Mac Daddy and I are fans of the arts. We used to be frequent fliers at the theater and orchestra before we had kids. We saw shows in our travels to New York City and have been to concerts galore. We have friends who are artists so we are supporters of galleries galore and love to stumble upon artists on all our travels. Mac Daddy and I take Bird and Deal to local galleries and we visit small theaters all over town. Our wish is to expose our sons to the arts and foster a love for them. We want them to appreciate a variety of talents and understand that the world does not revolve around football alone.
I took Bird to see Cats when he was about five. We left at intermission because it’s such a long show for a little kid, but he enjoyed what he saw. We used to listen to the Cats soundtrack all the time, and Bird always turned up Magical Mister Mistoffelees to full blast and danced along. We all saw Blue Man Group in Chicago last summer, and the boys are still talking about it. They’ve been eager to find out what show we’re going to see on an upcoming trip to New York. I had hoped to introduce both boys to the wonders of live theater right here at home.
But it ain’t going to happen any time soon.
Theater has become an unaffordable luxury. Mac Daddy and I had big plans to take Bird and Deal to see some age appropriate shows at the DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center). The venue has been hailed as a fantastic place to see live theater, concerts, or performances of any kind. We had big hopes…and dreams dashed. Even mediocre seats at mid-price were several hundred dollars for the four of us! I weigh every cost against my monthly student loan payment, and Sallie Mae’s gotta always win. I can’t stomach paying more for theater tickets than one month of my student loan payment. It’s simply not affordable.
I am a true believer in the arts and want to foster a love for them in my family, in my school, and in my community. And so it goes, one more thing to make the great divide larger. Even people who earn a healthy living can’t afford a theater performance. What a disappointment.
I’m amazed at how expensive prices for movies, theater & concerts have become. You’re right – it’s often unaffordable for a family. Do they have matinee options?
I agree. I’ve missed a lot of shows because it just adds up.
As a local theatre board member, I say you’re looking in the wrong places. There are over 30 theatres in the triangle that you could take your family to see an entire season with for the cost of one performance at the DPAC. That’s not to say I don’t love those shows, but you’re going to get much more bang for your buck, and support homegrown talent.
Although I find the same cost issues with the theater (I’m probably not looking hard enough), the NC Symphony has a great kids series (Bug Songs coming up on March 10) and costs about $20/ticket. A few years ago we went when they had the Looney Tunes cartoons up on screen and the symphony played the music for it. Cool.
It’s wrong. Prices keep going up, attendance keeps going down. What’s going on? Slippery slope. My kid has been to only one Broadway show, because I got the tickets at a discount.