Discover Theatre Initiative

Live theatre faces major challenges in maintaining audiences and reaching out to new audiences in the face of an entertainment environment that offers more options for audiences than ever before. According to studies conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts, audiences have declined for live, non-musical theatre since 2002. In addition to new technology creating more competing entertainment choices, live theatre also faces problems of perception that skew audience attitudes. Conventional views of live theatre as “high art” meant only for elite audiences as well as perceptions of live theatre being expensive and addressing issues unrelated to the average entertainment consumer have hurt attendance. In response, Hub Theatre Group announces its new program, the “Discover Theatre Initiative.” The idea behind the DTI is to identify groups to invite to watch HTG plays at no charge, particularly those groups representing people that may not be regular theatregoers or potential theatregoers that don’t have the means to regularly attend theatre. The hope is that eradicating barriers to access will expose them to the compelling nature of live theatre represented in Hub Theatre Group’s special brand of acclaimed and socially conscious offerings.