The Number

Last year, the Valley Performing Arts Center on the campus of California State University – Northridge sold 46,499 tickets, an increase of more than 25 percent since the 2014-15 season. Executive Director Thor Steingraber credits the increase to a shift in popular programming. Traditionally, university-owned venues have focused on symphonies, ballets and academic lectures; in contrast, Steingraber has developed different series, including Latin music, jazz, musical theater, comedy and family entertainment. “The numbers reflect an increased audience and broadening of the audience,” he said. “We want our stage to reflect our audience and vice versa. That’s the secret sauce.” Steingraber said the venue has bestselling acts in every category. The series strategy allows the marketing department to sell specific subscription packages of three to five performances to one segment of the audience – for example, those interested in dance or international acts. Alternately, audience members can buy individual tickets to single events with a price range between $30 and $85, with an average price of $47, Steingraber said. The Valley Performing Arts Center’s Great Hall has 1,672 seats. It doesn’t have much competition in the immediate region, but the larger Los Angeles market packs plenty of arts venues. In fact, Steingraber said the main competition isn’t for ticket sales but for booking acts. The center has carved out a place in the market by avoiding long-run plays, such as the Broadway touring shows at the Hollywood Pantages theater. The center hosted about 50 performances last season and filled on average 69 percent of the seats, generating nearly $2.1 million in revenue. Steingraber hopes to increase bookings. “When I look to the future,” he said, “I’m not only continuing to increase capacity and revenue, but also additional performances to accommodate a growing audience.” – Joel Russell