THE once-vibrant theatre scene is reporting a general downturn in audiences. This, in turn, is reflected in the limited run for a number of productions which have hit the stage in recent months.

Presently, there is only one production with a consistent weekly schedule — Jambiz International’s Funny Kind ‘A Love which is now playing at the Centrestage Theatre in New Kingston. Other productions are currently limited to benefit performances or specific play dates.

According to Jambiz’s Lenford Salmon, even his production, which is currently doing well, has suffered due to the general downturn in theatre attendance.

“Truth be told, there is a downturn in our theatre audience. We believe this general fall-off is due to the fact that our target audience does not have the usual amounts of disposable income. CHIKV has also played a role in the dwindling audiences this year. We have had to cancel benefit performances due to the fact that a significant portion of that audience or even our cast has been affected by the virus,” Salmon disclosed.

Bunny Allen of RBT Productions (formerly Stages Production) noted that while there is a general decline in theatre patronage due to the economy, this time of year is usually a slow period for his industry.

“Generally, this time of year, everybody is preparing for Christmas, so theatre is usually bad. Our production The Prophet with Shebada is now on tour overseas, but the play that is running in our theatre is really suffering from low turnout so it is playing on and off,” he said.

Allen concurred with Salmon that the year has been a pretty bad one for theatre and he is willing to call it the worst in the past six years.

In December last year, the local theatre scene saw a total of seven productions opening on or around December 26 – the unofficial start for the local theatre year. Among the productions which took to Corporate Area stages were Embassy Saga, To The Finish, Clash, My God Don’t Wear Pajamas, Jamaica Sweet, The National Pantomime The Golden Maccafat and If There’s A Will There’s A Wife.

While there is still uncertainty regarding the future of the industy, plans are being made for the upcoming season. RBT is in rehearsal for Bashment Granny 3 while Jambiz is working on Saving Alligator High.