|
|
Follies
May 6, 2017 8:30:01 GMT
via mobile
Post by Deleted on May 6, 2017 8:30:01 GMT
The other problem with the National is shows run in rep. So its not like 3 full months of performances have sold out. You have a limited run of a limited run of something with mass appeal. If this was 8 shows per week for 3 months there would still be plenty of availability
|
|
|
|
Follies
May 6, 2017 9:13:49 GMT
via mobile
Post by Deleted on May 6, 2017 9:13:49 GMT
i wish for their big productions they would just do normal performances and not in rep. Sure you cant always tell what will be popular but some you can. Part of the reason i rarely go to the National
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 6, 2017 10:11:38 GMT
Remember, when the NT opened, all seats were a single price, and unreserved... as all were considered equal. Was that the case in all three theatres, or just in the Cottesloe? Not all seats ever offered an equal experience, but I suppose you mean that all ticketholders had an equal chance of sitting in their place of choice? |
|
46 posts
|
Post by palace on May 6, 2017 12:26:55 GMT
Yes, yes market forces and all that and you were saying that the NT system was the best. I didn't say it was the best. I said that in a situation, you go for a least worst option. BIB Best for who? In your opinion. Not for me and other non members. How does something that benefit the theatre help non members? The ticket prices might be slightly lower but it's not much use if the best seats are sold by the time the general public get their chance to purchase seats and the NT already receives subsidies. Best in that if the tickets were available on totally "free access" then they would have been purchased in vast numbers by touts, and put on Getmein etc. Then, those who can afford £600 memberships would buy them, the cash going to the tout, not the theatre. This way, tickets are highly traceable and went direct to people who would use them and the National get the cash. For you and everyone else, it keeps the prices lower and lets the National continue to stage this type of work to a level higher than most commercial producers can afford. So, to answer the question, simply, you get to see something - maybe not from exactly where you want to, but you still at least get to see it. I'd also note that my own observation is that though the members grab tickets in the early period, by the second release of tickets, there is plenty. I booked for Gypsy and Funny Girl well after the priority nonsense was over. Fair enough, but just observing that they do use "Priority Booking" as a selling tool. And yes, ATG are rapacious, to say the least. However, other ticket sellers allow priority booking by simply registering interest online and then emailing when tickets are available and they don't charge more for the tickets. All West End chains have priority schemes except RU Theatres (who may yet do so) and Nimax, as do most major venues like Donmar, Almeida etc. Hamilton used the DMT+ scheme, for example. At least the NT haven't gone down the premium seat route. Some theatres have now introduced two levels into this category. Best seats are now at least 3rd best. Still Yes the NT have. Central seats in both the Olivier and Lyttelton have been "premium" since 2015, and are for "Follies" too. Indeed the commercial sector have gone in for "super-premium," "premium" and "sub-premium" - started with Mormon a few years ago. But it doesn't mean they actually sell the seats at those prices, just that they try for it and dynamically price down or up as demand allows. The NT does dynamically price too, as it happens. Costs of staging theatre are now exceptionally high, and it is one tool for keeping other prices lower. I don't like it either, but again, it's a fact of commercial theatre. Still, priority booking at the NT is not quite appropriate for a charity receiving subsidies and although you may not agree, that's my opinion. They have had a membership scheme offering priority booking for decades. I've been a member for over 30 years myself. The only real problem I had was when they split it into tiers, the more you pay, the earlier you can book. I stuck with the lowest tier and use the cash saved to buy more expensive tickets if I need to. There's nothing wrong with tax payers who choose to support the arts taking an extra chance to show that support. The trouble has come, as their new boss observed, with the situation of more demand than tickets available for some productions. That leads us right back to the current debate we are having here about distribution. For the moment, making sure touts don't get the seats is priority, but yes, there is room to look at the system. The big issue being that the pricing currently puts cheapest seats at the front and back, but second cheapest only at the back. That's odd, but a function of the auditorium layout and also need to make up the shortfall they have in funding by maximising income. Remember, when the NT opened, all seats were a single price, and unreserved... as all were considered equal. Which reminds me: don't forget that Orwell was an Etonian, and "Animal Farm" tends to be taught in schools because it seems a "Lefty" book fitting with some teaching unions' political viewpoint. In fact, if you read more Orwell, he doesn't really like the "masses" at all... bit of a con-trick, that one, though in keeping with the spirit of the times in which he wrote. I'm not going to go through and answer all of your post. I'm just glad to have discussed my experience with the NT and to have discussed policies from other theatres/groups. I haven't seen any premium seats on sale at the NT but it's somewhere I've never been before. I did read something about the policy for Hamilton to stop touts getting their hands on tickets. It seems to be wrong to have National Theatre which is a charity and in receipt of subsidies sitting here on the South Bank masquerading as the country's National Theatre when it really appears seems to be a nice little members' club with tickets available to them before Joe Public. That's not very inclusive is it? It just smacks of elitism. All theatre goers are equal, but some theatre goers are more equal than others .... The poster Honoured Guest has come up with a very good suggestion to stop all the best seats being snapped up by members. Let's just hope that this production of Follies is worth all the fuss. I'll be the one at the back. |
|
4,021 posts
|
Post by Dawnstar on May 6, 2017 17:41:41 GMT
The other problem with the National is shows run in rep. So its not like 3 full months of performances have sold out. You have a limited run of a limited run of something with mass appeal. If this was 8 shows per week for 3 months there would still be plenty of availability I didn't even realise it would be in rep until I tried to book yesterday. I thought it was running right through from the end of August to the beginning of November & planned to book some time in the first half of October, only to discover no performances were taking place then, leaving me to scrabble around for any other date that would definintely not clash with potential theatre or holiday dates. I'd been on the NT website the previous evening to make sure I knew where to click etc. on the day but there's no mention on the Follies webspage that it is going to be in rep. Is everyone supposed to know this? I'm a frequent theatregoer but have only been to the National twice before in my life, as I don't want to see most of what they do, so had no idea they did rep rather than continous runs. |
|
83 posts
|
Post by brenth on May 6, 2017 17:58:59 GMT
i just went onto the site and got two tickets for October ...i tried yesterday morning at 8:30 and got to the front of the queue but browser threw me out!
Ive wanted to see this for 30 years and I am very excited (tragic old show queen) I was at the last night of the last London production and Eartha Kitt had to sing 'I'm still here twice' ...If they had dropped a bomb on the Shaftsbury that night every Gay man in London would have gone to Jesus!
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 6, 2017 18:58:31 GMT
We have had two NT shows running in Cardiff this week - Curious Incident and This Country. Which is a way of making the NT more genuinely national. But it does grate that they produce all their shows outside the NT bunker on a commercial basis, to subsidise the members' club on the South Bank.
|
|
4,361 posts
|
Post by shady23 on May 6, 2017 19:24:12 GMT
I'll be the one at the back. I'll be the one without a membership of any kind with a great £15 seat at the front stalls got on public sale, although you continue to refuse to believe such seats were available. |
|
|
|
Post by crabtree on May 6, 2017 22:15:11 GMT
Am I right in thinking that there are some of the ladies' parts still to be cast or finalised....?
|
|
|
|
Post by Mattie on May 6, 2017 22:34:05 GMT
If the National became a members' club for popular productions (as the Donmar has been for years) then I would have a real problem with it. I would also have a problem if all the £15 tickets were snapped up by members. Given that they are partly to encourage new theatregoers, it seems wrong that members have a much higher chance of securing £15 tickets. (Incidentally, the Nick Hytner memoir is really interesting on his attempts to change the pricing structure and encourage new audiences - I highly recommend reading it to those of you interested in this topic!)
However, as a non-member, I was delighted that the booking process for Follies was so much easier than booking for other productions recently has been, and there seemed plenty of options available when I booked. I am therefore not yet concerned that the National has become an exclusive club. Mosquitoes, on the other hand, was effectively only open to members and sold out very quickly. But it's difficult to see what else the National could have done given that it is so popular and there are such a small number of seats.
I do think more could be done by subsidised theatres to make their productions available outside London. It always surprises me that NT Live shows are not available to purchase / download after their very limited cinema broadcasts. Is it really that impossible to negotiate with the cast and creative teams? I think that there is a duty on subsidised theatres to do more to enable all members of the public (who indirectly pay for them) to have easier access to their productions and I would like to see more focus on this. But perhaps somebody better informed can explain why it really is so difficult to make shows available.
|
|
2,302 posts
|
Post by Tibidabo on May 7, 2017 6:58:59 GMT
Am I right in thinking that there are some of the ladies' parts still to be cast or finalised....? @ryan BurlyBeaR(Queue nicely children.) |
|
19,695 posts
|
Post by BurlyBeaR on May 7, 2017 7:53:47 GMT
Am I right in thinking that there are some of the ladies' parts still to be cast or finalised....? @ryan BurlyBeaR (Queue nicely children.) I thought it was fairly obvious that neither Ryan or I are interested in ladies parts  |
|
19,695 posts
|
Post by BurlyBeaR on May 7, 2017 7:56:13 GMT
The other problem with the National is shows run in rep. So its not like 3 full months of performances have sold out. You have a limited run of a limited run of something with mass appeal. If this was 8 shows per week for 3 months there would still be plenty of availability I didn't even realise it would be in rep until I tried to book yesterday. I thought it was running right through from the end of August to the beginning of November & planned to book some time in the first half of October, only to discover no performances were taking place then, leaving me to scrabble around for any other date that would definintely not clash with potential theatre or holiday dates. I'd been on the NT website the previous evening to make sure I knew where to click etc. on the day but there's no mention on the Follies webspage that it is going to be in rep. Is everyone supposed to know this? I'm a frequent theatregoer but have only been to the National twice before in my life, as I don't want to see most of what they do, so had no idea they did rep rather than continous runs. Yes indeed. And in the course of several email exchanges with the box office whilst getting my mate on their access list and me set up as his companion booker did anyone bother to tell me that the dates I was quoting in every email would never be available because the bloody show wasn't even on then. |
|
591 posts
|
Post by lou105 on May 7, 2017 8:10:09 GMT
(Incidentally, the Nick Hytner memoir is really interesting on his attempts to change the pricing structure and encourage new audiences - I highly recommend reading it to those of you interested in this topic!) Available on iPlayer at present, read by the man himself, as it's been Book of the Week on Radio 4. |
|
120 posts
|
Post by aine on May 7, 2017 8:49:46 GMT
I just managed to get a £29 ticket for my birthday in September - when I checked yesterday the cheapest tickets they had for that date (19th) was around £50.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 7, 2017 9:11:07 GMT
There are tickets available for every performance after press night, and there will be more dates announced in the next booking period, so I'm really struggling to see what people are complaining about! (other than BurlyBear's experience on dates with the box office which does seem a bit rubbish!)
|
|
4,155 posts
|
Follies
May 7, 2017 10:11:19 GMT
via mobile
Post by kathryn on May 7, 2017 10:11:19 GMT
I'd been on the NT website the previous evening to make sure I knew where to click etc. on the day but there's no mention on the Follies webspage that it is going to be in rep. Is everyone supposed to know this? I'm a frequent theatregoer but have only been to the National twice before in my life, as I don't want to see most of what they do, so had no idea they did rep rather than continous runs. Yes, the NT is a repertory theatre, usually with multiple shows running in each space, and you are supposed to know this when you book a show. They list the dates each show is playing on its webpage. I guess it's one of those things 'everyone knows' and so they don't state outright (though they do state under 'About Us' that they average 30 productions a year, and could easily add 'in repertory' to that to make it clearer). |
|
364 posts
|
Post by dazzerlump on May 7, 2017 10:39:48 GMT
Tickets are on Viagogo at £113 each plus fees for a back stalls preview!! drives me mad!! lets hope Hamilton gets it right and their method to prevent resale gets rolled out to all events so actual fans of theatre can get tickets at the price they were intended to be sold at!!
|
|
511 posts
|
Post by Deal J on May 7, 2017 10:43:25 GMT
i just went onto the site and got two tickets for October ...i tried yesterday morning at 8:30 and got to the front of the queue but browser threw me out! Ive wanted to see this for 30 years and I am very excited (tragic old show queen) I was at the last night of the last London production and Eartha Kitt had to sing 'I'm still here twice' ...If they had dropped a bomb on the Shaftsbury that night every Gay man in London would have gone to Jesus! That sounds like a fantastic evening - but why did Eartha have to sing it twice? |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 7, 2017 10:59:00 GMT
i just went onto the site and got two tickets for October ...i tried yesterday morning at 8:30 and got to the front of the queue but browser threw me out! Ive wanted to see this for 30 years and I am very excited (tragic old show queen) I was at the last night of the last London production and Eartha Kitt had to sing 'I'm still here twice' ...If they had dropped a bomb on the Shaftsbury that night every Gay man in London would have gone to Jesus! That sounds like a fantastic evening - but why did Eartha have to sing it twice? Cos all the old queens blew a fuse and wouldn't sit down until she did. i was there the night before (Julia MacKenzie had returned for final two days, but it wasn't announced until just before the show started. There were groans at the words "At tonight's performance the part of Sally Durant will be played by.." then cheers as it concluded "Miss Julia MacKenzie". |
|
4,021 posts
|
Post by Dawnstar on May 7, 2017 12:42:22 GMT
Yes, the NT is a repertory theatre, usually with multiple shows running in each space, and you are supposed to know this when you book a show. They list the dates each show is playing on its webpage. I guess it's one of those things 'everyone knows' and so they don't state outright (though they do state under 'About Us' that they average 30 productions a year, and could easily add 'in repertory' to that to make it clearer). All it says on Follies' webpage is "From 22 September", not even an end date, let alone an indication it's only on some of the time. Oh well, I guess I'm too stupid to go to the National Theatre as I didn't know it was rep. Maybe I'd better return my Follies ticket. |
|
1,349 posts
|
Post by CG on the loose on May 7, 2017 13:09:55 GMT
Yes, the NT is a repertory theatre, usually with multiple shows running in each space, and you are supposed to know this when you book a show. They list the dates each show is playing on its webpage. I guess it's one of those things 'everyone knows' and so they don't state outright (though they do state under 'About Us' that they average 30 productions a year, and could easily add 'in repertory' to that to make it clearer). All it says on Follies' webpage is "From 22 September", not even an end date, let alone an indication it's only on some of the time. Oh well, I guess I'm too stupid to go to the National Theatre as I didn't know it was rep. Maybe I'd better return my Follies ticket. I'm not an NT regular either and although I vaguely know somewhere at the back of my mind that they perform in rep, it always takes me by surprise when looking at their schedule. Any knowledge is obvious once you have it... people tend to forget the immensity of what they don't know, some of which will inevitably be blindingly obvious to you, for example  |
|
1,119 posts
|
Follies
May 7, 2017 13:24:29 GMT
via mobile
Post by martin1965 on May 7, 2017 13:24:29 GMT
The other problem with the National is shows run in rep. So its not like 3 full months of performances have sold out. You have a limited run of a limited run of something with mass appeal. If this was 8 shows per week for 3 months there would still be plenty of availability I didn't even realise it would be in rep until I tried to book yesterday. I thought it was running right through from the end of August to the beginning of November & planned to book some time in the first half of October, only to discover no performances were taking place then, leaving me to scrabble around for any other date that would definintely not clash with potential theatre or holiday dates. I'd been on the NT website the previous evening to make sure I knew where to click etc. on the day but there's no mention on the Follies webspage that it is going to be in rep. Is everyone supposed to know this? I'm a frequent theatregoer but have only been to the National twice before in my life, as I don't want to see most of what they do, so had no idea they did rep rather than continous runs. Short answer is yes, you should know this! |
|
4,021 posts
|
Follies
May 7, 2017 13:53:13 GMT
via mobile
Post by Dawnstar on May 7, 2017 13:53:13 GMT
Short answer is yes, you should know this! Apologies for my ignorance. I now feel like I'm not worthy to go the National. So much for a national theatre's presumed remit to encourage theatregoers. |
|
83 posts
|
Post by brenth on May 7, 2017 14:28:33 GMT
i just went onto the site and got two tickets for October ...i tried yesterday morning at 8:30 and got to the front of the queue but browser threw me out! Ive wanted to see this for 30 years and I am very excited (tragic old show queen) I was at the last night of the last London production and Eartha Kitt had to sing 'I'm still here twice' ...If they had dropped a bomb on the Shaftsbury that night every Gay man in London would have gone to Jesus! That sounds like a fantastic evening - but why did Eartha have to sing it twice? Audience insisted and wouldn't stop clapping and yelling till she did! |
|
