boring mindset. But conversely, most of the public sector - jobs, education etc - still work Monday to Friday, as does the financial sector and many other private businesses outside of retail. Even among theatre ticket agencies, it's pretty hard, if not impossible, to contact more than the duty officer and retail sales team on a Saturday and Sunday. It's ingrained that the mass take a break at those times. From religion, true, but even so, it's in our culture and making SupertTrooper, firefingers and co work against it is an issue that deserves our consideration. Theatre is not in the public sector - despite the subsidies some organisations get. It is an entertainment industry and it is perverse not to be offering its wares at times when many people are available to spend time and money on it. Both residents and tourists. |
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1,249 posts
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Post by joem on Mar 10, 2017 11:48:41 GMT
I recall a time, not so very long ago, when we were being told football was something that HAD to happen on a Saturday afternoon.
Personally I am happy for the fringe to have Sundays because for me the fringe is, as a rule of thumb, more interesting than the West End these days. But a failure to market something properly, and to have the necessary working conditions to make something work, does nt mean there is anything intrinsically untenable about professional theatre on a Sunday. Except, perhaps, for those theatres which lose money every time they open their doors.
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2,702 posts
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Post by viserys on Mar 10, 2017 13:47:02 GMT
I have zero interest in football, but I recall reading they changed match days and times due to TV rights sales rather than anything else? I think what joem means is that they used to say "Football can only happen on Saturdays, nobody cares for other days" but then matches were played on other days after all - and are selling out. But I think you can't compare that to theatre. If your Premier League team (or in my case my Bundesliga team...) plays on Sunday, I can either see it then or miss it. I can't alternatively see it on the Tuesday after. Whereas I can choose to see a theatre show on Sunday OR Tuesday OR Saturday, whatever works best for me. While I still think Germany's shops should be open on Sundays (mostly because staff can move shifts around and a mother can be allowed off to spend Sundays with her family while a young single worker may be glad to take the Sunday shift and have another day off instead) people here made very valid and eloquent points on why theatres should remain closed on Sundays. So I guess I'll be sticking to my Thur-Sun schedule for the foreseeable future  |
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1,249 posts
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Post by joem on Mar 10, 2017 16:03:00 GMT
What I mean is that a business which needs/wants to make money basically follows the money and tries to come up with ways in which to make new money, rather than push prices (and costs) for your existing clientele higher and higher. The price for tickets has gone up a lot in recent years, we are being clobbered with ingenious new add-ons to buy the same tickets and there is a thread elsewhere on the sad fate of theatre programmes - increasing prices, reducing content as they enter a vicious downward spiral which will probably end in their virtual elimination.
It is not beyond the realms of ingenuity to find a way of making Sunday performances financially rewarding. I have a great interest in theatre being successful, being an addict. I suspect at some point Sundays will become a way of theatres making more money.
Viserys, check out the fringe when you're in London on a Sunday. You normally get a decent amount of performances, many of them early enough to allow you to leave London in the evening.
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5,058 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on Mar 10, 2017 23:02:39 GMT
Those West End Sunday shows that did happen were very well marketed - and the National's database of active buyers is second to none. It is just that they found / find that people want to do something else with their Sundays. If the fringe theatres make it work, that's great - and we've discussed why above. I have zero interest in football, but I recall reading they changed match days and times due to TV rights sales rather than anything else? It's illegal to show football on Saturday at 3pm, except the FA Cup final. |
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Post by showgirl on Mar 11, 2017 5:47:32 GMT
Bang on re the football schedules changing to accommodate the big (tv, etc) money, theatremonkey.com, as I'm sure infofreako can also attest. The higher the team's ranking, the more prone its fixtures are to being moved from the traditional 3 pm Saturday slot to a different time (e.g. 5 pm) or, more usually, day. Plays havoc with planning, both for theatre-going and weekends away!
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4,361 posts
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Post by shady23 on Mar 11, 2017 21:08:54 GMT
Those West End Sunday shows that did happen were very well marketed - and the National's database of active buyers is second to none. It is just that they found / find that people want to do something else with their Sundays. If the fringe theatres make it work, that's great - and we've discussed why above. I have zero interest in football, but I recall reading they changed match days and times due to TV rights sales rather than anything else? It's illegal to show football on Saturday at 3pm, except the FA Cup final. Yes but still many pubs do with foreign TV feeds. |
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2,022 posts
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Post by distantcousin on Mar 14, 2017 16:33:11 GMT
I'm ALL for it - it would hugely benefit people who live out of London and can only really see shows of a weekend.
I mean, let's scrap Monday shows - what's the point?!
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19,780 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 15, 2017 15:33:54 GMT
I'm ALL for it - it would hugely benefit people who live out of London and can only really see shows of a weekend. I mean, let's scrap Monday shows - what's the point?!Good availability! |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2017 8:54:10 GMT
I'm ALL for it - it would hugely benefit people who live out of London and can only really see shows of a weekend. I mean, let's scrap Monday shows - what's the point?!Good availability! And good audiences! A Monday night audience really wants to be there - you get far less talking and munching and rustling, etc |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2017 8:41:19 GMT
Returning to this thread on a purely selfish/lazy note...anyone have any good Sunday matinee/event recommendations for Sunday 9th April?
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