Zhang Ligang, performance director of North Fair Performing Arts, thinks too many gifted tickets are the direct driving force of high fares. Generally speaking, costs will only be recovered when more than 60 percent of tickets are sold. Moreover, 10 percent to 20 percent of the tickets as gifts need to be left to public security, fire and cultural authorities. The remaining tickets account for the income, so the fares are increased.
Why can not the ticket price drop?
For theaters, one of the reasons for highly priced tickets is attributed to the limited supportive efforts from the government.
“Daily rental fee of the 2,000-square-meter theater is five yuan per square meter and the whole theatre could get 15,000 yuan per day plus utilities and personnel costs,” said Fu Weibo, manager of National Pioneer Drama Theater. “But in fact, now we only get 6,000 yuan per day by renting it to performing groups; equivalent to losing two-thirds of our income. We have made cultural contributions to society but the government does not offer any concessions or subsidies on real estate taxes and other taxes."
"Just in terms of the venue fee, on the mainland it is much higher. Hong Kong Coliseum charges only tens of thousands of yuan for the venue fee, while The Capital Indoor Stadium and Worker's Stadium in Beijing charge twenty to thirty thousand yuan at least,” said Zhang Ligang, speaking to the fact that the show fares on the mainland are higher than that overseas. “The state's cultural facilities are market-oriented, and the cost of all the performances are pressed to show businessmen. Of course fares are higher. “
In addition to policy reasons, Fu Weibo believes the profit-driven mentality popularizing the society is another major resistance to fare reducing. Some cultural facilities or units set up by the government are indifferent to serving the public and some private troupes under survival pressure do performances as a one-shot deal.
In addition, some entertainers deliberately raise their social status by increasing fares. Tong Ningyu, manager of Shanghai New Wing Performing Arts Co., Ltd. said in an interview: "Some singers raise the fare to show off their high level. Tickets of Hong Kong and Taiwan singer’s performance are generally priced 1,680 yuan. So he felt shamed to set the price to be 1,280 yuan."
Actor appearance fees, government taxes and management fees make the performance a luxury which is supposed to benefit the public. Over time, is this phenomenon conducive to the healthy development of culture?
Source: Guangming Daily
By Wen Yi
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