Topper,

You make your point, though I think you may be overstating the case. Shakepeare's works usually do quite well in our area.

In our theater, opening weekend is always a tough sell when doing something that lacks name recognition. We can sell out opening night of "The Odd Couple" with ease. Three-quarters of a house is excellent for "Catfish Moon". When we did Compleat Works, we did 80% opening night, and sold out the rest; a better turnout than average for that season. Did the name "Shakespeare" turn some off, sure. Can I say that was the only reason? Nope. Not even close.

I think that each group has a different audience, and your experience may vary... Yes, some people are daunted by the Bard, just as some won't go see anything but a comedy and some will only see shows they recognize. The quality of the show preceding can have a definite effect on the audiences for the following show. After a while, you can learn what to expect from your audience, and pretty much predict how a show is going to do.

And if you really want to boost your audience numbers, do an entire season of big name comedies.