Following the success of Perth Theatre’s online panto, the venue is now noticing an issue with “digital fatigue”.
Online audiences are falling away and the theatre’s chief believes it is a consequence of “staring at screens for everything” just now.
Horsecross chief executive Nick Williams was providing an update to Perth and Kinross Council's scrutiny committee on Wednesday, May 12.
Horsecross runs both Perth Theatre and Perth Concert Hall.
Perth Theatre’s Zoom pantomime attracted over 14,000 audience members from all over the world.
But Mr Williams told councillors: “We are experiencing something of a fatigue from audiences.
“People will join an online performance and then leave it sooner rather than later.
“We are seeing fewer people start to log in to some of these events and the take-up is certainly reducing.
“I think that’s a year of staring into screens for everything - the digital fatigue has set in.”
He told councillors online shows had not generated sufficient income to be viable in the long term.
Mr Williams also pointed to an issue with digital accessibility due to both internet connections and those unable to access a digital device.
Culture Perth and Kinross chief Helen Smout - who is in charge of the region's libraries - also highlighted the issue of digital isolation.
Presenting an update on Culture Perth and Kinross she said: "We are aware we have an awful lot of people who are not digitally enabled and indeed are very digitally isolated.
"We had just under 1400 individuals who accessed a computer in one of our venues in the five months we were operational (after last year's lockdown).
"Anecdotally many of them told us that was their only route online and that when we were shut they had no other way to engage with the digital services that had all moved online."
