OK, so by now we all are well aware that the economy sucks. Those of us involved in the performing arts are also well aware that usually the first thing erased from any recession-weary consumers' plans is to buy tickets to our shows. Theater is feeling the pinch all the way from Broadway to the little black box down the street. In a recent article from Cleveland Plain Dealer Theater Reporter Tony Brown citing a random dig at Cleveland from New York Theater ad agency Exec. Nancy Coyne, he also links to a New York Times piece documenting the economic woes being felt on Broadway (Broadway Has a Devil of a Time Finding Angels [Ticket Buyers, Too]) . Attendance is down and with the enormous cost of producing lavish musicals, many productions can't afford to stay open and many are closing long before their expected end dates. Their solution? Open more straight plays that cost less to produce than big musicals. From the New York Times Article mentioned above:
"In the winter and spring season Jane Fonda is returning to Broadway for the first time in 46 years in “33 Variations,” a new play by Moisés Kaufman (“The Laramie Project”); Joan Allen and Jeremy Irons will star in “Impressionism,” by Michael Jacobs; and revivals of “Blithe Spirit” and “Hedda Gabler” are scheduled."
Even though Ms. Coyne seems to believe that pissing off tourists (specifically ones from Cleveland - Coyne: "We hate tourists from Cleveland") - despite the fact that 84% percent of Broadway attendees don't live in New York - and waiting for the New York theater elite to support more "enlightened" straight plays is the answer, clear research proves otherwise. In addition to the fact that most Broadway theater-goers are from out of town, Mr. Brown also notes that over half of all the people that saw a Broadway show last year did so outside of New York. At the same time it was also pointed out this week in another Cleveland Area posting that the New York Times reports that National Endowment for the Arts research shows the audience for straight plays is declining (Audience for Straight Plays Is Declining, N.E.A. Finds).
People want big lavish musicals. Big lavish musicals are too expensive to produce. No one can afford $200 a ticket to go see big lavish musicals. Produce cheaper straight plays. No one wants to see straight plays except New York theater snobs. Piss off tourists.
What's clear is that we're scrambling and no one really has a clue what to do.
I do have one suggestion. Go to a community theater show. You can see great performances - including large-scale musicals, escape from real-world troubles for a while, be enlightened, entertained and support local talent and theater - all at a fraction of the cost of seeing a Broadway show or even a regional or semi-professional theater production. If we as community theater artists are smart we will recognize this situation as an opportunity to market ourselves as a high quality (provided we actually produce high quality product), affordable entertainment alternative.
I've just finished up auditions for my upcoming production of the musical City of Angels. As challenging as the audition process can be (and yes - for those who have never been on the other side of the audition table, if you think standing up in front of people and singing or reading is tough, try casting a whole show) it's always a fascinating process and I try to learn a little more each time.
First let me say thank you to everyone who got off the couch and showed interest in this show. I really appreciate it. This time around I saw some amazing auditions, but it still amazes me sometimes how some auditioners continue to make classic audition mistakes. I realize we're talking about community theater, but I refuse to set the bar low because the production may be a "non-professional" one. There is nothing non-professional about the people that I have been fortunate to work with in the past and in order for this art form to grow and thrive we have to continue to challenge ourselves to produce the very best shows with the very best teams we can. Especially when ticket buyers' dollars are stretched so thin. Our customers should feel like they just saw a professional quality show for an amateur price - that's value and customers like good values. And like just about everything else in theater, it all starts with the audition.
I'm not going to get into a rant about audition tips and things like that. Far smarter and more qualified people have been there and done that (i.e. see Broadway Producer Ken Davenport's recent post or visit musicaltheateraudition.com). But I do have some observations from my recent round of try-outs.
Where are the men? Not to diminish the guys that did come to my auditions - they were great, but few. I know this is a common challenge for community theaters, but seriously, why don't men come to auditions? We know they do shows and love to perform, but they don't come to auditions. Is it because we have come to learn that we are in high demand and eventually the show will come to us? I think there is a bit of that unconscious awareness (can awareness be unconscious?) that the competition is much lower for quality male performers than it is for females. Personally, I like the audition process and don't mind going to auditions. Is it the show selection? Is one show considered more "macho" than another? City of Angels has fantastic and "macho" male roles and still the audition room was filled with women. I think it comes down to simple supply and demand. At the community theater (read "non-paid") level there are exponentially more women who are available and/or willing to participate in a show. So recruitment is essential and I continue using my network and searching outside it to add more great guys to what is already a phenomenal cast.
But obviously I did have a lot of great people show up and some...well, not so great. Actually, in many cases it wasn't so much that they weren't good performers, but the presentation (the audition) was off. They were either unprepared ("I really don't have a song ready, I just listened to this in the car on the way here..."), or unorganized (please make the accompanist's already tough job easier by having sheet music neatly organized in a binder! They can be your best friend or worst enemy!), or full of attitude - and not the good kind (I can't wait to spend 8 weeks of my life with someone who rolls their eyes at the slightest direction) or just plain full of excuses ("I'm really sick right now..."). Like it or not, directors can't afford to guess how an actor might perform under more perfect conditions. There are no "perfect" conditions in live theater. The audition is often your only shot to get it right. Indeed, to me a true professional and experienced performer (one I want in my show) is the one who can overcome adversities and unexpected moments and still put on a great show. Stopping the show because you hear a weird note from the pit is not an option. But when you are thrown off and flustered when the audition accompanist plunks unexpectedly, it says volumes about how you might perform come showtime. Many unexpected things can and usually do happen in live theater and how one reacts to these little unexpected audition moments can also say a lot about how an actor might react if a flat falls down or a costume rips. You have a cold at auditions? Good! Show me how you can sing through that and make me believe you're the healthiest person in the world right now. I can hear through a stuffy nose or a dry throat to get to the talent underneath. How many of us have gone on feeling an inch away from death? There's no guarantee those nasty little germs won't find you on opening night! You would never dream of going into a job interview and leading off the discussion by saying "I'm really not qualified for this job, but I like the building and thought it would be cool to work here"!!
But I also saw some amazing auditions from people who really put a lot of thought and effort into their presentation and I am always so grateful for that. From wardrobe, to hair, to general presentation, the little things make all the difference.
And I am grateful to everyone who came to auditions. And each one will get a phone call from me thanking them for their time and hoping that I will see them again in the near future, regardless of whether or not it will be for this project.
If you've seen my City of Angels audition preview video, you know the auditions are coming up fast. Since my focus has been on directing over the last couple of years, I've been thinking about one of those thorny little theater issues that always comes up when casting a community (read "unpaid volunteer") theater production - cast conflicts.
One of the biggest challenges whenever I direct a show is organizing the rehearsal schedule. Readers of this blog already know some of my view points about the actual lengths of rehearsal schedules. Obviously another big component of rehearsals is who can actually show up to which rehearsals. Which is why it's so important to fill in that space on the audition form asking for conflicts as thoroughly and accurately as possible. But is it realistic for directors to always expect there to be nothing written in that space? It may not be realistic, but it is real.
I think it's rare but there are directors who won't cast anyone with any conflicts - not even the very best performers who may have an interest in being in their show. Being on the other side of the audition table, I would agree that this probably makes life a lot easier in terms of organizing rehearsals. In the ideal world, cast members would push everything else in their lives aside and commit to being at 100% of rehearsals. But I also think in today's hectic world where our volunteer actors are also parents, workers, students and volunteers in other organizations, casting only "non-conflicted" performers could be cutting off our nose to spite our face.
The very best performers - many of whom may be perfect for a given role - may want to do your show but have a few scheduling conflicts. To not cast them because of that is short-sighted. After all, we have an obligation to the ticket-buying public to produce the very best productions we can. If we can put the best talent on that stage, the audience will never know which rehearsals an actor showed up to and which they didn't. Of course, if we can cast a show with great performers who don't have conflicts (which I'm convinced doesn't really exist) that is the ultimate way to go and you don't have to worry about passing over some other fantastic performer with kind of a crazy schedule. But we all know these "great" community theater performers are not a dime a dozen and may require some flexibility.
Of course, this can go too far. If there is a diva who might be great in a given role, but thinks the schedule, cast and crew should bend around his or her personal schedule, run away as fast as possible. This person will only cause headaches, tension, resentment and other problems throughout the entire process. Every member of cast and crew needs to have the same commitment to the process in order for the project to succeed . I would much rather cast an actor who may not be quite as technically outstanding, but who has the heart, commitment and good attitude to help make the show a success, over a diva with an attitude problem. But surely, having a conflict or two does not mean one is not committed to the project and a couple legitimate work, family or other previous commitments shouldn't automatically exclude an actor.
But is it fair for one actor to have a few conflicts when other cast members might not have any? I don't think it's realistic to think that every member of the cast would have the same conflicts, responsibilities and schedules. As long as the conflicts don't interfere with the other cast members' work or the rehearsal overall, it shouldn't be a problem. But this is also why it's so important to have this information ahead of time. So the director can plan accordingly and respect the cast's time and make the best use of it with whomever is supposed to be there. Open communication and honesty with the rest of the cast can also go a long way in resolving conflict challenges. When the cast feels respected, it is amazing how far they will go to reinforce the team spirit and work together. I recently had a situation where the actor I had cast as a lead in one of my shows found out shortly after being cast that he would be called out of town for a few days for work late in the rehearsal process. Rather than re-casting the role, I decided to communicate that to the cast at our very first read-through, telling them we would have this challenge. They were prepared for it - they picked up the slack, the actor was well-prepared and when he returned he picked up as if he hadn't missed a day.
But of course as any organizer knows the best laid plans can always get screwed up. Someone is always going to call in sick, be late or even drop the show. Be prepared, be patient and be flexible. This is supposed to be fun, remember?
Featuring a book by M*A*S*H TV series writer/producer Larry Gelbart and a swinging score by Cy Coleman with lyrics by David Zippel, City of Angels is a wonderful musical full of great roles - including over 15 singing roles - to challenge a large number of strong character actors and strong singers.
Directed by Geoffrey Short Musical Direction by Georgiann Bodle
Audition Dates: Sunday, December 7 starting at 2 p.m Monday, December 8 starting at 7 p.m. Call-Backs Wednesday, December 10 starting at 7 p.m.
Production Dates: 3 weeks; March 13 - March 29...Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m.
Rehearsals to start on January 19th*
Auditions are held in the B.T.O.T.S. Administrative facility located at Blossom Hill at 4450 Oakes Road in Brecksville. Oakes Road can be accessed from Brecksville Road or Broadview Road. Upon entering the Blossom Hill facility, follow the driveway to the back parking lot. The main administrative office is located in Building 5, across from the main school building. Auditions are held in Building 5. Performances are held at the Old Town Hall, 49 Public Square at the intersection of routes 82 and 21 in Brecksville.
Please prepare a musical theatre song selection and bring sheet music in the proper key....accompanist will be provided. Dress comfortably for movement. Contact the Director, Geoffrey Short at geoffshort@sbcglobal.net to schedule an appointment.
CITY OF ANGELS is two shows in one. It is the interweaving of two plots, one dealing with the writing of a screenplay in the legendary Hollywood of the '40's; the other, the enactment of that screenplay. The show boasts two musical scores. One provides the cast with numbers to help reveal certain emotions or to celebrate particular moments in the way that only music can. The "other" score was written to emulate pure movie soundtrack music, 1940's vintage. It is entirely appropriate, then, that the final curtain comes down on two happy endings.
Roles are available for 13 men and 7 women Among the main characters needed are:
MOST OTHER ROLES ARE TWO CHARACTERS PLAYED BY ONE ACTOR - one character in the "real" world and one in Stine's fictional "story within a story": Male Roles Buddy Fidler/Irwin S. Irving....Movie director/producer, mogul type...male....30's - 50's Gerald Pierce/Peter Kingsley...male...non-singing; 20's-30's...an actor/Alaura's stepson...handsome, suave Pancho Vargas/Lt. Munoz - an actor and a police detective...male...20's - 50's Gene/Officer Pasco - an Assistant Director/Police Officer...male - 20's - 50's Jimmy Powers - a movie crooner.....a la Sinatra...smooth and suave..strong singer 20's-50's Werner Kriegler/Luther Kingsley...(non-singing) an actor/the feeble, rich husband of the much younger Femme Fatale Alaura mature male 40's-60's Gilbert/Dr. Mandril...Buddy's barber/a religious leader; guru-type; Luther's caretaker...older male (non-singing role)...40's-50's
Female Roles Oolie/Donna...female, a wisecracking, jaded secretary (Imogene Coca type) in both worlds, but also sensitive. (sings the classics "You Can Always Count on Me" and the duet "What You Don't Know About Women" with Gabby . 20's-40's Gabby/Bobbi...Stine's wife/Stone's ex-wife...capable and confident writer, but also sexy and sultry lounge singer...20's - 30's Alaura Kingsley/Carla Haywood - Femme fatale, beautiful - 20's-30's...sings the beautiful "With Every Breath I Take" and the duet "Tennis Song" with Stone. Mallory Kingsley/Avril Raines - Alaura's stepdaughter/a starlet...sultry, young and sexy...sings the steamy "Lost and Found"...18 - 30 Margaret - a maid at the Kingsley's mansion (non-singing)...30'S-50's
Plus a number of other great ensemble/chorus roles (speaking and non-speaking)
This is a non-equity production. *subject to change; detailed rehearsal schedule available on the Calendar page of the City of Angels website and will be available at auditions
Parma Heights, Ohio – Communicare’s Greenbrier Senior Living Community will produce an original holiday musical on the Cox Stage at the Cassidy Theatre. The Joy of Christmas, written and composed by Greenbrier resident, Richard Valentine, 89, will have one performance only at 7:30 p.m. Sunday Dec. 7 at Cassidy Theatre, 6200 Pearl Rd. Parma Hts. Tickets are on sale now for a $5 donation and can be purchased at Greenbrier Retirement Center, 6457 Pearl Rd. in Parma Heights between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. All proceeds will benefit the American Cancer Society.
Valentine, a retired music teacher, who taught music in schools in Sandusky, Elyria, Avon Lake and others, began writing the book, music and lyrics to The Joy of Christmas 5 years ago. The musical is based on inspiration he had some years earlier while watching an awe-inspiring sunrise in Arizona. In 2007, Valentine moved to Greenbrier Retirement Community. He often entertains fellow residents by playing the piano and eventually he mentioned to an administrator that he had written an original Christmas musical. Greenbrier sponsors the Cassidy Theatre’s outreach performing group “Cassidy On-Tour”. Now the two organizations have partnered to bring Valentine’s composition to the stage this holiday season.
The Joy of Christmas tells the story of a young boy and his world-weary parents who are not in the holiday spirit. Despite their reluctance, the boy convinces them to attend a holiday church service where the family is reminded of the joy, peace and love the holidays really can bring. Valentine wanted the production to benefit the American Cancer Society in honor of his late wife who lost her battle with the disease. Now, the composer himself battles cancer as well.
The Joy of Christmas is sponsored by Communicare’s Greenbrier Senior Living Community and the Cassidy Theatre.
FOR INFORMATION: Terie Novak, tnovak@chs-corp.com, (440) 888-0400
Parma Hts., Ohio - Cassidy Theatre, Inc. presents the holiday musical Scrooge. The show will run at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays Dec.5 through Dec. 21 at Cassidy Theatre, 6200 Pearl Rd. Parma Hts. Tickets are on sale now for $20 for adults and $15 for seniors and Students and can be purchased by calling the Cassidy Theatre at (440) 842-4600. Scrooge features book, music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. The Cassidy production is Directed and Choreographed by Lester Currie, with Musical Direction by Kira Seaton.
Scrooge is the stage adaptation of the movie musical retelling of Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol in which cold-souled Ebenezer Scrooge has a change of heart after spirit visitations on Christmas Eve. Renowned writer-composer-lyricist Bricusse adapted A Christmas Carol, into a movie musical in 1970 starring Albert Finney as Scrooge. In 1992, the stage musical adapted from the film was mounted in the U.K. under the title Scrooge: The Musical featuring the Bricusse songs and starring Anthony Newley.
"I think the message of the show is particularly important now when we are in hard times" says Alex Nalbach who plays Scrooge. "The characters in the show Scrooge included are people who are living through hard times. What keeps the community going is that they always reach out, they always help each other. It's a nice undercurrent of the show that it's community that counts". In addition to Nalbach, the Cassidy production also stars:
Don Pedley as Jacob Marley Brad Andersen as Bob Cratchitt Karen Hunaday as Ethel Cratchitt/Ghost of Christmas Past II Aaron Kastanis as Harry Burnet/Young Ebenezer Kayla Bruzinski as Kathy Cratchitt Evan Ozimek/Jacob Fekete as Tiny Tim Emily Tabar as Ghost of Christmas Past I Danny Woods as Beggerman.Ghost of Christmas Present I Thomas F. Majercik Sr. as Old Fezziwig/Ghost of Christmas Present Carol Broquet as Mrs. Fezziwig Kent Overton as Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come Joe Delaney as Wine Merchant/Phantom/Dick Wilkins Debbie Lenarz as Isabel/Helen Nick Tabar as Peter Cratchitt Kayla Maggard as Belinda Cratchitt Zac Hudak as Thom Jenkins Jennifer Nageotte as Mary Joe Mcintyre as Grandfather/Mr. Pringle Sue Overton as Mrs. Dilber Julie Dombrowski as Miss Dilber Joshua Herrmann as Bissett the Butcher Stephanie Malfarn as Joycelynn Jollygoode Vicki Arnello as Hermione Hardy Tom Malone as Harry Topper/Phantom Paul Montgomery as Punch and Judy/Phantom Dawn Culp as Beggar Woman Caitlin Nageotte, Gabby Halligan and Brielle Giomini as Shoppers
In my media sales career, I learned a long time ago that every client or customer has some sort of "pain" - a need they have to fill, a challenge they need a solution to. Unless we as sales people can uncover that pain, and provide the solution to it, there is no sale. The trick is to find what that pain is. Every customer has it, but unless their ceiling is falling in or they're up to their knees in water, few customers willingly tell you what their pain is. In the sometimes vague world of marketing and advertising (and certainly entertainment) they often don't know they even have pain. Sometimes we have to point out that they do in fact have a need. Something their competition has that they don't and didn't know about, until you, their trusted consultant told them about it. Often the "need" isn't a need at all. Maybe it's just a "want". In any case, you want to be the one to provide it. Only through gaining their trust and convincingly explaining how your products and services can help do you have a chance of uncovering what the pain is. And it's only when we take the focus off our own needs and focus on the client's needs - their pain - and healing it, that success happens.
I've been thinking about how this applies to theatre audiences. What is it that a theatre ticket buyer wants or needs? Certainly to be entertained. Perhaps they need an escape from their everyday troubles into a colorful, fanciful world of a musical. Theatre is also a communal experience, so maybe a ticket buyer is tired of the isolation of their living room staring at a computer screen or a DVD on a big flat screen TV ("flat" is the key word there as opposed to the 3-D real life of live theatre). I would think this last one would apply to an audience segment that tends to be community theatre's biggest and most loyal - senior citizens. They may also have a nostalgic need to relive some of the grand plays and musicals that were the main form of entertainment in their youth.
One of the most challenging audience segments whose pain is hard to identify is also we one community theatres rely a lot on - family members of the cast. They are hard to figure out because probably the biggest reason they are in the seats is to support their kids or spouses - which is directly contradictory to the pain identification theory. These people are focused on the needs of the cast (supporting them) as opposed to the production focusing on the audience's needs.
Here's a stunning revelation - we theatre artists tend to be a little self-centered and narcissistic. Just putting on shows to provide vehicles for us to hear applause will quickly lead to a very quiet house. We need to meet the needs of our customers.
So how do you identify the needs of the audience? Ask. Then ask again and keep asking in any ways you can - through surveys, face to face meetings, etc. Until you really get a sense of the audience's pain. Then put a band aid on it.
As I'm procrastinating building yet another rehearsal schedule for an upcoming directing project, I have rehearsal schedules on the brain. A few months ago I talked about some of my theories on how we theatre artists structure and think about rehearsal schedules. For a long time I've felt like we haven't been very flexible about how we schedule rehearsals. I remember the days of 5 nights a week-type of schedules and it's been my observation that that sort of model doesn't work for today's busy community theatre participants. We wonder why no one shows up to auditions or why we end up casting the same people (many of whom may not have kids or other full-time jobs) over and over again. We are starting to see encouraging trends in the way the corporate world responds to the needs of its workforce. Things like telecommuting, flex time, on-site daycare, etc. are all smart ways to attract and maintain the very best talent. But we in the theatre world have often been slow to follow the trends and demands of our most important resource - the talent or potential talent that performs our shows - our "workforce".
These are not "professional" performers for the most part - meaning they don't do theatre for a living. They are juggling the demands of family and other jobs and simply don't have the time to commit to such heavy rehearsal schedules, as much as they might - and mostly do - want to. And, for the most part, I don't think they need to commit to heavy schedules. In many cases these performers are good enough to be professional performers but chose a different (some would say smarter) path in life. They still love to perform and have the talent and desire to get the work done their roles might require in whatever time frame they might be given. In fact, if they're true performers, they're probably actually longing to do a show but are lamenting the fact that they can't because of the heavy schedule. Can you imagine this scenario in the business world? You're selling a product. You have a potential customer who really, really wants the product. They can afford the product. But because you're unwilling or (seemingly) unable to deliver the product when and where the customer needs it, they can't and don't buy it. In fact the universe of people that actually can buy your product in the narrow window in which you're choosing to deliver it is so small that you end up selling and reselling to the same small customer base over and over again.
We all know directors who won't tolerate schedule conflicts of any kind, which is understandable to a point. We have a lot of work to get done in a short (no matter what the schedule looks like) amount of time. But in the busy actor/soccer mom (I refuse to say "hockey mom" ever again!) this is not realistic. She is going to have a few conflicts, it's inevitable. But she is a great performer and so our "no conlicts" policy cuts our nose off to spite our face. We in the community theatre community need to bend a little around the needs of our "workforce" - the performers. Talented, hard, working actors are worth it. What's more, they will rise to the challenge of shorter more manageable schedules. We've all seen the maddening phenomenon of casts that have a ton of rehearsals wait until the last minute to get off book or learn that last bit of choreo anyway. Give a talented performer 10 or 15 rehearsals and see what happens. I decided to put this to the test with the last show I directed, "Assassins".
I built a rehearsal schedule of basically 3 times a week (twice during the week and one on Sundays) for about an 8 week period. Obviously things heated up as we got closer to opening and tech week is tech week, but essentially these actors had around 10, 12, 15 rehearsals before running through the show. I was fortunate to have an amazingly talented cast, and I think a large part of that was because of a manageable schedule and the show was fantastic if I do say so myself.
Of course, "Assassins" is not a choreography heavy show and shorter rehearsal periods don't come without their costs and are not always possible. Huge casts, heavy choreo, big scene changes, etc. can all make shorter rehearsals impossible. But I've been in kind of a minimalist mood lately and if the kind of show you're into can accomodate a leaner vision, this may be one way to attract the talented hidden gems in the community you need.
Great article in yesterday's Cleveland Plain Dealer by Theatre Critic Tony Brown - "Arts to Weather Economic Storm". Tony talks about how some of Cleveland's major arts and cultural institutions have prepared or are preparing for what seems to be an inevitable financial crunch due to the national economic crisis. In a nutshell the prevailing feeling among arts administrators seems to be "so what else is new?". And it's true. All of us involved in the arts are used to living hand to mouth and putting on our best shows even though there may only be 10 people in the audience. As I've watched the national news about dwindling investments, stock market crashes, AIG and everything else, I've said to myself, "This is the only time I think I've felt OK being poor!". I know...I'm very blessed, but seriously, I don't have hundreds of thousands in some investment somewhere being decimated right now. Nothing from nothing leaves nothing. I think we kind of are in the same situation in the arts community. None of us were in this business to get rich anyhow. That being said, we still need to make sure whatever bills we do have get paid so that we can at least continue to do what we do best - make art and present it to art lovers.
So how is your theatre weathering the storm? Lowering unnecessary overhead and other costs is essential right now. Tony states in his article, "...some cultural groups started acting with more financial acumen. They reorganized, grew leaner, paid off debts and put a halt to the long-standing practice of borrowing from the next season's subscription receipts to pay off the current season's shortfalls." Oy...how many of us know that drill?
He also goes on to talk about things like looking at ticket prices and how some companies' practice of lowering prices has paid off by building audiences. How much is your company charging? Will the market bear it? We all know that if you produce a big, splashy feel-good musical with a large cast that all of the cast's family member will buy tickets, filling up the house. In a way, this is giving the community theatre audience (our customer) what they want, which is good business. But it also creates a false sense of security too. Theatre is one of the rare businesses (yes, businesses) in which giving the customer "what they want" isn't always the primary goal - certainly not the only one. We are also charged to enlighten, challenge, provoke and educate as well as entertain. The second we try to produce a smaller cast show or a lesser known or edgier, more challenging piece we notice Aunt Edna isn't in the front row...in fact, nobody is!! So we feel trapped into producing only big, splashy musicals that are not only expensive but also feature the same family member casts (are we becoming the Mormon Tabernacle theatre?) and are being done by every other community theatre in town for the exact same reasons. And that creates a bad economic equation - too much supply and not enough demand. When that happens in the retail world - overstock sales, for instance - prices drop. Are ours? Many theaters do react to market conditions as is indicated by the many BOGO offers and other short-term promotions I see pop up every weekend. I'm not suggesting ticket prices automatically should drop, but we do need to pay attention to what the market will bear and what our competitors are doing - and yes... if someone is buying a ticket to a show at the theatre down the street and not yours, especially if they're producing the same show - they're competitors. Tony brings up some good points and now is the time for all of us to look at how we are doing business and how we can do it smarter, cheaper and more efficiently.
For those who might not think of Cleveland as a thriving show business mecca, think again. From a throbbing local music scene, to the second largest performing arts center in the country - Playhouse Square - along with dozens of other professional and non-professional theatre companies, Opera Cleveland, The Cleveland Orchestra and so many other performing arts, Cleveland is indeed a great place to make and enjoy great works of art. And the people creating that art are some of the best anywhere. Case in point, another Cleveland entertainment pro who is sharing his ideas and experiences in a new blog - The Brian Bowers Project. Brian has been heavily involved in the arts and entertainment world for nearly his whole life. Starting as an actor at a very young age, Brian has performed over 20 years in theatre and broadcast. After graduating with a BA in Theatre from Baldwin-Wallace College, he continued to work as an actor while also working in management positions for several national companies. His interest in both entertainment and business/sales led to his transition into agenting for the Talent Group in Cleveland, OH, where he worked for over three years finding work and negotiating contracts for actors and models in commercials, industrials, voiceovers, and print/fashion. During this time he also created Braedy Photography (a portrait studio specializing in headshots for models and actors), and is also currently working as a producer for Erie Lake Pictures, a Cleveland based production company. CHECK IT OUT!
Performing arts organizations need to advertise as much as any for-profit commercial company. But affording paid advertising? That is, indeed a comedy of errors! So should small non-profits throw in the advertising towel and depend on the kindness of their ever-dwindling senior citizen subscriber base? I think not.
Theatre artists are some of the most creative people in the world and the magic that comes out of their heads and onto a stage is often nothing short of miraculous. But when it comes to marketing and advertising we often get as creative as an I.R.S. agent (not that there's anything wrong with that!).
While expensive paid advertising is often not an option for theatre groups, there is a lot we can do to effectively promote our shows. Grass roots marketing and generating word-of-mouth buzz is the best way to generate interest in a production. Along with the normal generation of press releases, photos, flyers and video on a regular basis for each show, creative use of social networking sites has also become vital in the effort. For instance, recently the theatre I'm involved in - The Cassidy Theatre - had no less than 3 current or recent shows being talked about on Facebook - through cast photos postings, video and chats. This is free and goes a long way to generating that all-important buzz.
Theatre directors and marketers should look for the interesting stories within your cast and crew and let your media contacts know about them. Editors and producers don't care if you're putting on a show. They have a bigger responsibility to a larger population, much of which could care less about theatre. But they do want to know about the fact that a cast member recently returned from duty in Iraq or that everyone in the cast is volunteering at a soup kitchen or something. Encourage your cast to take candid rehearsal photos and video of their own and post them to various social networking sites. Write blogs, create MySpace and Facebook pages and event invitations. These have become invaluable (and free!) sources of generating buzz about shows and it helps cast members get even more involved in the production of your project. I recently created a series of online promotional video trailers for a production I directed of the Stephen Sondheim musical "Assassins" here in the Cleveland area. Each promo featured an actor playing a different historical presidential assassin revealing brief glimpses into their motivations. Of course each promo ended with show information. I got a lot of email response - soome quite controversial - which I promptly forwarded to the press, under the heading "Debate Erupts Over Assassin Promotion". The result was a front page feature articlein the local paper.
Barack Obama's campaign for president is being hailed as one of the best in recent history. The timing of certain campaign activities, his ability to raise millions of dollars and cultivating one of the largest volunteer armies ever seen all have contributed to his success. Whether you voted for him or not, all of us in the marketing and advertising community should study this campaign and take away valuable lessons from it to apply to our efforts. For instance trying to attract voters is not unlike trying to attract audiences for theatre productions (which happens to be my interest). One of the things the Obama campaign did was to identify people who were registered voters in the last election but who, for some reason did not actually show up to vote. These people - obviously identified as prime targets - were then personally contacted. As we know voter turn-out hit record levels. What if we applied the same strategy to our customers - or potential customers? It's should be fairly easy to identify every theatre season subscriber and when they actually did or didn't show up for a show. I could then contact those people (who are warm and hot leads because they actually have "opted in" for my services) to find out why they didn't attend, address those issues and personally invite them to the next show for an improved experience. How many times have we tried to find new customers (or audiences) by cold calling or by otherwise blindly trying to reach as many people as possible, whether they had an interest in our product or service or not? Anyone in sales or marketing knows that a qualified lead - a warm, one - is like finding prospecting gold because it can save endless amounts of time and greatly improve the chances for a sale. And someone who has signed up for our service - or registered to vote - in the past is someone who should be contacted again. Can you say "low-hanging fruit"?
An interesting debate has begun among the Northeast Ohio performing arts community over my video promotional trailers for "Assassins". They can be seen at: ASSASSINS VIDEO PROMO TRAILERS
(or just scroll down this blog!)
The hubbub seemed to start here in Cleveland, when I posted the trailer featuring the character of Lee Harvey Oswald (played by Jacob Wadenpfuhl). Seems JFK is still a little fresh in some people's minds. Why does no one cry for Bill McKinley?:
"I'm sorry, but I find this promotional approach highly objectionable. I'm one of the people who can tell you exactly where she was and what she was doing the day JFk was shot.
sincerely, Lissy Gulick"
That was followed by:
"BACK IN ANCIENT, DYNASTIC EGYPT, WHENEVER A PHAROAH OR HIGH OFFICIAL FELL OUT OF FAVOR, OR WAS OTHERWISE DISGRACED, HIS NAME AND HIS IMAGE, IF THERE WAS ONE, WAS OBLITERATED FROM ALL PUBLIC RECORDS AND PUBLIC MONUMENTS. IN THOSE DAYS, ERASERS CAME IN THE FORM OF HAMMERS AND CHISELS.
TODAY, WE ARE DROWNING IN A SEA OF IMAGES, AND WITH THE PUBLICITY AND MARKETING TOUTED FOR THE PLAY, ASSASSINS, THERE IS SOMETHING THAT SUMMONS LOATHING AND THAT GRABS AT OUR STOMACHS ABOUT THE GLAMORIZATION OF KILLERS AND MURDERERS. NOT THAT HOLLYWOOD OR BROADWAY HAS EVER SHOWN ANY SQUEAMISHNESS WHEN IT COMES TO EXPLOITING MURDER AND MAYHEM FOR PROFIT. YET A SPECIFIC AUDIENCE OF YOUNG PEOPLE IS OUT THERE CONTINUOUSLY VIEWING ALL THIS MATERIAL, WHICH IS NOT JUST FOR "MATURE AUDIENCES" ANYMORE. ALL OF THE PSYCHOSES OF KILLING AND MURDER HAVE BECOME "PUBLIC DOMAIN" AND THERE MAY BE A HIDDEN BENEFIT HERE - FOR THE LONG RANGE. HOWEVER WE SLICE AND DICE IT, IN SPITE OF COLUMBINE, ARKANSAS, KANSAS, VIRGINIA TECH, FINLAND, AD NAUSEAM, IT DOES NOT SEEM TO BE GETTING BETTER.
YOU MIGHT SAY, 'WELL, IF IT IS SELLING TICKETS, WHAT IS THE HARM?" ANYONE WHO DOESN'T KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION EITHER LEAVES THE FAMILY WEAPONS IN PLAIN VIEW OF YOUNGSTERS OR IS COMATOSE, AND FOR ME THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE IN THE TWO.
MAYBE A SIMPLE POSTER WOULD HAVE BEEN AS EFFECTIVE. OR IS THAT LIKE ASKING TO PUT THE JINN BACK INTO THE LAMP? WHERE IS THOMAS PAINE AND HIS IDEA OF COMMON SENSE?
THANK YOU LISSY. OBJECTION WELL TAKEN.
MARTIN COSENTINO"
hmmmm....an email in all capital letters? A sign of aggression in this text-happy era? Maybe. Or maybe just really passionate about Lee Harvey Oswald!
There have been others and I'm sure others will follow. My response to some of the opinions expressed so far has been this:
Thanks so much for the feedback. I really appreciate it and am always glad to talk about the show and theatre marketing in general. And I completely understand the reaction. Again, this is a challenging piece to produce and promote. It is disturbing and uncomfortable. I think that y merely putting the title "Assassins" on a marquee, you're inviting some negative reaction. And I think that in large part that was the authors' intent - to ruffle feathers, make us squirm in our seats and really take a look at our society and what the "American dream" means, so that these horrible things never have to happen again.
I was born a couple years after 1963, so I don't have a recollection of the events of the JFK assassination. The nearest thing that my younger cast could relate to that we've discussed are the events of September 11. In an effort to make sure they approach the material in ways that I consider appropriately grounded (which is not to imply censored or "softballed" in any way) and in line with the authors' intent, I've tried to get them to imagine how difficult it would be to perform a musical (or promote one) that some people would view as mocking or sympathizing with the 9/11 terrorists. I've also approached the marketing with this in mind as well. I would never want to mock or sympathize with anyone responsible for the similarly catastrophic events of 1963. That has never been my intent. And again, if you took it that way, I can understand it.
However, I do believe in this piece of theatre - specifically because it is disturbing and uncomfortable, and I am of the personal belief that if a society ever needed to be shaken out of our complacent slumber, we do. Especially now as we are heading into the voting booths. It is very uncomfortable to look at ourselves and some very heinous deeds some of us have done. But we have to if we are ever going to change. And I really believe this piece grabs us by the shoulders and shakes us a bit - so I believe the marketing and promotion should too. I never mean to offend. With the exception of some harsh language at times, this piece has no outward or graphic violence, or blood and with the exception of one brief image before a blackout - no one is ever seen actually getting shot. The promos follow that line. And it is important to note that 99% of what the characters are saying in the promos comes directly from the script. And I'm certainly not in this business to get rich, so the implication that the video pieces are sensationalizing awful acts just to sell tickets - while understandable - is not quite on the mark. Of course we want to sell tickets so that we can share the amazing talents of this cast, but also so we can shake a few people (voters) up as well and start dialogues like this one. In that regard you will continue to see (should you choose to click the link) other video promos from the other characters in the show over the upcoming two weeks.
But I definitely think to change we have to talk...dialogue is essential, between democrats and republicans, theatres and audiences - which is why I am so grateful for your feedback. I always welcome the chance to talk more with you. I can be reached at (440) 263-1156. I would love for you to see the show!
Thanks so much and best wishes - Geoff Short
Of course there have been supporters as well... "As a teacher, I can understand that there are some parents out there who wish to shield their children from anything that could be considered harmful, disgusting, questionable, etc. However, AS A TEACHER, I also believe that when these types of shows, ideas, songs, pop-stars, etc. come into the arena, it is the job of the PARENTS, not the community, to explain why and how these things are bad or unacceptable for their child. If you are not aware of things like Facebook, Myspace, musicals, plays, T.V. shows and movies with adult content, then you are not doing your job as a parent.
I see your point about how disgusting it is that our society tends to glorify, in public (movies, books, plays, television), the things we condemn behind closed doors, however, it is not the responsibility of the theaters to control that. That responsibility lies with the parents and the parents alone.
The theater has been and always will be a place where ideas, new and old, are presented in non-traditional ways. It's up to the audience members to decide what to take away from the performance. I don't think the marketing has anything to do with that and in a time when the arts are suffering, let the theaters do whatever they can to get those audience members there. If this marketing works, I say good for them for getting people in the seats. If they don't get more people attending performances, with our current state of economics, what will happen to the theater community in one of the poorest cities in the nation?"
"Hi Geoff et all involved in Assassins- As someone who works in marketing and advertising I must say- GREAT promotion. Love it or hate it, it's effective. Wow, I hadn't even heard about this show and am now really interested (and why didn't I go audition?) in seeing it. I usually don't like musicals either, but might give this one a pass. best wishes to you all in your opening and run, Michael Goulis "
Stay tuned as the local press has gotten wind of the story...(I have no idea how!)...More to come!
