86 posts
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Post by abitoftap on Oct 1, 2021 18:44:54 GMT
We're in Norwich and attend the Norwich Theatre Royal probably 15 + times a year. Their programmes have always been decently priced and informative. Occasionally, when they have a big musical, or say Glynbourne, they only sell the show's own programmes, but the vast majority of shows have TR programmes.
We saw Bedknobs & Broomsticks yesterday, the sort of show you'd expect to have a TR programme. But no programmes! An email response talked about new staff and sort of said they hadn't got around it. Anybody else's local theatre reopened and not got around, as they say, to sorting out programmes?
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Post by sph on Oct 1, 2021 22:09:02 GMT
Excuse my ignorance, but what is a TR programme?
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171 posts
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Post by musicalfloozie on Oct 1, 2021 22:42:17 GMT
I've just seen Waitress in Sheffield and no programmes or brochures. Shame as I collect one from every show I've ever seen so now trying to track a programme down on ebay!!
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Post by cavocado on Oct 2, 2021 8:19:04 GMT
Maybe they don't yet have enough contactless card readers to avoid the risk (real or perceived) of accepting cash, or they're not worth the hire fee for the amount of programmes sold?
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Post by Forrest on Oct 2, 2021 8:54:45 GMT
I haven't paid much attention to the programmes, to be honest, because I stopped buying them a long time ago (once I realised some cost like half a ticket to see the next show), but when I went to see "Big Big Sky" at Hampstead there was a free programme waiting for us and I thought that was such a sweet gesture, especially for such a small play, that wouldn't get seen by many people (due to the limited capacity of the theatre).
But I think, due to the audiences still not returning at full capacity, not doing programmes might perhaps be a way for theatres to save money by eliminating any cost that might not be necessary (printing them out to then not be able to sell them, I mean), before they get a feel for what kind of audiences are actually returning and if there is demand for those?
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1,485 posts
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Post by mkb on Oct 2, 2021 9:07:46 GMT
With a small number of exceptions, where the price was taking the proverbial, I have always bought a programme. Consequently, I have thousands of the things.
I'd be very grateful, if all venues would ditch dead-tree editions in favour of pdf versions that can be downloaded. A few did that last year. Not only do they take up no physical space in my house, I'm far more likely to reference them in the future because of the ease of doing so, rather than being filed in a box in the loft. And, of course, so much greener.
Another benefit is that I find it easier to read a programme on my phone in an auditorium during the interval: with the dimmed lighting and the propensity for graphic designers to print grey text (or some other non-contrasting colour) on a picture background, I need to use my phone torch to be able to read the printed version. I only have two hands, and my drink is in one!
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19,794 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Oct 2, 2021 9:15:44 GMT
Excuse my ignorance, but what is a TR programme? Theatre Royal as in Norwich Theatre Royal. |
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