To the editors:
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And, that is why, as recently as 1961, there wasn’t a single resident professional theatre in the Chicago area (the Goodman was then a drama school), and only four such companies in the nation. It wasn’t that such projects didn’t open. They constantly opened. The problem was that they closed summarily, unable to attract those “slothful, fickle” single ticket buyers (who I have by now excoriated on five continents) in sufficient numbers.
Theoretically, but not likely, Remains could “make it” without subscription, especially if it, somehow, did ring the “hit bell” every time out. But where will its contributor support come from? Single ticket buyers–when and if they show up–are notoriously impervious to fund appeals, while a great many of the “saintly season subscribers” consistently express their sense of belonging by sending contribution checks. And, does Remains have the means to keep promoting and selling every single performance of the season? It can cost as much–in money and effort–to sell a single ticket as it does a subscription, which covers the entire season.
