Is it worth the effort?

Last Thursday morning started with the alarm going off at 5.00am.

Nothing out of the ordinary there – and judging by the traffic on the roads at that time, I presume it’s a reasonably accepted thing that the day starts before the sun awakes from its slumber for many.

First meeting was at 7am and there was a big day ahead – culminating with the opening night of Open For Inspection at the Darlinghurst Theatre. As I sipped on my first coffee for the day, I realised that there was still more than 12 hours to go before the curtain went up.

The day rolled on as per usual – a meeting here and there, a few things to do in the office and a few fires to put out.

By the time I ventured to the Darlinghurst Theatre, I was dead tired.

A couple of hours later, it was finally time to head home, and about 18 hours after waking up, the head hit the pillow.

My point here is this: Is it all worth it?

Moreso, what makes it worth it for the general person who is considering going to the theatre with no work-related reason to do so?

Mid-week performances are tough business for most shows, and it’s not hard to see why.

You see, when I attended the theatre a hell of a lot more than I do now, I didn’t have nearly the level of work commitments that I do today. Throw in a pretty big day at the office, and the last thing one feels like doing is driving to a theatre, sitting down for two hours and having to focus on what is in front of you.

Much easier to sit at home and watch Two And A Half Men.

The industry faces many challenges, plenty of them easy to overcome, but convincing people to go to the effort of going to the theatre is one that poses a bigger problem.

How do we encourage people to get out off their backside and head to the theatre when they could stay at home, relax and enjoy free entertainment on the couch?

Troy Dodds