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Attendance dips a bit at OSF, Britt Festivals By BILL VARBLE Reflecting a national trend, attendance this mid-summer is down slightly for the Southern Oregon entertainment scene's major players. Total attendance at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival through its 21st week was 184,026. Last year it was 186,285. The OSF's three theaters are running at a combined 91 percent of capacity for the year, compared with 93 percent at this time last year. At the Britt Festivals, ticket sales through July 11 were down about 4 percent from last year, with about 54,600 seats sold versus about 57,000 at the same point last year. In both cases, the drops follow attendance records set last year. Perhaps reflecting a sluggish economy, attendance around the nation has slipped at such popular destinations as Disney World in Orlando, Fla., and Disneyland and the newer California Adventure in California. In Ashland, Shakespeare has been hurt by the weak performance of "Troilus and Cressida." In Jacksonville, Britt has had some surprising disappointments. "Part of it is due to our schedule," Shakespeare spokeswoman Amy Richard said. "Last year we had 'Hamlet,' '12th Night' and 'The Taming of the Shrew.' This year, we don't." The festival's Black Swan Theatre is at 98 percent of its capacity for the season, the same mark as last year. The Angus Bowmer Theatre is at 90 percent of capacity versus 91 percent last year. The Elizabethan Theatre is at 91 percent, versus 100 percent last year. "The Merchant of Venice" and "The Merry Wives of Windsor" are at 100 percent. "Troilus and Cressida" is at 74 percent. At Britt, sales have picked up after a slow start. Britt's pre-season ticket sales to members slipped 16 percent from last year. "Given the stock market and the economy and the slowdown everybody is experiencing, I don't feel too bad," Britt General Manager Ron McUne said. "We work with a lot of presenters, and from what we hear, they're all down." Last year saw the all-time attendance record set at Britt, with almost 70,000 tickets sold, a 12 percent improvement over 1999. Several shows have had surprisingly weak sales, McUne said. Al Jarreau sold only 900 tickets. Nanci Griffith, a hit here previously, has sold only 900 for an Aug. 20 show. Dr. John sold about 1,000, or half what he did at Britt a few years ago. The American Indian Dance Theater has sold 700 seats for two performances. It sold 1,700 in its last show here. Rodney Crowell and Jerry Jeff Walker (July 27) have sold just 850 tickets. Richard says the festival doesn't seem to be much affected by economic ups and downs. "We have a membership that's really loyal," she says. "They look for the brochure in the fall and place their orders. "Libby (Appel, OSF's artistic director) said last week in a discussion with the American Association of Theatre Critics that if the economy is poor, maybe they don't go to Paris, but they still come to Ashland." The outdoor summer season opened the first week in June and runs into early October. Four indoor plays opened in mid-February, two of which continue through the end of the season in late October. The last of the festival's 11 offerings of the season, Anton Chekhov's "Three Sisters," opens July 28. Seven Britt shows have sold out: Lyle Lovett, Ani DiFranco, The Wallflowers, The Righteous Brothers, Peter, Paul and Mary, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and The Neville Brothers. Last week was a good one for attendance at Shakespeare, with the three theaters together at 96 percent of capacity. Even "Troilus" had a relatively good week, selling 89 percent of its seats. Artistic director Peter Alzado of Actors Theater in Talent, which has an annual budget of about $170,000, says attendance has been strong this summer, although it was off about 20 percent for two spring shows compared to spring a year earlier. Jim Giancarlo of Oregon Cabaret Theatre in Ashland said that after a somewhat lackluster spring, attendance has picked up. "We always do well in the summer," he said. With a season stretching from September through May, the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater in Medford is not part of the summer sweepstakes. Reach reporter Bill Varble at 776-4478 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.