“In a city with a thriving Amateur Theatre Scene, but where performance spaces can be hard to find, a Community Theatre and Arts Centre should be a valuable resource...
Unfortunately, the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre (DUCTAC) is a Community Theatre in name only. A recent change in management has seen the cost of hiring the Kilachand Studio Theatre for a 3 night run rise from 12,000 AED to 32,500 AED. This makes the theatre too expensive for Community Theatre Groups to use, as I shall demonstrate:
The seating capacity of the Kilachand is 150, and a reasonable ticket price for an Amateur show is 50 AED. If a group were to sell-out 5 performances over 3 days (3 eve, 2 mat), maximum ticket revenue would be 37,500 AED. DUCTAC will then take 15% of all ticket sales leaving 31,875 AED. The show has already lost 625 AED, and this is before any production costs have been taken into account. Amateur Theatre Groups operate on a not-for-profit basis, but should generally expect to be self-funding. With DUCTAC expecting to swallow more money than a production can possibly make, even this target becomes unattainable.
So, a "Community" Theatre and Arts Centre that is too expensive for the Community to use. How does this make sense? It also leads to another question; if the Kilachand is now too expensive for Amateur Theatre groups to use, who is going to use it instead? Is it really preferable to have a well-equipped Studio Theatre sitting empty and earning no money at all, than to have it in use and earning a more realistic rental income....?”
“In a city with a thriving Amateur Theatre Scene, but where performance spaces can be hard to find, a Community Theatre and Arts Centre should be a valuable resource...
Unfortunately, the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre (DUCTAC) is a Community Theatre in name only. A recent change in management has seen the cost of hiring the Kilachand Studio Theatre for a 3 night run rise from 12,000 AED to 32,500 AED. This makes the theatre too expensive for Community Theatre Groups to use, as I shall demonstrate:
The seating capacity of the Kilachand is 150, and a reasonable ticket price for an Amateur show is 50 AED. If a group were to sell-out 5 performances over 3 days (3 eve, 2 mat), maximum ticket revenue would be 37,500 AED. DUCTAC will then take 15% of all ticket sales leaving 31,875 AED. The show has already lost 625 AED, and this is before any production costs have been taken into account. Amateur Theatre Groups operate on a not-for-profit basis, but should generally expect to be self-funding. With DUCTAC expecting to swallow more money than a production can possibly make, even this target becomes unattainable.
So, a "Community" Theatre and Arts Centre that is too expensive for the Community to use. How does this make sense? It also leads to another question; if the Kilachand is now too expensive for Amateur Theatre groups to use, who is going to use it instead? Is it really preferable to have a well-equipped Studio Theatre sitting empty and earning no money at all, than to have it in use and earning a more realistic rental income....?”