But what is Plummer's solution?  Lower salaries for actors and theater staff?  Government subsidies for theatre goers (as in some European countries)?  As William Baumol, Princeton economist and sculptor, pointed out decades ago, it is almost impossible to raise labor productivity in live performances.  (A string quarter concert requires four string players.)  If the incomes of performers are to rise, then ticket prices have to go up.

I can no longer afford theatre tickets to the most expensive plays or events, but I am enjoying the high definition live transmissions from the New York Metropolitan Opera and the National Theatre (England).  These are actually quite good, and maintain the experience of seeing an excellent performance while being a part of a real audience, which is responding with laughter, comments, applause, etc. Even the intermissions are interesting, as they present interviews and other behind the scene information that you don't get when you attend the actual performance. I'd still rather be in the actual theater, but this HD experience is better than nothing and can still build an audience for performing arts.