The presale for the new theater season has started again almost everywhere, but except for big names such as Youp van ‘t Hek and Peter Pannekoek, people are a bit reluctant to buy tickets. “The aftermath of corona is still clearly noticeable, and the virus has of course not gone away yet.”
Steven Visser of Theater De Maagd in Bergen op Zoom notices that people more often choose to buy a ticket for a performance at the last minute instead of well in advance in advance. “The big names are the exception, such as comedians Ronald Goedemond and Van der Laan & Woe. They are sold out in no time,” says Visser.
“The lesser-known stuff, visitors are a bit hesitant about that.”
“The lesser-known stuff, visitors are a bit hesitant about that,” he says. “That may have to do with the fear that performances in the winter period will again be canceled because the corona virus might rear its head again. And at the same time, everything has of course become more expensive, such as groceries and fuel, a reason to cut your budget. to keep.”
At theater Markant in Uden, the public also prefers an evening out in the short term. “For the coming months we will attract quite full halls, although we are not at the level of before the corona crisis,” says Sjoerd Boue of the Udense theater. “We notice that people like to see a performance again and are willing to pay for it. But it remains to be seen whether we will see a trend that our audience dares to plan a little further ahead.”
It is a development that leisure expert Goof Lukken of the Breda University of Applied Sciences recognizes. “At the beginning of the corona period, we already saw that the elderly in particular were reluctant to visit a performance for fear of infections. And that has not changed, they are still cautious, especially because we do not know whether there will be a new one in the autumn. corona wave follows.”
Since the last lockdown, we have mainly been looking at outings and holidays for the near future, says Lukken. “The experience of two years of corona has taught us that sometimes the light is green, but it can also jump to orange or red again. That is why it is often only decided at the last minute to go somewhere.”
“We have lost a bit of planning the agenda completely.”
“And what many are now realizing is that a walk through nature can be just as relaxing as a theater performance,” he continues. “We have lost a bit of planning the agenda completely.”
At pop venues they don’t work with a traditional kick-off of the cultural season, but at Mezz in Breda they notice that ticket sales are lagging behind compared to the past.
“People are hesitant, because the virus still hasn’t gone away.”
“The aftermath of corona is certainly still noticeable,” says Jessica van der Werf of Mezz. “People are hesitant to buy a ticket, because the virus has still not gone away. Many people have also moved tickets from shows that had to be canceled at the time.”
At the Parktheater in Eindhoven, ticket sales for the new season will not start until June 25. Tickets are already available for some performances for next year. “The shows by Peter Pannekoek and Fred van Leer and the musical Les Miserables, those tickets are flying out,” says Geertje van Geel of the Eindhoven theater.
She cannot say anything about how regular ticket sales will go. “But we do take into account that it may be disappointing because a visit to the theater is a luxury product, which people may not immediately spend their money on.”