Comments on: Where They Are When They’re Not Here http://www.2amtheatre.com/2010/03/11/where-they-are-when-theyre-not-here/ thinking outside the black box... Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:04:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: ericziegenhagen http://www.2amtheatre.com/2010/03/11/where-they-are-when-theyre-not-here/comment-page-1/#comment-77 ericziegenhagen Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:08:51 +0000 http://www.2amtheatre.com/?p=338#comment-77 What I'm suggesting here is that dinner, especially at prix-fixe venues like Le Pigeon, has become the performative, theatrical event itself. Instead of coming before or after the show, it is the show. It's the night's entertainment. It's how people want to spend $50 a head (or more) on a Friday night. It competes with theaters for folks who are That's the major change that has happened in the past decade. The word "Foodie" didn't exist in 1995; now it has nearly 4 million matches on Google. I would suggest that today's equivalent of the "smart set" that followed playwrights in the 1950s and 1960s now follows chefs.<br><br>This video, posted yesterday at Chicagoist, shows one venue competing with theaters--no one would eat here and then go to a show. This is the show:<br><br><a href="http://chicagoist.com/2010/03/15/detailed_the_chef_michael_carlson_o.php" rel="nofollow">http://chicagoist.com/2010/03/15/detailed_the_c...</a> What I'm suggesting here is that dinner, especially at prix-fixe venues like Le Pigeon, has become the performative, theatrical event itself. Instead of coming before or after the show, it is the show. It's the night's entertainment. It's how people want to spend $50 a head (or more) on a Friday night. It competes with theaters for folks who are That's the major change that has happened in the past decade. The word “Foodie” didn't exist in 1995; now it has nearly 4 million matches on Google. I would suggest that today's equivalent of the “smart set” that followed playwrights in the 1950s and 1960s now follows chefs.

This video, posted yesterday at Chicagoist, shows one venue competing with theaters–no one would eat here and then go to a show. This is the show:

http://chicagoist.com/2010/03/15/detailed_the_c…

]]> By: Jim Royce http://www.2amtheatre.com/2010/03/11/where-they-are-when-theyre-not-here/comment-page-1/#comment-76 Jim Royce Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:09:20 +0000 http://www.2amtheatre.com/?p=338#comment-76 This observation is not especially new but is well worth remembering, especially with restaurants all around any theatre in the country. When Wolfgang Puck opened his first restaurant in San Francisco, one block away from A.C.T., in 1988, it was an instant hit. The majority of his tables were for four and aimed at the three hour meal with conversation. But he missed one important strategy: getting people to reserve before 7:30pm in significant numbers. I was Marketing Director at A.C.T. at the time and I approached the restaurant manager to offer a theatre goers special. I would help advertise dinner at 6, if he would promote a theatre-goers menu at a special price. It worked because restaurants need early reservations. An who makes the best early bird: theatre-goers, end of day shoppers, etc. Lesson: work with your nearby restaurants. Some may even pay for parking and a shuttle. They do in downtown Los Angeles, nearby the Music Center, home of the Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre. This observation is not especially new but is well worth remembering, especially with restaurants all around any theatre in the country. When Wolfgang Puck opened his first restaurant in San Francisco, one block away from A.C.T., in 1988, it was an instant hit. The majority of his tables were for four and aimed at the three hour meal with conversation. But he missed one important strategy: getting people to reserve before 7:30pm in significant numbers. I was Marketing Director at A.C.T. at the time and I approached the restaurant manager to offer a theatre goers special. I would help advertise dinner at 6, if he would promote a theatre-goers menu at a special price. It worked because restaurants need early reservations. An who makes the best early bird: theatre-goers, end of day shoppers, etc. Lesson: work with your nearby restaurants. Some may even pay for parking and a shuttle. They do in downtown Los Angeles, nearby the Music Center, home of the Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre.

]]> By: Sterling Lynch http://www.2amtheatre.com/2010/03/11/where-they-are-when-theyre-not-here/comment-page-1/#comment-74 Sterling Lynch Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:51:43 +0000 http://www.2amtheatre.com/?p=338#comment-74 A very useful post because it thoughtfully applies the adage, "know your audience" and provides instructive examples to support the analysis. Thank you. A very useful post because it thoughtfully applies the adage, “know your audience” and provides instructive examples to support the analysis. Thank you.

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