Industry

Company Description

Studio 423 is a performing arts center based in Portland, Oregon, which will provide
studio space for classes in the many facets of performance art and produce shows
created by and with community members. The company will begin operations by
June of 2020 as a sole proprietorship. The studio will offer classes and audition
opportunities to community members of all ages, and will aim to be accessible to
people regardless of finances. The studio will specialize in classes for children, but
also offer classes for teens and adults, and performance opportunities for all who
are interested.

Mission Statement

Studio 423 is a performing arts aiming to provide a safe space to nurture the
creative spirit of all people, regardless of age, gender, or financial status. We aim to
offer fun, educational, and interesting classes and opportunities for all people who
are interested. With the decrease in arts education in public schools and the
increase in competition in the performance industry, we want to offer people a
space to explore their creative side while also preparing them for the real world.

Industry Analysis and Trends

The services provided by Studio 423 are affected by the developments in the
performing arts industry, including competing theaters and classes, interest in
performing arts as career paths, and overall public attitude towards the arts.

Size and Growth

Currently, there are 87 listed theatre companies in Oregon, 78 of which identified as
a small business (Single-site firms with fewer than 25 employees, bizminer). The
industry shows a split in stability, with average nonprofit performing arts group
showing a decline and the average for-profit group showing the opposite (McCarthy,
70). The average annual sales of all theatre companies in Oregon in 2012 was
reported at $516,268, and the national market for theater companies was
$5,626,722,642 (bizminer). Employment in the industry is projected to grow by
0.7% a year through 2018, and since 2010, annual sales per employee have been
steadily increasing (bizminer).

Maturity and Trends

As Studio 423 aims to be available and accessible for all, there will be few
demographic factors and trends that will affect our success. The growing population,
for one, will be an advantage to the studio because our childrens classes will be
offered after school typically gets out, and we will offer classes for all ages of kids,
from pre-school to high school. Parents who are in need of child care but want their
kids to be learning and creating will see a solution in Studio 423.
The aging population will also prove an advantage, in that we will aim to prove that
its never too late to learn a new skill. Well provide a more relaxed setting for the
older generation to come and learn new skills or hone in already existing ones.

Competition

The main competition to Studio 423 comes in the form of three local childrens
theater programs in the Rogue Valley: Ashland Childrens Theater, the Oregon
Conservatory of Performing Arts (OCPA), and Craterian Theaters Teen Musical
Theater of Oregon. Professional theaters in the area include the Oregon Shakespeare
Festival, the Cabaret Theatre, and the Camelot Theatre.

Some of the comparable products being offered at all four theaters are theater
classes and performance opportunities for children and young adults. Ashland
Childrens Theater offers classes in improvisation for ages four to seventeen, and
acting classes for ages seven to seventeen. Its classes are eight-week sessions held
seasonally. OCPA also offers their classes in eight-week sessions. Classes at OCPA
are offered for ages seven to eighteen. Craterian, while not offering classes for
youth, offers the chance for teens to be a part of an actual musical. It auditions for
actors between the ages of thirteen and nineteen, and will occasionally cast roles in
the nine to twelve age range. The professional theatres listed are by audition only,
and are more in the scope of putting on plays and musicals, and not offering classes.

Studio 423 will offer classes for all ages in different areas of theater (acting, singing,
directing, etc), and the youth program will include classes for ages four to eighteen,
as well as chances to audition for plays and musicals, both for youth productions
and in adult productions.

Ashland Childrens theater is the most affordable out of the competitors who offer
classes, with classes starting at $75 per term and going up to $170 per term, while
also not requiring a deposit (http://ashlandchildrenstheatre.com). OCPAs classes
are all offered at 150 dollars per term with a fifty dollar non-refundable deposit
(http://www.oregonconservatory.com), and Craterian requires a 300 dollar
participation fee and a 100 dollar refundable family volunteer deposit
(http://www.craterian.org). OSF, The Cabaret, and Camelot do not charge to
audition, however they do charge for tickets to shows and events.

Studio 423s classes will aim to be affordable for everyone. Classes will start at
seventy-five dollars and go up to 150 dollars, while also offering scholarships for
those who cant afford classes.

Ashland Childrens Theater is located in Ashland, and both OCPA and Craterian are
based in Medford. OSF and The Cabaret are both located in Ashland as well, right in
the heart of downtown, and the Camelot is located in Talent. The locations are no
more than twenty minutes apart, and are easily accessible to anyone in the
immediate area.

Studio 423 will open in Ashland and will aim to expand to other Rogue Valley cities,
including Medford and Grants Pass, providing resources to people all over the Rogue
Valley.

Very little information is available on the promotional styles and techniques of the
childrens companies, however both Ashland Childrens Theater and OCPA have
public Facebook pages. Craterians Teen Musical Theater of Oregon has a closed
Facebook group that one has to be invited to join. The main theater at Craterian has
a public Facebook page as well as a Twitter account.

All of the professional theaters have social media pages, and OSF even has a full
window display in their Welcome Center in downtown Ashland. All three theatres
work in conjunction with the SOU theatre department to advertise shows and
auditions.

Studio 423 will start small, with flyers and informational pamphlets in and around
local schools, as well as both a Facebook and a Twitter page. As the company grows,
so will the promotion styles and techniques.

Target Market

Demographic Description
The general customer of Studio 423 will be a parent (or legal guardian) of a child or
children age 4-17, or an adult age 18 to about 50 in the Portland metropolitan area.
The aim is to be all-inclusive, however our main focus will be on those who have an
interest in the theatre.
Furthermore, the target market can be divided into two main categories of the
services offered:
Performance and Technical Classes
Audition-Based Performance Opportunities

Performance and Technical Classes are aimed towards the customers of all age and
experience levels. Classes will be divided first into age groupsLittles (4-7),
Middles (8-12), Bigs (13-17), and Adults (18+)and then into experience
levels within those age groupsBeginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. Classes will
be offered in both performance (acting, singing, dancing) and technical (Light,
Sound, Set design) skills so that all customers will have the chance to learn a variety
of skills that can be applied to the stage. Classes will be offered on a rotation of
terms, a term being three months, with a final recital or showcase at the end to
display learned skills.

Audition-Based Performance Opportunities on the other hand, will offer
opportunities to customers and general community members to audition for a
production put on by the company. There will be auditions at the end of each term
for rehearsals and a final performance to start during the following term. Auditions
will only be open based on roles needed, but the performances will also offer
opportunities for those with technical skills to get involved.

Geographic Description

The main target market will be the greater Portland metropolitan area, including
nearby cities such as Beaverton, Tigard, and Gresham. There are already a few
childrens and professional theaters in the area that offer classes or audition
opportunities, but none that offer both in the sense that Studio 423 will.

Lifestyle and Psychographic Description

When a parent decides to enroll their child in a performance class, or when an adult
decides to enroll themselves, it is not done on impulse. Neither is auditioning for a
performance. Classes and rehearsals at Studio 423 will be months long and lead up
to a final performance. Performance classes and rehearsals require a time
commitment so choosing one to enroll a child, ore oneself, in has to be a well-
thought decision.

Purchasing Patterns Description

Once the decision has been made to get involved with Studio 423, the person
identifies whether to take a class or audition for the term performance, and then
which class to enroll in, primarily by age and experience. When it comes to a first-
time student, often the potential student (or parent) will consult with the instructor
and together they will figure out what class is right. This usually happens either
right before or during the process of evaluating all possible locations for theater
classes. Not all theaters offer classes for all ages or experiences, so it is important to
find a place that meets all of their potential needs, and Studio 423 will strive to be a
place that can accommodate all ages and experience levels. After that, the student
gets enrolled in their class or classes and they (or the parent) can begin the post-
purchase evaluation, which includes criteria such as whether or not the student is
happy, whether or not theyre learning, and if they are likely to enroll in another
class or continue on to audition with the theater.

Market Size and Trends

As Studio 423 aims to be available and accessible for all, there will be few
demographic factors and trends that will affect our success.
The growing population, for one, will be an advantage to the studio because our
childrens classes will be offered after school typically gets out, and we will offer
classes for all ages of kids, from pre-school to high school. Parents who are in need
of child care but want their kids to be learning and creating will see a solution in
Studio 423.
The aging population will also prove an advantage, in that we will aim to prove that
its never too late to learn a new skill. Well provide a more relaxed setting for the
older generations to come and learn new skills or hone in already existing ones.
Federal funding for creative and performing arts is key to the success of Studio 423.
Federal programs like the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) offer grants to
artists from a wide range of media and genres and this is expected to grow in 2014.
Another key trend is the time spent on leisure and sports. As people, especially
retired individuals, have more time to spend, the more likely they are to come to
shows or even want to participate in them, and because Studio 423 is open to all
ages and skill levels, we will have a prime advantage in the market.