Bring ‘Em Back Alive
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Leonard says a new task force will attack the issue, but the LCT will have to present a united front, pulling back into the fold a number of organizations that place ads on their own or through other channels. Independent off-Loop productions, such as the long-running The Irish…and How They Got That Way at the Mercury Theater, can often negotiate better deals on their own, because they don’t have to pay the LCT’s service charge. Some small theaters, like Chicago Shakespeare Theater, have grown large enough to have their own staffers handle advertising. And according to Halperin, some large theaters like the Shubert and Marriott haven’t participated in the co-op for some time (though Marriott producer Kary Walker preceded Leonard as board president).
Bragan’s program cut those ad-placement service charges in half, and companies large and small responded; newcomers such as the Chicago Association for the Performing Arts, which operates the Chicago Theatre, place ads through the A.R.T. League, as do some small companies like Famous Door Theatre Company. Because Bragan has refused to go away, the LCT has had to lower its service fees over the past couple years, particularly for smaller companies. But Leonard would like to see as many theaters as possible get on board with the co-op. “It would certainly make the league a more powerful entity,” he says. One well-placed source says the LCT has discussed forcing its members to buy advertising through the co-op, though Leonard made no mention of this. Says Bragan, “If they tried that, they would have a lawsuit on their hands the next day.”
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Jon Randolph.
