Growing a Theatre Audience Takes Time

(Or: Why Aren’t There Bigger Audiences Already?!)

Let’s be honest—if growing a theatre audience were easy, every actor would be an influencer, every director would have a podcast, and Broadway would be doing stadium tours with Taylor Swift as the opening act. But theatre—wonderfully stubborn, deeply human theatre—insists on being real, live, and local.

And when it comes to building an audience?

It. Takes. Time.

Every year, as the curtain closes on one season, a new drama begins—behind the scenes, in board rooms and coffee-fueled meetings, as we face the ultimate theatrical challenge: choosing the next season of shows.

You might think it’s a glamorous process filled with instant inspiration and creative harmony. Oh, dear reader, if only.

Let’s talk about theatre—the world’s sassiest, most charming con artist. Because here’s what it does: while you’re sitting there laughing, crying, or trying to discreetly open your Twizzlers during a dramatic pause, theatre is over here teaching you things. Deep, heavy, complex things. And it’s doing it in a ball gown. With jazz hands.

As we’re coming up on two years since we brought Puffs: Or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic to the stage, I find myself reflecting on what this show meant to all of us—and what it continues to mean, even after the final curtain fell. It’s been a journey that resonated deeper than we could have imagined, and as time passes, the message of the show only grows stronger. As I look back, I realize: I’m a Puff, and I’m staying—and I know many of you are, too.

Auditioning is a vulnerable act. It takes courage to put yourself out there, to step onto a stage and hope that someone sees what you have to offer. At West Valley Arts, we don’t take that courage lightly. We understand that theatre isn’t just about putting on a show—it’s about building a community where people feel supported, challenged, and valued.

"Why Aren’t All Your Shows Family-Friendly?" (AKA: Why Did That Actor Just Say That Word?!)

Great question! And one we hear from time to time, usually right after someone gives us a look that says, “Did they really just say that?!” (To which we reply, “Yep, we did.”)

Let’s be real—big, flashy theatre productions are like a giant cake covered in gold-leaf frosting. Impressive? Sure. Delicious? Maybe. But if there’s nothing tasty underneath, you’re just eating expensive air. Theatre is the same way: all the moving sets, dazzling projections, and pyrotechnics in the world can’t make up for a story that falls flat.

There’s a quote from Shakespeare in Love that’s become a bit of an inside joke for those of us in the arts. Anytime someone asks how we manage to pull off what feels impossible—mounting productions on tight timelines, bringing together diverse teams, turning a blank stage into a world full of life—the answer is often delivered with a shrug:

“I don’t know. It’s a mystery.”

During one of our recent "Feed the Artist" segments at a board meeting, our Board of Trustees Chair, Kate Rufener, brought up Oskar Eustis's 2018 TED Talk, "Why Theater is Essential to Democracy." After watching the talk, I couldn’t help but feel that Eustis had a powerful message about how theater and democracy are more closely tied than most of us realize. It’s not something we often think about, but when you dig into it, theater is one of the oldest forms of democratic discourse.

Have you ever thought about what makes you love where you live?

Peter Kageyama, who wrote Love Where You Live, says it’s not just about having good roads or decent weather. It’s about the things that make a place feel special—the little moments that make us proud to call our city home.

And honestly? That’s exactly why the arts matter so much to our community.

At West Valley Arts, we’re not just putting on plays or hosting events for the sake of staying busy. We’re helping create the kinds of experiences that make people stop and say, “Wow, I love it here.”

When planning each season at West Valley Arts, we ask ourselves the same question:

What stories need to be told right now—right here, on the west side?

This year, A Chorus Line was an easy answer.

At West Valley Arts, we’re committed to bringing high-quality, professional theatre to the west side at a price that remains affordable and accessible. But what many people may not realize is that ticket sales cover only about 25% of our total operating costs.