I've had the good fortune to be both a theater artist and a Marketing and Advertising guy in TV,Radio and print for many years. So many clients (and theaters) have asked me over the years about the best way to get press coverage for their shows. Simply put, we must do the jobs of reporters, photographers, producers,editors and videographers ourselves. Newspapers are laying off workers by the hundreds and are stretched so thin they do not have the time to send reporters and photographers to our theaters. So we have to bring the theaters to them. Take compelling photos that are properly captioned and credited. Write press releases that tell a human interest story that will be of interest to any viewer or reader - not just theater goers. Editors and Producers don't care that "Oklahoma" opens next week (sorry, that's the show I'm Directing right now...got it on the brain!). Put the Editor's hat on for a minute and realize they have an obligation to a much bigger readership or viewership than the little universe that is going to come see "Oklahoma" at your theater. But if, for example, you have someone in the cast that is a Native American descendant of one of the "five civilized tribes" who were originally relocated to the Indian Territory where the story takes place, now THAT's a story with wide appeal. Find those stories in your shows, take pictures and videos and deliver the finished product to news outlets with a big red bow. Your chances of coverage just got a lot better.
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