As managing director of Hartford Stage, Michael Stotts said he thinks a lot about the competition his organization faces — and not just from cross-town venues like the Bushnell, but other facilities like XL Center and Infinity Hall, which are all chasing after the same entertainment dollars.
And one of the major challenges right now is keeping pace with consumer demands, particularly the types of amenities fans expect like comfortable seating and luxury boxes.
“There have been many changes in culture and technology over the past years and we need a facility that can compete in this new world,” Stotts said.
To address that concern, Hartford Stage, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, just completed the second phase of a $10 million, multi-year plan to transform its theatre not only to improve the audience experience and drive tickets sales, but also provide artists with a state-of-the-art facility to work in.
“With this most recent phase, we wanted to make a statement that we are focused on our customers’ comfort and convenience,” Stotts said. Key enhancements, which cost just under $800,000, included re-angling two seating banks to improve sitghtlines (all 484 seats were replaced); the addition of more handicapped-accessible seating; new theatre seats and carpeting; hand rails; and the complete refurbishment of the upper lobby and bar.
“During the last renovation in 2010, we expanded the lower lobby, added new, enlarged restrooms, and artistically we made significant improvements to the stage floor to open up more opportunities for production design,” Stotts said.
Actors can now enter from any position under the stage floor, which allows Hartford Stage to use more technology and special effects not found in other venues. Stotts said he hopes that gives Hartford Stage an advantage in attracting bigger and unique productions and more patrons. Early indications are that it’s working, he says, as there has been a steady uptick in the number of subscribers to the organization’s seven-show season, which runs from September through June.
That’s also good news for downtown businesses.
“While we’re an artistic organization, we are also a business,” said Stotts. “We employ 62 full-time employees and we attract more than 90,000 visitors [including 7,500 subscribers] to downtown Hartford each year. This generates nearly $20 million alone in economic activity for the region.”
According to a 2012 report by Americans for the Arts, a Washington, D.C. organization that tracks the economic impact of arts and cultural organizations, the typical arts event attendee nationwide spends an average $24.60, per event, beyond the cost of admission.
The report, which looked specifically at Hartford, noted that the Capital City’s arts community is a significant industry in the region, generating more than $240 million in economic activity. This spending — $148 million by arts and cultural organizations and an additional $82 million in event-related spending by their audiences — supports nearly 6,900 jobs, generates $190 million in household income to local residents and delivers more than $21 million in state and local revenue.
“We’re one of the reasons people come to Hartford,” Stotts said. “We’re an important economic driver.”
The state’s Department of Economic and Community Development is providing $2.5 million in funding to support Hartford Stage’s current upgrades, in addition to $2 million in funding for the first phase in 2010. This investment will also fund next summer’s final enhancements: the addition of an elevator to make the entire theatre handicapped accessible; finishes to the lower lobby; renovations to the dressing rooms and costume shop; and new windows, glass doors, lighting and signage.
In terms of the 2014-2015 season, Hartford Stage has a $5.5 million production budget and will showcase a diverse range of shows including: Hamlet, A Christmas Carol, which has become an annual staple now in its 16th year, and the musical Kiss Me Kate, in addition to a variety of smaller productions. One new play will be Ether Dome, about Hartford’s well-known dentist Horace Wells who discovered anesthesia.
