With the new national assembly restrictions Daile Theater about 200 spectators will lose every night, the theater board member admitted Juris Žagars.
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He explained that while cultural events could gather up to 500 people, the Daile Theater could accommodate 480 spectators in the Great Hall and 100 spectators in the Small Hall, but now the Great Hall could accommodate 300 spectators, provided that the Great and Small Hall performances start at different times. to ensure that human flows do not intersect.
A member of the board of Daile Theater explained that currently the flows of spectators in the Great and Small Halls are separated, both entering and leaving the theater.
“In the big hall, we lose between 150 and 180 spectators every night because the tickets were sold out relatively well. We have regrouped and counted on the number of such spectators in December. Of course, this adjusts our revenue plan. We calculated that , our balance will remain positive this year, “said Žagars, adding that it is currently difficult to predict what will happen next year.
Asked what was happening to spectators who had bought tickets when the number of visitors allowed in the theater was still 500, Žagars said that this issue has already been resolved. Spectators who bought tickets before the new rules came into force have been identified and communicated with by the Daile Theater.
Žagars explained that the audience is offered two options – to watch the show at another time in January or December or to get back the money. If viewers agree to watch the show at another time, then they get the opportunity to buy a ticket to any other show with a 25% discount. As the spectators of the Daile Theater have come towards the theater, so does the theater, Žagars emphasized.
“So far, there have been no disputes and difficult situations that could not be resolved. Communication with the audience is quite successful, because they understand the situation that it is not the theatre’s desire, but the country’s restrictions. From December, we will not sell more than 300 tickets to show in the Great Hall, “said Žagars.
Asked whether there is a possibility that the Daile Theater will turn to the Ministry of Culture (KM) for help due to the losses resulting from the decrease in the number of spectators, Žagars replied that this issue is not relevant for the theater yet, as there are some reserves. He said that if the situation did not get worse, the Daile Theater could survive until the new year.
At the same time, however, Žagars emphasized that there are currently a couple of unanswered questions. For example, it is not really clear what will happen if people stop buying tickets and do not come to the theater, despite the fact that it will be allowed and performances will be able to take place with 300 spectators in the hall. A member of the board of Daile Theater expressed the understanding that people have a certain amount of insecurity, fear and this may affect their desire to buy tickets. In that case, the theater would have to adjust the revenue plan again.
The second worst case scenario is a possible emergency situation, when the performance of performances would be completely stopped. “I assume that the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Finance (MoF) have a plan, as in such a situation, if the revenue flow stopped completely, we could still keep the balance at zero,” Žagars said.
Asked whether such a scenario is being discussed in the corridors of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Finance, Žagars replied that a remote meeting of heads of state and municipal theaters and state concert organizations and regional concert halls on the Zoom platform took place on Thursday, where Minister of Culture Nauris Puntulis The Minister stated that the Ministry of Culture is modeling different scenarios in case an emergency situation may have to be declared.
“I think this is normal. Given the experience gained in the spring, both the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Finance should definitely be the worst case scenario. I am sure that is definitely the case, because otherwise it could not be. I can’t imagine that serious politicians would allow don’t expect a dramatic end to the second wave, a general “lockdown”, “said Zagars.
Speaking about the current volumes of ticket sales, the theater manager emphasized that they have fallen and had to be taken into account, given the psychological climate in society. A member of the board of Daile Theater pointed out that in September the theater experienced a relatively large increase in ticket sales, however, in the second half of October the decline was halved, if not more.
“People are currently reserved because, for example, they may have to cancel a show. The show involves quite a lot of human resources – actors and technicians. If someone gets sick, they have to go in isolation, including contacts. “The risk is undoubtedly. People buy tickets at the last minute. It must be said that currently the purchase indicators are not growing, they are clearly decreasing,” stressed Žagars.
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