Has theater in Calgary really recovered from the pandemic?

After COVID-19 shutdowns and restrictions closed the curtain on live shows, a new report from Statistics Canada found that 2022 was the first full year of recovery across performing arts industries.

With the return of live shows and touring, performing arts experienced significant revenue growth in both the not-for-profit and for-profit industries.

But some theater companies in Calgary said they're not seeing audiences come back to pre-pandemic levels — and the increased cost of living plays a huge factor.

Oliver Armstrong, producer at One Yellow Rabbit, a local ensemble company of theater artists, said around 50 per cent to two-thirds of audiences returned last year. 

"People's spending habits changed during the pandemic," Armstrong said. "We are also seeing the cost of living go up too, so that was another factor changing people's minds on how to spend and what to spend on."

Ghost River Theatre's artistic director Eric Rose said those numbers are similar for his theater as well. They premiered two major works this season — Struck and Makambe Speaks —  but Rose said they only got half the audience they were expecting.

Although these theaters and others haven't seen a full audience return, other performing arts companies said they are seeing metrics of success: Arts Commons' president and chief operating officer Alex Sarian said their 2022 summer season was the busiest in the company's 40 year history. 

Vertigo Theatre's artistic director Jack Grinhaus said although he also hasn't seen the audience come back in its entirety, season subscription sales are some of the highest he's seen in 10 years with almost 900 new subscribers. 

'Dinner or a play'

But that success hasn't been the experience of some companies, many of which are smaller or lack resources. Grinhaus said he's also seen audiences become more selective with their spending.

"Even as a growing, looming recession comes into play, people still want to come out [to] the theater.

"It's just that they're being more choosy about what they come out for. Somebody said to me recently 'it used to be dinner and a play, and now they choose dinner or a play.'" 

Research from Stone Olafson, a Calgary-based private research and consulting firm, showed that Albertans are spending a high portion of their income on basic living expenses. Their January 2023 survey of 1,002 Edmontonians and Calgarians showed 28 per cent of the market has reported a sustained decrease in household income. 

But that hasn't stopped live shows altogether. Sarian pointed out that the recent success of large-scale concerts and other shows point to a big audience demand for entertainment.

"It's interesting to watch how consumers and audience members are gravitating very quickly towards certain kinds of events but not to others," Sarian said.

"You take a look at events like Stampede, which just had its second busiest attendance in a hundred years. You look at things like Taylor Swift announcing her Toronto concert dates a year and a half from now and already getting sold out."

Sarian suggested arts companies have to adapt their strategies to meet the demands of a post-pandemic audience — one that's become more particular with the kinds of experiences they'll pay to have.

Cuts to funding for the arts

But consumer habits are only part of the story. 

Both One Yellow Rabbit and Ghost River Theatre said the province's cuts to funding for the Alberta Foundation for the Arts over the past years isn't helping an already struggling arts scene.

The Alberta Foundation for the Arts provides funding to Alberta artists and art organizations. Since 2009, the province's budget has cut the foundation's funding by 27 per cent — almost $10 million dollars.

Rose said government funding is critical for struggling arts organizations to survive, especially given the high cost of living. He added that paying artists fairly and providing them with benefits is of utmost importance to him and more funding would help make that happen.

"What we need is actually a broader base of funding so that we can actually help audiences come back," he said.