To Subscribe or Not To Subscribe...That Is Now the Question for True Theater Lovers

After all these years of theatergoing, I just had a first-time experience: I signed up for a subscription series. In fact, I subscribed to two: The Public Theater's and the Signature Theatre's.

I’m not sure what took me so long to take advantage of this smart way of seeing plays and supporting the companies that produce them. Subscriptions are great for theater lovers like me, because you not only get first crack at seats to the most anticipated shows but other goodies like newsletters, invitations to receptions with cast members and cheaper ticket prices. And they’re also great for the theater companies because they get a pot of upfront money that makes it easier for them to manage their budgets and keep their operations running.

If you see enough off-Broadway or regional theater, your mailbox has probably been filled over the past few weeks with brochures touting various company’s new seasons and all the benefits of subscribing to them. Prices for New York-based packages run from a mighty $1,800 for the Champions Circle at 2econd Stage Theatre (it includes two premium seats to every production, invitations to three opening night performances and cast parties and “recognition in our 43rd Street theatre for one year”) to the Atlantic Theater Company's $55 membership fee that buys you the right to pay no more than $25 for any its shows.

The Public and Signature are two of my favorite companies. I love the Public because its programming is so diverse and adventurous and the Signature because its focus on a singular oeuvre allows me to really dig into one artistic vision. So I’d like to say that I subscribed to them because I wanted to show my appreciation and support. But the truth is that I signed up for far more selfish reasons.

When my pal Bill first suggested that we sign up for the Public, I turned him down. But then I realized that the season includes the new production of Bounce, the Stephen Sondheim musical that has been literally bouncing around in various incarnations over the past decade. Having seen a couple of those earlier versions, I wanted to make sure I could get a seat for this one. And my subscription will guarantee that.

Two years ago, I missed out on the entire season the Signature dedicated to August Wilson because I figured I’d just get tickets for each individual show. But the word-of-mouth was so good and the $20 ticket price (subsidized by Time Warner) so low that all the performances sold out before I could even get to one. This year, Signature is devoting its season to works that were originally produced by The Negro Ensemble Company, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary. I remember seeing each work when it premiered and I want to be sure that I can see them again. And a subscription guarantees me that too.

So it’s good for me and for the folks at those companies who now know that whatever kind of reviews their shows get, they’ve already sold seats to me, Bill and their other subscribers. But I also worry about the future of subscriptions. Earlier this year, I heard Todd Haimes, artistic director of The Roundabout Theatre Company, which has over 40,000 subscribers, say that a growing number of the most loyal theatergoers are turning to discount clubs like Theatermania which offers reduced-price tickets to individual shows instead of requiring a commitment to a full season. That may eventually affect the steady flow of cash that the companies depend on. Others fret that the companies are already starting to program the way commercial producers do, opting for choices that will appeal to the largest number of people instead of presenting riskier fare.

We clearly need non-profit theaters. And we need them to be adventurous. They need subscriptions. But I’m just not sure what my role here should be. Should I use my limited dollars to subscribe to a bunch of companies? Or should I buy tickets to the shows that I most like, which often tend to be the edgier productions that wouldn't get commercial runs, to encourage them to continue that kind of programming? I really would love to hear from those of you who subscribe and those of you don’t about why and how you’ve made that choice. In the meantime, I am looking forward to a season full of trips to the Public and Signature.