Is Ottawa just a hockey city? Is there no room in our busy schedules and thin wallets to support local arts and culture? That’s what Steve Martin, owner of the Gladstone Theatre, said earlier this month to the Ottawa Citizen about his decision to put the fledgling theatre up for sale.
Martin went so far as to say Ottawans “won’t support live theatre.”
It could be true, but it seems more likely that a lackluster product and a lack of knowledge on how to properly market and draw crowds to productions was to blame for the Gladstone Theatre’s financial woes.
In the same Ottawa Citizen article, Martin admitted that his experience lies in dancing and acting – not running successful businesses. And it’s no secret the theatre wasn’t exactly a labour of love for Martin, who said he won’t be sad to see the theatre go. He hastened to add that if the theatre were to sell out the next few shows, he would hold on to it. At $40 a ticket, it’s unlikely.
The community, at this point, is likely wondering who Martin is asking us to support? Live theatre or his pocket book?
Just as Martin looks at the Gladstone as a bad investment, so, perhaps, do the audiences he was trying to attract over the last year.
Despite economic factors that have seen residents all over Canada tighten purse strings and pinch pennies, and increasing distractions from smartphones, social media and must-see TV, Centretown residents have been especially supportive of arts and culture in their community.
Other businesses in Centretown which provide arts and culture experiences are thriving.
If it were the case that Ottawa was merely a city focused on games between the Sens and the Leafs, examples of these thriving businesses, most of which are just blocks from the Gladstone Theatre, would be difficult to find. They are not.
Perhaps the missing theatre-goers are not attending hockey games (some, of course, are happily doing so) but are at Absolute Comedy on Preston Street, whose amateur night sells out every Wednesday, or dancing to a local DJ during a packed night at The Standard on Elgin Street, or even enjoying a meal at locally owned Town Restaurant down the street.
Arts and culture venues, including theatres, rely on their owners or managers to create a marketable experience to attract people who are going to fork over hard-earned cash to buy their products or see their productions.
At the base of it, a theatre is a business – when the business fails, or in this case, fails to produce the lucrative returns that were expected – it does not reflect the quality of a community but the quality of the business.