Two Theaters Bank on Bigger, Better Venues

In a major turning point for the presentation of classical plays and contemporary musicals in Washington, two of the area's premier companies are substantially increasing the number of productions they offer next season -- at a time when theater attendance in the region is dropping off.

Shakespeare Theatre Company is expanding its season lineup from six productions to nine for 2007-08, coinciding with the opening this fall of its new $85 million, 775-seat main stage on F Street NW.

At the same time, Signature Theatre, which recently moved into a new dual-theater complex in the Village at Shirlington, is increasing its traditional roster of five productions to eight. (In its current transitional season, Signature presented one work in its old garage space and is staging six others in its new spaces.)

The broadening of their programs indicates how successfully each company has built on its local identity -- and how hungrily each wants to develop its profile beyond the region.

To that end, the Shakespeare Theatre for the first time will run shows in repertory in its two theaters, meaning a visitor can see as many as three of the company's productions during selected weeks. And Signature is reaching out ever more aggressively to nationally known artists; among those scheduled to work there next season are Chita Rivera, performer/choreographers Christopher D'Amboise and Ann Reinking and the Broadway director Frank Galati.

"We feel we're institutionally and structurally ready to take on the responsibility of being a destination classical theater for the U.S.," said Michael Kahn, Shakespeare Theatre Company's longtime artistic director. "There's a big country out there."

"We're trying to make this a national center both for new work and for the American musical," said Eric Schaeffer, who has run Signature since its inception in 1989.

As an indicator of how seriously he means that, Schaeffer said he is negotiating to stage the world premiere of a new musical by a young, highly regarded Broadway composing team that he could not yet disclose. "And if we don't do this one," he said with a laugh, "I've got two others in the hopper."

With their distinct, well-defined missions, Shakespeare and Signature might be especially well-positioned to widen their influence in the theater world. Still, the aggressive expansions of these companies are coming at a particularly challenging time.

Attendance at the area's theaters, while robust, has declined each of the past two years -- an indication that theatergoing in Washington might be at a saturation point. In its annual survey, the Helen Hayes Awards released figures last week that show a 2 percent drop in attendance at area theaters last year. (A total of 1,904,826 seats were filled at 53 theaters last year, compared with 1,952,405 at 56 theaters in 2005.)

Although attendance at Shakespeare and Signature has held steady, officials at both companies said they're aware they can't rely solely on their traditionally loyal audiences to fill seats.

Nicholas T. Goldsborough, Shakespeare's managing director, said the company has been ramping up a national marketing strategy -- part of it tied to hotel packages -- to attract more patronage from outside the region. Twenty percent of the company's audience comes from beyond the metropolitan area, he said. The theater is also instituting a policy that will make $10 tickets available to 20,000 young adults during the season.