By Megan Mooney

I think that the best way to be introduced to theatre is through a subscription series.  It sounds intimidating, I mean, that’s a big commitment, right?

But there are lots of benefits. 

The first is that the best way to appreciate theatre is to see lots of it.  If you don’t like it at first, keep trying for a bit, it may grow on you.

Of course, the problem with that is, it’s hard to motivate yourself to go again if you didn’t love it the first time.  If you have a subscription series, well, you’ve already made the investment, you’re FAR more likely to go.

In fact, that goes for even if you enjoyed it.  Sometimes it’s hard to make time to do stuff, even (especially?) if it’s stuff we like.

Also, a season is chosen, a lot of thought goes into what shows will be performed.  So, you’re not seeing a random selection of shows, you’re seeing a collection of shows that someone has chosen specifically to show together.  It’s like a curated visual art show.  Each piece is great on it’s own, but seeing a seeing it with a selection of other pieces in a gallery changes how you see it.  I guess you could say that the whole changes how you see the individual.

And then, of course, there’s the fact that you’re saving money on a per show basis.

So, whether you’re new to the world of theatre, want to introduce someone to the world of theatre, or like theatre already, I’m a big believer in the concept of a subscription series.

In fact, one of my most memorable theatre experiences was after I’d been away from the theatre for a while.  Theatre Passe Muraille was running a series called Stage3.  It was great.  So much theatre, in a quite tight timeline.  Once a week if I remember correctly.  Even though I’ve always loved theatre, this changed the way I saw theatre.  It was a really incredible experience.

Why is this coming up now?  Well, I’m going to start a series of posts next week where I give you some background on current subscriptions available.  It will culminate with some (as of yet undetermined) form of compare/contrast to help folks decide what series is the one for them.

Stay tuned!

And, I’d love to hear what you’re looking forward to in the coming season, so drop me a line in the comments and let me know!