Dear all - it's great to see the excitement about the re-opening of MiTH. Of course, we will comply with all COVID-19 sanitation protocols. Everyone will have to sign in and sanitize at the door.Unfortunately, the limit of 50 people puts us in a financial bind, because although we are not a profit-making entity, we need to be able to pay the artists enough to make it worth their while to come out and perform. We also need to be able to pay our sound engineer and keep a few bucks for maintenance needs that arise now and again.
Historically, a slow night at MiTH has been 80 people or so. An average night around 100, and a good night 120 or more. Essentially the 50-person limit cuts our crowd in half. Bear in mind that officially this has to include MiTH crew.
As a result, we need to charge R100 to be able to cover our rent, pay the sound engineer and pay the musicians. We realise that doubling the price is a significant step, but we would ask you to consider that a show at a theatre under normal circumstances might be anywhere in the R120-R180 range, and R100 is about the price of a hamburger and chips at a family restaurant these days.
The truth is - we've probably been undercharging, historically, in order to make the live music accessible to as many as possible. Now we need to charge a more realistic price in order to make it sustainable for the musicians - and we are keen to help them get paid again after what has been a massively difficult period of little to no income. We don't think R100 is too much to charge for the kind of musicians we've had and will have, at MiTH, and trust you will agree.
We wanted to put this out there so folks can be aware and aren't shocked when they arrive at the door. Much love to all of you, from the MiTH crew.
