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Woodside Musical Theatre has kicked off its energetic, fun performance of “The Wedding Singer.” The show, which began late last month, was its first since 2023 and the 45th in the organization’s 68-year history.
While that’s an illustrious run, WMT Board Member Nancy Fitzgerald warns that there could be fewer opportunities to perform in, or see, live theatre in the future.
“Unless people in the community get involved by coming to see the shows, support the theatre through their business, or support the theatre through their donations; it will go away,” Fitzgerald said.
Recent struggles have led the organization to put on only three shows in the last six years. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many local professional and nonprofit theaters have performed less or even shut down.
It’s the financial reality of running a theater company in the post-pandemic era. Though WMT’s cast and crew are volunteers, the group still faces costs for rehearsal and performance spaces, costumes, sets and more. Ticket sales remain its main source of revenue.
Theatre Communication Group, in their “Theatre Facts 2023” report, estimated that 27 million people attended not-for-profit theatre in 2023. That’s a huge number, but 25% lower than pre-COVID.
“[Revenues and expenditures] used to be very close,’ Fitzgerald said. “But when cost went up, and audiences went down, that gap between became much bigger.”
It’s also a different world for performers. Samantha Ayoob, who stars as Julia Sullivan in “The Wedding Singer,” been “learning how to navigate this new era of health consciousness.”
“Back in the day, if you were sick, you still performed,” Ayoob said. “You would just fight through it. I performed with (a) 100-degree fever one time… Now, you have to be so much more conscious of yourself and other people.”
But being physically together is part of the draw for local performers.
“We’re just a bunch of people who like to do theatre,” Fitzgerald said. It’s really (about) the people, and we just find a home wherever we can. I just love that, the community aspect of it. I love that the people involved have been friends for a really long time.
These performers also draw energy from a full audience.
“Live theatre is one of the last places that you know for sure what you’re seeing is real,” Fitzgerald said. “The interactivity between the (performers and the audience) is visceral. It’s a human exchange of energy, which I think is really important these days.”
Tickets for “The Wedding Singer” start at $40, which is affordable, but have grown as the cost of running a show has increased. Even at that price, Fitzgerald knows WMT can’t continue with just ticket sales
“In general, ticket sales cover about 50 percent of the cost of a show,” Fitzgerald shared. “… The only way to really stay afloat is to control your costs. So that’s what we do. We do everything we can, for as cheap as we can, so that our ticket sales will get us closer to our cost, but it still only gets about 50-to-60 percent of that cost, so we have to raise the other 40.”
That support pays off, not just in community connection but economic impact. The Theatre Communications Group estimated that nonprofit theaters added $3.6 billion to the economy in 2023.
That’s not to say you should just give away your money to local theatre. WMT and other regional theatres put on a good show. In 2023, TCG estimated that nonprofit theaters added $3.6 billion to the economy.
So why go see WMT’s latest production?
“It’s three hours of a good time, having fun, and seeing all this hard work,” Ayoob offered. “And when you go in with the mindset of how much it takes to put on a show, it’s that much better.”
“If you’re not in that chair, you’re missing out,” Fitzgerald said. “Our Number 1 goal for this show was we’re gonna have fun… Whatever happens on that stage, we’re gonna be having a ball. So far, I think we’re doing it. I think we’re having a good time.”
“The Wedding Singer” performs Oct. 3-5 and 10-12. Visit their website to purchase tickets, make a donation, or learn more about upcoming performance opportunities.
