Theatre North Carolina

Winston-Salem City of the Arts Website Launchs with $1000 Promotion!

The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County today announced the debut of an ambitious, first-of-its-kind social events network, CityOfTheArts.com, that provides a holistic, immersive online experience around events and activities within the city and county.



The site will launch with a promotion to register by ...March 30, 2010 to win $1,000 -- so go register, check out the site and come explore our City of Arts & Innovation!

Theatre NC - There's an App for That!

Theatre North Carolina is now an iPhone app!!


Just go to the iTunes store and search for Theatre NC.


The app is free and will keep you completely updated with all Theatre NC news and info!

Hope you download it now!

Get Plugged: In Social Networking Skills for Artists, Non-profits, Folklorists, and Cultural Organizations

Get Plugged In
Social Networking Skills for Artists, Non-profits, Folklorists, and Cultural Organizations

February 4th, 2010
6:00-8:00 p.m.
Duke’s Center for Documentary Studies
1317 W. Pettigrew
Durham, NC




This workshop follows up on last weeks Folk Salon (thanks to all those that came out!) to offer participants hands on experience using online tools such as Facebook, Blogger, Delicious and Twitter to attract new audience, build community and create valuable networks. It is designed for artists, non-profits, cultural organizations and individuals interested in learning how online social networking sites can support their goals. It is open to all levels of experience and members of the general public.

The workshop will feature guest speakers Beck Tench, Director of Web Experience at the Durham Museum of Life and Science and Shane Hudson, Assistant Director of Development for PlayMakers Repertory Company. Tench and Hudson will showcase available online tools and how these tools intersect with current marketing strategies.

The fee for the workshop is $15 for NCFS members and $25 for non-members. For questions and to RSVP please contact Lora Smith at info@ncfolkloresociety.org or check our website at www.ncfolkloresociety.org.

This workshop made possibly by funding form the North Carolina Arts Council.

Triad Stage's New, New Media!

Triad Stage just joined Twitter! Make sure to follow them, @triadstage

You all know how much I love Twitter and I'm thrilled to see local arts organizations utilizing this awesome tool!

Also, Triad Stage has launched a new blog called "This Little World".
The blog looks great! "This Little World" looks to be, primarily, the blog of Triad Stage Artistic Director Preston Lane. He promises to start a "dialouge about the work we're doing and the directon we're heading." Lane also promises to talk about theatre he sees outside of Triad Stage! I'm so excited to read his thoughts about theatre in North Carolina and beyond!

So, where'd the name "This Little World" come from? Lane says:

"The phrase “This little world” comes from one of my favorite films, Ingmar Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander.  I saw the movie the year it came out in the Appalachian Cinema in Boone, NC.  The impact that Bergman’s glorious, mysterious and disturbing film had on a pre-teenager in a small Blue Ridge town was enormous and began a love affair with Bergman’s work as a director of both film and theatre.  I am thrilled to have an opportunity to see a new stage adaptation of the film at the National Theater of Norway this December."

Here's the actual quote:
"I love this little world inside the thick walls of this playhouse... Outside is the big world, and sometimes the little world succeeds for a moment in reflecting the big world, so that we understand it better." --Ingmar Bergman

Congrats Triad!!

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.

Theatre Blogs in North Carolina

Over the past year, three North Carolina theatre companies have launched really great blogs; Inside Triad Stage, Theatre - The neXt generation (North Carolina Stage Company) and North Carolina Theatre's self-titled blog. Each blog gives perspective on the artistic process and offers insight into the voice, vision and vibe of it's respective theatre.

Inside Traid Stage's blog is appropriately subtitled - a blog about a theatre and its community. And that's just what the blog delivers - a behind the scenes look at the this incredible Greensboro based theatre company. The blog is full of great photos and engaging information. The blogs voice is sincere and playful and light-hearted. I've had the pleasure of seeing a number of productions at Triad and this blog makes me want to see more. I want to be part of the community represented in this blog. Inside Traid Stage is fairly new and I look forward to reading more.

Theatre - The neXt generation is the blog for North Carolina Stage Company. The blog is subtitled - The blog of North Carolina Stage Company co-founder and Artistic Director, Charlie Flynn-McIver. There is no particular theme or subject matter to which this blog is devoted, save for the musings, observations and thoughts of me, Charlie Flynn-McIver. And does it ever! I love Charlie. He's smart and funny and wildly talented! This blog is all about whatever the hell Charlie wants it to be about - personal musing about administrative work like grant writing, a place for artistic discussions, contest announcements and lots of guest writers. This blog makes me wish I didn't live so far from Asheville and the great work at NC Stage!

North Carolina Theatre's blog has been around the longest and probably ranges the most in topics. NC Theatre integrates a lot into this blog and it works! From more personal posts like Lisa Grele Barrie's note about the fear and excitement of "The Curtain Speech" to beautiful photos of both the productions and the load-ins. The blog also peppers in educational materials, artistic perspective and lots of great promotional materials like radio interviews and videos.

I'm so happy to see these theatres using social media and using it right! I'm sure other theatre blogs have popped up, but I may have missed them. Sorry I left you out. Let me know if I've missed any good ones!

Facebook Users Getting Older

Think your patrons are too old for social media or that only college students use Facebook? Think again!

Beth from Beth's Blog writes that a new report with some facinating results was released this week from Nielsen Online. According to the report, social media is continuing to gain popularity and is now the fourth most popular destination online. She also reports that Facebook is aging! 

In terms of sheer audience numbers, for example, the greatest growth for Facebook has come from people aged 35-49 years of age (+24.1 million).  Furthermore, Facebook has added almost twice as many 50-64 year olds visitors (+13.6 million) than it has added under 18 year old visitors (+7.3 million).

Check out Beth's Blog and think about how you can use social media to communicate more effectively and effeciently with your inclined participants. 

Tweet This: Theatre and Twitter

I'm a huge fan of an arts marketing blog called SmArts & Culture. Maryann Devine, the blog's author, is full of interesting tips and thoughts. One of her latest posts is about a new way of using Twitter effectively... during a live performance! This is a must-read for those interested in the future of theatre and new technologies.

Portland Center Stage held an experiment with twitter last month.

They invited “30 or so of [their] closest twitter friends” plus anyone else who cared to join them, to live-tweet the world premiere performance of the play Apollo. You can read the resulting twitter stream on their blog, or use #apollo on Twitter Search.

According to Trisha Pancio, PR and publications manager for PCS, the goals were two-fold: one goal was to embrace the use of social media, rather than fight it – people were already tweeting and texting in the theater. “…we wanted to see what it was like to release that restriction, and let them have a real conversation with each other (and the world) during the performance.”

Publicity was the second goal. It was almost by definition an experiment in publicity – twitter is about sharing your thoughts with the world at large. “We wanted the experience, not to replicate the experience of seeing the show, but tease the experience… leave people wanting more,” said Trisha.

Read it all...

McCarter Theatre Rules the Web

The McCarter Theatre has one of the best websites around.

Not only is their website beautiful to look at, it's full of easy to navigate content. Content that is actually useful and interesting. McCarter is using their website as a vital, first-tier audience development and marketing tool.

Too many performing arts organizations spend valuable time and money on traditional marketing like advertising and PR, but completely neglect their own website. Traditional marketing is vital. It lets inclined participants know what's going on,  but in this day if you don't offer a little extra on your website, you might not close the sale. A static or ill-designed website might even turn potential patrons off.

The McCarter Theatre's website is engaging, informative and beautiful. Take a look around and see for yourself.

So why am I on this McCarter Theatre kick. Well, I just took a look at this amazing Audience Guide to Twelfth Night! I hope you are as inspired by their website as I am!

In order to help audience members grapple with the relationships in Twelfth Night, Graphic Designer Danny Garber and Web Designer Dimple Parmer have collaborated to create this new online feature: “Navigating Twelfth Night,” which uses costume designer Miranda Hoffman’s designs and sketches to map out the relationships in Twelfth Night.

Click the image above to visit our Audience Resource Guide and enjoy this new interactive feature.

Texting Encouraged

A friend sent this to me and I wanted to pass it along because I think this is a great idea.

The Alliance Theatre in Atlanta is planning a special interactive performance. The January 24 matinee of Jesus Christ Superstar GOSPEL will include a special Text Narrator. Participants will receive text messages before the show and suring intermission. Patrons will also be able to text questions for a post-show discussion.

Why does a theatre company want to embrace texting?

To engage new audiences.

Different audiences like to be communicated with in different ways.

Text messaging gives a younger, more tech-savey audience infomation the way they want to receive it. Texting can deepen reltionships with those audience members by giving them "insider only" information.  It's very forward thinking and it allows the theatre to capture cell number for future text messages about  events, specials, contests and promotions. The possibilities are endless!

Rather than ignore new technologies, embrace them, it worked for Obama!