Wichita ? Performing arts groups in Wichita, already coping with box office losses after the Sept. 11 attacks and a community recovering from thousands of job losses, are capitalizing on patriotic themes and trying to appeal to wider audiences in their upcoming season.

“We are concerned,” said Mitchell Berman, general manager of the Wichita Symphony. “With all these factors, there are just less people coming to concerts.”

The Wichita Symphony Orchestra saw a marked downturn in season ticket sales for the concert season now under way. An overall decline of 300 season tickets about 11 percent below last year’s totals will contribute to the symphony being under budget by about $40,000 and $60,000 at season’s end, depending on single-ticket sales for the rest of the season. Single-ticket sales have surged, but not many people are making a commitment to the 10-concert season, he said.

The attacks and the subsequent drop in ticket sales have served as a catalyst for some Wichita arts groups to tweak programming to appeal to a larger, more mainstream audience.

“I think it is a cop-out to blame everything on 9-11,” said John Boldenow, director of theater at the Wichita Center for the Arts. “But I do believe that, across the board, people were tremendously affected by that event. They were holing up; they just weren’t getting out.”

That has not been the case in Lawrence.

While the Lawrence Community Theatre has experienced record ticket sales, the Lied Center has noticed that ticket buying patterns have changed but not faltered.

Mary Doveton, managing/ artistic director of Lawrence Community Theatre, said attendance this season has been at 98 percent. The season started after Sept. 11.

“And season ticket sales were up better than 12 percent,” she said.

Karen Christilles, associate director of the Lied Center, said more people seem to be buying tickets for shows featuring contemporary works.

“We’ve had the largest crowds ever for our New Directions and World Series,” she said. “We sold out Pilobolus. It was the first time ever for us to sell out a contemporary dance work. The audience is increasing more than we anticipated.”

Christilles said traditional performances of ballet, classical music and opera continue to sell well, but ticket buyers are waiting longer to purchase tickets. In addition, events not presented by the Lied Center but held in the venue, such as the recent appearances of Willie Nelson, Alice Walker and Danny Glover, also drew packed houses.

“People have been coming out in droves for those (events),” she said.

The Wichita Symphony’s next season will contain classical pieces appealing to the widest possible audience.