Theatre North Carolina

What the What? N&O Reviewer Embarrasses Herself

A few days ago I posted a note about the tour of 'Grease' with American Idol winner Taylor Hicks coming to the DPAC. I love big Broadway musicals, but I just can't stomach 'Grease' or Hicks. Here's the link to that post 'If Schlock is Your Thing...'

Now as I have said many, many times... I don't do reviews. The reason I don't do reviews is because I don't feel qualified to do them...Well the N&O should feel the same way. I am absolutely dumbfounded by the review of 'Grease' in the N&O today. In a review titled "'Grease' loses pizazz" by Elizabeth Shestak the N&O puts another nail in the coffin of arts journalism, or at least in the coffin that was the Triangle's paper of record.

I have no issue with the fact that the reviewer didn't really like the show. I do have a problem with the fact that the review was based on the assumption that 'Grease" the stage musical is a remake of 'Grease' the movie. She starts the review:

If you see "Grease" at the Durham Performing Arts Center this week, do not go hoping to see the movie reincarnated right before you.

Duh... Sadly, Ms. Shestak did go expecting to see John Travolta and Stockard Channing and she was disappointed. OK, I might be over reacting. Most people will go the DPAC expecting to see a remake of the movie, but this isn't 'Dirty Dancing', 'The Full Monty' or 'Billy Elliot'. I think an arts journalist someone who writes about the arts, should be able to inform viewers of the difference between a stage musical based on a movie and a movie based on a stage musical. I was giving her the benefit of the doubt until I read this line...

Still, there's something about the nuance of the original...

And by 'original' she means Newton-John. Ugg...the movie was not the original Ms. Shestak. Please get your facts straight! If you want to compare the stage version to the movie feel free, just make sure you know what you are talking about.

Still think I'm overreacting... read this from her pitiful review...

For example, Danny is played by Eric Schnieder, who looks more like Adrien Brody from the film "The Pianist" than Travolta. Frankly, Dominic Fortuna, the actor who plays Vince Fontaine, the horny DJ, looks a heck of a lot more like Danny. And for some reason, Danny wears a striped polo shirt and loose, cuffed jeans with his T-Bird leather jacket, rather than the plain white T-shirt and tight jeans of the Zuko I suspect many were hoping to see.

But he can sing, and at times Schneider channels the silky Travoltan pipes of yesteryear. The whole cast has pretty decent vocals, though a few of the women sound a little too much like Disney characters than they do Stockard Channing, the film's original Betty Rizzo, or Newton-John.

Emily Padgett, who plays Sandy Dumbrowski (note the different last name than Sandy from the film -- was that really necessary?) is adorable at times, flitting between insecurity around the Pink Ladies and earnestly coquettish around Danny. But she holds onto the words a little too long during her solos and lets the vibrato linger.

I'm ill. I need to go lie down now...

Listen, Engage, Encourage - Tips For Integrating Social Media

I just love this post from SmartBlog and I think it deserves some attention! Here's a bit of the article. Click here for the full article!

On Twitter, word spreads like wildfire, and companies no longer have the option of ignoring the conversation. The paradigm shift from broadcast to direct communication via social networks has changed the way PR professionals, marketers and customer service teams work. As social media evolves, it’s becoming a vital and vibrant way for professionals to stay in touch with colleagues, suppliers and partners — and not just for communications purposes but for product development, innovation and more.

Here are three tips for getting started on integrating social media into your business operations:

• Listen first. Learn from what your customers are saying to establish your baseline.

• Engage employees internally through social media. Use blogs, Yammer or company-specific social tools to get people used to and excited about the platforms.

• Encourage employees to set up social media accounts. As you know, social media is addictive!  Once people try it, not only will they be itching for more, they’ll be coming up with ideas for how it can benefit their team.

Free Night of Theater in North Carolina

Sign-Up for Free Night of Theater!
 
The North Carolina Theatre Conference is pleased to announce that we will once again partner with Theatre Communications Group (TCG) on the Free Night of Theater program.  This year, the program taking place all across the nation and you can be a part of it!  If your Community Theatre, Professional Theatre, or University Theatre Program is a current member of NCTC, you are eligible to participate in the NC Free Night program.
 
Free Night of Theater is an audience development tool created by TCG and managed by partners across the country (including NCTC).  The goal of Free Night is to attract new patrons to your theatre.  To participate, organizations set aside free tickets for performances on or around October 15, 2009.  Ticketing is handled by the national Free Night website.  NCTC will work with you to plan and promote your event and will assist with best practices to retain these new patrons.  Management of this program is a free service to NCTC members.
 
NCTC is now compiling a list of all participating companies.  If you would like to participate in FNOT 2009, please email angelahays@nctc.org no later than September 11, 2009.
 
Please visit TCG's FNOT 2009 website for more information.  The "guidelines" section is particularly helpful.
 

Social Media is a Must for Theatre

A friend just gave me this article from DramaBiz. It's actually from earlier this year, but I think it's a great examination of the how and why of social media for theatres.

Social Media Must-Haves for Your Theatre

From Blogging to YouTube, your theatre needs to harness the online muscle of social networking to lure new audiences and build a grass roots buzz
By Lauren Palazzo

There once was a time when a man dressed in short pants and carrying a scroll simply stood on the theatre steps and announced in his best baritone voice - “Hear ye, hear ye, William Shakespeare will be presenting his latest play this afternoon at one o’clock.” Advertising was simple, direct, effective and cheap. In the many years that have followed, theatre owners have struggled to develop an advertising method that was as personal and profitable. With the advent of the internet, it is quite possible that sites like MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, Blogger, Podcasts, Flickr, Friendster, Broadcaster, Twitter, and RSS feeds are the new-age version of the original town crier.

Social networking adds a new twist to the basic marketing format by getting potential patrons to “tell a friend.”

Read the rest...

DramaBiz magazine - Search Page

Cheap Art In NYC

Fun article on getting cheap seats in NYC. Best way for us last minute shoppers to get a good deal? Sign-up for email alerts from your favorite theatres and join their Facebook pages/groups.

With the economy in the tank we're all looking for a cheap ticket!

Cheap Seats
Bad Times, Good Prices

CULTURE can be expensive, no matter which way the Dow is pointing. But in belt-tightening times, the cost of enjoying the arts in New York might seem particularly

Cheap Seats - Looking for Low-Cost Entertainment - Can You Spare a Deal? - NYTimes.com

Free Night of Theatre 2008!

 

NCTC is once again serving as a managing partner for Free Night of Theater, a national audience development program produced by Theatre Communications Group.

 

13 NCTC member theatres are participating in the 2008 program, with 18 different performances!

 

Do you have a friend or family member that you would like to introduce to one of these fabulous theatre companies?  Patrons may reserve two tickets to a theatre they have not previously attended. Tickets are available now and are going fast!

 

Please visit www.freenightoftheater.net for more information and a list of NC performances!

 

Thank you to the NCTC member companies who are participating and to all of you for promoting Free Night of Theater!

Getting to Know You, Getting to Know All About You. . .

Great article from Philanthropy Journal.  Do you read the Philanthropy Journal? You should add it to your RSS feed for sure! They always have great articles tips, webinars and more. I like this article about simple ways to get to know your audience? What do you think? Ever done a focus group?

Getting to know your audience

Stacy Jones | September 19, 2008

 

"Seniors don't look for services on the internet."  This statement made at a conference by a leader in the senior-services field is not unlike other comments made by nonprofit leaders about their intended audience.

 

In fact, a 1999 report by Media Matrix focused on the fact that older users had become the fastest growing demographic on the Internet and that baby boomers totaled 20 percent of all online users in the US.  Let's not forget that report is almost 10 years old and computers and internet access are more accessible than ever.

 

No matter who the intended audience may be, the reality is that nonprofits are often faced with more questions about their audience than they have answers.  In response to uncertainly, nonprofits make assumptions, guess about their audience's habits and find they struggle to get the word out about their organization. Conducting market research is the key to unlocking the answers and getting to know your audience better. Market research can be simple, informative and even affordable. 

 

When thinking about using market research strategies, think about what questions are important in getting to know how your audience receives information.

 

Questions could include how your current and intended audience would like to hear from you (website, e-mail marketing, direct mail, newspaper, radio) and how often. Ask how your audience generally finds information on services, volunteer opportunities and donating. Answers to these questions can go a long way in helping to shape future marketing efforts.

 

Track what's working. One of the easiest first steps is to track what marketing strategies are already working.  As new clients, donors or volunteers first come to the organization, always ask how they heard about you.  Track their responses and see what's working best and what's not.

 

Survey your own constituency. Using a practical survey tool like Zoomerang or Survey Monkey, nonprofits can easily and affordably send a survey to current and intended audiences and ask important questions to help make their marketing efforts more strategic. 

 

Focus Groups. Bring your intended audience together in small focus groups to really get to the heart of the matter.  Focus groups allow you to ask targeted questions and get feedback from your audience in a way that allows discussion about the topic. Focus groups tend to have 6-10 participants and can last from 1 to 2 hours.

 

Talking to others. Talk to other nonprofits or even local businesses that market themselves to your intended audience.  Find out what's working for them and what's not.  Share ideas, explore market research studies already completed about your audience and put practical changes in place.

 

Using some simple marketing research strategies can help a nonprofit go a long way in maximizing limited resources and reaching intended audiences more strategically.

Stacy Jones is a nonprofit marketing consultant based in Troy, N.Y. and a Shoestring Creative Group Network Affiliate.  Stacy can be reached at affiliates@shoestringgroup.com or 888.835.6236.

PURLS

Great article from Chad Bauman about PURLS. I recently got a PURL postcard and was very impressed. Check out his article at Arts Marketing.

Cool Idea

Which season package is best for you?

Arizona Theatre Company has is sending out a link to this quiz. It's a very simple concept. Giving people something a little interactive while also branding both the company and the various subscription packages. Am I looking for a classy event, a girls night out, an educational experience, etc. I'd be interested to see how this works for them.


Arizona Theatre Company :: Press Room :: Quiz

Wanna Review in the WSJ?

Great post from Terry Teachout at the Wall Street Journal

TT: So you want to get reviewed

If you read the Friday The Wall Street Journal (or this blog) with any regularity, you probably know that I'm the only New York-based drama critic who routinely covers theatrical productions all over America. As I wrote in my "Sightings" column a couple of years ago:

    The time has come for American playgoers--and, no less important, arts editors--to start treating regional theater not as a minor-league branch of Broadway but as an artistically significant entity in and of itself. Take it from a critic who now spends much of his time living out of a suitcase: If you don't know what's hot in "the stix," you don't know the first thing about theater in 21st-century America.

But suppose you run a company I haven't visited? How might you get me to come see you? Now's the time to start asking that question, because I'm already working on my reviewing calendar for the 2008-09 season. So here's an updated version of the guidelines I use for deciding which out-of-town shows to see--along with some suggestions for improving the ways in which you reach out to the press:

More . . .

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