As arts organizations across the city struggle to put bums in seats, subscribers provide a base of support
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For Diana Tchakalian, subscribing to Vancouver Opera is as much about commitment as it is about enjoyment.
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“I am a fan. I’m a person who likes to be entertained. I go to the theatre, I want to sit in the best seat possible, and I want to hear the music, the voices, everything,” said Tchakalian. “That’s my first priority. I am not a backstage person.”
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As arts organizations struggle to put bums in seats, subscribers provide a base of support. While their collective contribution might add up to a fraction of the budget of a theatre or opera company, subscribers remain the lifeblood of many organizations — offering not just revenue, but predictability.
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“Subscribers make inventory management easier as we have a general idea how many will be the ‘base’ amount for each production,” said Tom Wright, general director of Vancouver Opera. “This allows us to predict how many single tickets will need to be sold and how to price accordingly to reach a budget.”
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That early commitment also matters financially.
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“Subscribers are loyal to the organization and lock in early, providing cash flow at the beginning of the season as opposed to the last-minute nature of single-ticket buyers,” Wright said. “It costs less in marketing to gain and retain subscribers than it does for single-ticket buyers.”
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At the Arts Club Theatre Company, the logic is similar.
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“Subscribers have faith in our theatre company,” said executive director Peter Cathie White. “Through their financial support with a purchase of tickets to an entire season of Arts Club productions, they provide the seed funding needed to get each season off the ground.”
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Subscribers, he added, are often willing to take chances on unfamiliar work.
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“They may not have heard of every title that we produce but they believe in the professionalism of the local artists they will see on our stage and that their season will be enlightening and transformative regardless of the production they will see.”
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For audiences, however, the value proposition is more immediate.
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“Subscribers get the best price for their tickets,” White said. “Regardless of seating zone or location, a subscriber will always pay less per ticket than a non-subscriber.”
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They also get early access.
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“Subscriber seats go on sale six months before regular tickets are released,” he said. “They get to keep the seats they have booked season after season and be the first in line for any seat change requests.”
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Both White and Wright say that resale tickets aren’t nearly as big an issue as popular concert tickets. That said, buyer beware.
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“Our lowest-priced single tickets are often purchased by resellers in the U.S. and sold well above face value (in U.S. dollars) using online sites that come up first with search terms such as ‘Boheme Queen Elizabeth Theatre,’” Wright said. “We have mitigated a little by not emailing tickets to addresses outside of Canada, but cannot completely prevent this.”
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At Vancouver Opera, benefits include discounts of up to 25 percent off single-ticket prices, flexible exchanges and the ability to donate unused tickets for a tax receipt.
