With a present and a chocolate along the door. It is a day job for the employees of the Ogterop theater in Meppel. Extra attention is paid to friends of the theatre, a club of regular visitors, as a thank you for support and involvement. That’s not for nothing. The theater is struggling with low visitor numbers and is therefore forced to take action.
“The performances are now running at about 65 percent of before the corona crisis,” says theater director Natalie Straatman. Even with the country’s most famous artists, seats remain empty. “Even the big names don’t get the numbers of visitors that we are used to from the past. Of course that has financial consequences for us.”
anxious
It is a problem that more theaters in Drenthe have. The turnout in Assen, Coevorden and Roden is also less than expected. Straatman has a hunch as to why the seats remain empty. “We notice that everyone has to come back. It is not yet in everyone’s system to go to the theaters again. People do say that they want to come, but are also busy with everything. Some of the visitors are also still a little afraid of corona. There are of course still many infections. So we really have to show people that we are still there and what kind of performances we have. That’s why this action.”
Not all theaters recognize the image, such as the Tamboer in Hoogeveen. The Atlas Theater in Emmen has already had a number of sold-out performances, people often eat a snack beforehand in the theater restaurant. “We notice that our visitors want to go out again for a night out.”
Surprise
One of Ogterop’s friends who was surprised is Jelle Tadema. He thinks it’s a nice gesture, because of the difficult years. “I can imagine that it has all become less due to the corona crisis,” says de Meppeler. He sees that his friends are careful. “They are reluctant and prefer to wait a while, because you are close to each other in the theater. They still have to cross the threshold. That is why this is a great promotion. We have a fantastic theater in Meppel. That is so nice “People just have to go there.”
Discount
To achieve this, Ogterop has also come up with something: people can now become ‘friends of Ogterop’ for free for a year. That gives a few nice advantages, says director Straatman. “They receive the brochure at home and are entitled to buy tickets sooner. This is an advantage for the popular performances. They also receive a discount on a large part of the performances.”
Tadema is convinced that Ogterop will fill the halls again. “I think that will happen. That has not only to do with the bonbon, but also with the fun performances they always have. There is always something for everyone, so go for it!”