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<\/p>\nThe summer show at freeFall Theatre, Bash of the Titans, closes with Sunday\u2019s matinee after a total of 34 performances.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a long run for any professional theater company \u2013 the average is 12 to 18 performances \u2013 but Eric Davis, freeFall\u2019s longtime artistic director, was experimenting to see if more dates would lead to more word-of-mouth, which would lead to more ticket sales. \u201cWe had much longer runs all year,\u201d he points out, although none quite as long as Bash of the Titans.<\/p>\n
Attendance for the show, which Davis co-wrote with Michael Raabe and Matthew McGee, has been steady since its premiere June 12.<\/p>\n
Even so, for the 2026-27 season, which begins in September, all plays will have shorter-than-usual runs.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s because Davis is constantly experimenting, from his programming choices to the way the shows are staged.<\/p>\n
Take Bash of the Titans \u2013 a comic parody of a little-remembered 1981 drama film about Greek mythology, in which gods and goddesses sing pop songs from the 1980s as they quarrel, connive, hurl lightning bolts and ride winged horses.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve wanted to do this show since I was a high school kid,\u201d Davis says.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cBash of the Titans\u201d is a loose \u2013 very loose \u2013 musical parody of the 1981 film \u201cClash of the Titans.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, art and business don\u2019t always comingle in harmony. Ticket sales account for a small percentage of a nonprofit theater company\u2019s operating budget. The big money comes from supporters and sponsorships.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s always been the case, although the stakes grew higher in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen a big increase in giving recently, which is great,\u201d Davis explains, \u201cbut attendance \u2026 it\u2019s rough, people\u2019s lives changed drastically during the pandemic. Their day-to-day really has a new routine to it, a lot of people.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne gal who is a huge supporter, and has been for a long time, came to Bash of the Titans and said it was the first show she\u2019s been to since the pandemic. So we\u2019re still just coaxing some folks out. And some never will come out again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Davis insists freeFall is operating in the black. \u201cWe\u2019re selling a lot of seats compared to what a lot of theaters are experiencing, all over the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re growing at a steady rate. We\u2019re growing kind of back to where we were pre-pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n
A major factor in that growth is Davis\u2019 laser focus on his work. He\u2019s also an director, an actor and a costume designer. The mantra is: Keep creating, keep pushing. Keep innovating and don\u2019t get complacent.<\/p>\n
In 2025, he and Raabe collaborated on The House of Future Memory, which blended improvisation, AI, Shakespeare and audience participation. It was a rousing success.<\/p>\n
\u201cAudiences are interested in experiences that can compete with that passive, scrolling media that they\u2019re getting all the time,\u201d Davis believes. \u201cAnd the thing that\u2019s much different than that is when the audience gets to participate, in an active way, in the story. That puts them as the central character, in a way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Planned for the new season (but not on the official schedule \u2013 it\u2019s a surprise) is The Nancy Drew Files, based on the adventures of literature\u2019s favorite teenage detective.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like an alternate reality game. So people will find things around town, maybe on purpose or maybe by accident, that will let them into the possibility of participating in the world of this mystery that\u2019s taking place around the city. And that will potentially lead them, if they participate in it, to events at the theater.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019s intrigued by the possibilities of utilizing some of freeFall\u2019s business partners in what he calls \u201cthe game.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople should keep their eyes open in the coming months. They might start to see some things around the city related to Nancy Drew.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they pay attention to that, they\u2019ll stumble on the rabbit hole, and can potentially have a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
FreeFall\u2019s 2026-27 season includes What a Glorious Feeling! (Sept. 18-Oct. 4); The Da Vinci Code (Nov 6-Dec. 6); A Christmas Carol: In Concert (Dec. 11-24); Lark Eden (Feb. 19-March 14); Great Expectations (April 2-18); A Commercial Jingle For Regina Comet (June 11-27).<\/p>\n