blue hairs vs new Heirs

The day before I went to see the production of the Seagull that is currently running at the Walter Kerr Theatre in New York, I stopped by the box office to ask about their student ticket policy. The gentleman in the box office told me that student tickets were $26.50 (tax included) and that they were to be purchased the day of the show (a fairly standard student price and policy). But what I found interesting about this encounter was that the box office man told me “…you should have no problem getting tickets because very few students have come to see the show and we almost always have extra tickets.” When I think students, I think young people. So what I took away from the conversation was that very few young people had come to see the Seagull. This struck me as strange. Why was this star studded, critically acclaimed show that was selling out full price tickets almost every night not attracting people of our generation or younger. Chekhov is a household name comparable in a way to Shakespeare. My curiosity got the best of me, and I did some snooping around online. It turns out that not only was the box office man correct, but it appeared to basically be the same situation some months earlier when the play was being performed in London. The next day I was back in the Times Square area and I went around to some other Broadway theatres. The vast majority of shows had sold out of student rush tickets meaning that young people were certainly still going to the theatre. Now obviously it is a generalization to say that young people are not interested in Chekhov, but it seems that in terms of ticket sales, the Seagull is at the bottom of their priority list. I bring this up because there are many themes in the Seagull (and the rest of Chekhov’s plays) that relate directly to young people and provide valuable insight into issues that are still dealt with today. Yet despite this fact, young people do not seem to view the Seagull (at least this production of it) as relevant enough to see.
As the next generation of actors, we have a responsibility to not only perform Chekhov and other non-contemporary texts well and honestly, but we also must continue to find new ways to attract a younger contemporary audience and point out the relevance in the masterpieces that have gotten theatre to where it is today. I am not entirely sure how to do this, but I believe it is an important dialogue to have. I would be very interested in feedback with regard to whether others think that is an important issue. Much Thanks
-Bonnar