Read the full article by Patti Roberts at Sacramento News & Review
The news that iconic theaters across the country are closing has recently sent shockwaves through the American arts community. Mark Taper Forum, a groundbreaking Los Angeles theater since 1967, announced in June that it was pausing its productions, joining other regional theaters around the nation who are ceasing or postponing productions, laying off staff and cutting production costs.
Many theaters have seen a decline in attendance after the COVID shutdowns and haven’t solved the problem of bringing audiences back to live productions. They are also facing the challenges of aging theater patrons, a lack of regular local media coverage and having to compete against myriad streaming platforms.
The latest survey by the National Endowment for the Arts and Census, conducted in 2022, found that 10.3% of American adults attended a musical last year, down from 16.5% in 2017; only 4.5% attended a play, down from 9.4%.
And here in Sacramento, a heartbreaking reality is setting in as one of the city’s beloved and the longest-running theater companies is reportedly facing an uncertain future. The Sacramento Theatre Company, STC, which officially opened in 1945 and has provided continuous productions over the years, could see its stage go dark in the near future, according to individuals familiar with the situation.