“It’s a reflection of changing audience habits,” said Jim Boese, the organization’s vice president. “As the audience for Broadway expands, there are changing audience needs. This is part of a broader attempt to enhance the audience experience.”
It also helps the bottom line for theater owners, who profit from sales at the concession stands. And when people can eat at their seats, they tend to buy more.
I have to say, I'm opposed to this. Working for a non-profit theatre myself, I can understand a company's desire to raise revenue. But I also believe that by allowing food and drink into the theatre, the company is simply not doing their job. Distractions such as cell phones, noisy candy wrappers, or the smell of popcorn detract from the experience. These infringe upon the artistic integrity of the play and of the performers.
As far as the audience goes - if you can't go two and a half hours without a tub of popcorn, you've got bigger problems to worry about. I would like to believe that people, for the most part, go to the theatre to have an experience - I would like to believe that playwrights, for the most part, write plays anticipating the audience's experience. I don't think popcorn and a big gulp are neccessarily a part of either.
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