Mabou venue tries new ideas to lure in audiences.
Inverness County venue tries new ideas to lure in audiences
If anyone knows the importance of having an audience, it’s Tracey E. MacNeil.
MacNeil, the executive director of the Strathspey Performing Arts Centre in Mabou, is considered one of the finest Cape Breton-style piano players around. But whether she’s on stage or getting people to the stage, she knows everything is better when there are people watching the performers.
But lately, there haven’t been as many attending events.
“I really wish I knew why,” MacNeil said recently about declining attendance. “I want people to tell me so that we can correct it and bring people in. It’s a sad state of affairs when there’s nobody in the audience. It changes the dynamic on everything.”
MacNeil says there are many reasons why people may not be coming out to events including changing demographics, different lifestyles, people moving away and even the weather. The average ticket buyer is also growing older.
“It’s typically your empty nesters, 50 and up or 55 and older, are the ones who are buying the tickets.”
MacNeil says the venue has adapted to accommodate the ever-changing fans.
Instead of always using the full 486-seat theatre, they often use just the stage area which can accommodate 110 people. And, because storms have the unfortunate habit of showing up on concert nights, there are next to no events scheduled during January, February and March.
“It’s a risky time to sell a highprofile show,” said MacNeil. “You got to pay the artist’s fee whether five people come or 500 so after taking hit after hit after hit the last couple of years, we just decided to sort of slow that period of time down but of course when you’re doing that, you’ve really got to look at the budgeting too because you have no revenue stream coming in those three months. That tourism season is becoming increasingly important to try and make the money when there is more people around.”
To take advantage of the summer season, Strathspey Centre is launching its first summer concert season, Currents, which will run for seven weeks between July 12 and Aug. 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Artists to be featured include Maxim and Gervais Cormier on July 12; Dave Sampson on July 19; Reeny Smith on July 26; Brent Aucoin on Aug. 2; Keith Mullins on Aug. 9; Sean McCann on Aug. This is the logo of the upcoming Currents music program to run this summer.
16 and Scott Macmillan and Brian Doyle on Aug. 23.
The shows will be held on the stage to offer a more intimate feeling and Cape Breton-made beers, wines and whisky will be available.
“We needed to do something because it’s so difficult to get people to come in to the big theatre,” said MacNeil. “We’re trying to get the word out there in hopes people will start buying some tickets.”
In the meantime, MacNeil would like to encourage people to attend the Old Fashioned
Scottish Super Concert that will take place on April 9. The show is a fundraiser for the centre and will feature a silent auction at 6 p.m., followed by the concert at 7:30 p.m. Performers include Kenneth MacKenzie, Blair MacDonald, Ian MacDougall, Donna Marie DeWolfe, Cyril McPhee, Amanda MacDougall, Lisa Cameron, Vern MacDougall and Coisir an Eilein, a Gaelic singing group from Mabou.