Performing Arts

Performing Arts Trends, from Europe to the U.S., Big State and Small Stage

Performing arts has been an entertainment choice for people for as long as mankind gathered for fun. Beginning around the time of Shakespeare in the 1500's, the performing arts started to become a stage-based method of entertainment. Shakespeare and his friends would perform for crowds out of the back of an old wagon, creating the first raised stage. From there, they began performing on stages, such as the Globe and the Black Swan. Crowds would gather en masse to watch the actors and actresses recite their lines and go all out to entertain the crowd. In the early days, the performing arts were as popular and celebrated as Hollywood players are today.

Now, however, many view the performing arts as somewhat high-brow and inaccessible. This is largely due to the high ticket prices that the performing arts must instate in order to make back some of the money they sink into the stage sets, salary for actors and backstage folks, and venue. While many performing arts productions have a difficult time yielding an income, many have developed strategies for drawing in the crowds. Here is a brief overview of some of the most popular trends in the performing arts:

Head to the city

Large cities are hotbeds for the performing arts. While this has been the case for as long as the performing arts have been in existence, recent research has shown that the performing arts is struggling to survive in smaller cities. The most popular cities for the performing arts are New York and London. While New York has the famous Broadway theater district, London as an equally as renowned West End theater district. Depending on your budget, you may be better off to head to London if you are looking to see many shows in one trip. London theater is often much less expensive than Broadway and it is more of a mainstream event, bringing in folks wearing jeans, tuxedos and everything in between.

Smaller towns generally do not offer large discounts for individuals to attend the theater, like London and New York may. However, in addition to small towns, you may benefit from traveling to mid-sized cities. Las Vegas has become a popular forum for unusual performing arts shows. While these performing arts are not necessarily limited to theater, they bring in huge crowds of people interested in grand shows, such as the Cirque du Soleil or celebrated music acts.

Read the papers

From time to time there is a performing arts event that captures the hearts and attention of millions of people. Generally, it is a single show that proves to consistently sell out at the box office. Or, it could be a certain actor who is performing in a show for a limited time. When someone or something huge happens in the performing arts, there is an influx in interest and ticket sales. If you like to stay on top of what's going on in regional, national or international performing arts, be sure to read the papers regularly. Many performing arts fans like to stay in close touch with what's going on and hate to miss even a week of excitement.

Performing arts is a popular method of entertainment that both inspires audiences and touches their hearts. Nearly every city and town has some sort of venue for the performing arts, be it a small stage, an outdoor amphitheater or a full-scale theater that seats hundreds. No matter where you are from, it is possible too stay on top of performing arts trends and to indulge your senses regularly, as long as you take the time to diligently plan. Be sure to stay tuned in order to access the best that performing arts venues have to offer. After all, who could miss a show-stopping performance of the century!