Playbill Style Guide
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Theater Administration
Forum Name: Running Your Theater
Forum Discription: General questions about how to make it work
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2277
Printed Date: 10/31/25 at 12:12am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Playbill Style Guide
Posted By: dancingbarefoot
Subject: Playbill Style Guide
Date Posted: 3/01/07 at 11:53am
| Just wondering if anyone has come across or created a writing style guide for programs or playbills that they'd like to share. It would be nice to find some examples specifically for this type of publication rather than pouring through MLA guides and such for the needed information. I'm looking for things like when to capatilize, use quotes or italics, writing titles when in a sentence and when standing alone, etc. I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting our programs to have a professional look. Any help would be appreciated! |
Replies:
Posted By: dancingbarefoot
Date Posted: 3/19/07 at 1:05pm
Maybe I am alone!! Ha ha! 
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Posted By: suzecue1
Date Posted: 3/19/07 at 6:09pm
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I'm sorry no one has answered this post. I wasn't ignoring you and I do care about what the programs look like! I didn't answer earlier because I don't have any quide that I go by. I have done quite a few programs for our CT's shows. I just play around with it until it all fits in the space I have and I like how it looks. I just use microsoft publisher, or print shop. No special template. I think the end result looks fine. No complaints anyway! ------------- Sue ***** So many hats.....so few heads! |
Posted By: dancingbarefoot
Date Posted: 3/22/07 at 3:30am
| Thanks. I've been trying to adhere to MLA writing guidlines for our program, but constantly look up things when typing out bios etc. So, it was just wishful thinking that someone had already done the work for me! I did find that some university music programs have created their own style guides for all programs and publications so that they remain uniform, and was thinking of doing something similar for our theatre. Like you, our layout is usually all about space and looks. We use PageMaker. |
Posted By: Tallsor
Date Posted: 3/22/07 at 4:32pm
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I tried giving you something a couple of weeks ago, and the system booted me out. Hadn't had time to get back to it since.
I've got a degree in Journalism and have done my share of work-related marketing, and so I tend to go with AP Style for the actual text format. That said, shorter works (one acts, episodes of TV shows, etc.) go in quotes (character names also go in quotes); longer works (full lengths, movie titles, TV show titles, etc.) are italicized or underlined. You can purchase an AP Stylebook for under $20. For layout, I use PageMaker (and am slowly transitioning to InDesign), but have done them in MS Word as well.
The thing of it is, I have done publicity (which includes programs) for three different theatres now. Every company liked doing their programs slightly different. The main thing is to be consistent, whatever you do. And what you might do is create your theatre's 'style guide' (which could include all that, plus such things as how they want their theatre labeled in publicity, what font/s they use, etc.) and once you think you've got everything, show it to the board and/or people in charge when you're 'done' for future reference.
My thoughts....
Angie Fiedler Sutton
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Posted By: Michellle
Date Posted: 5/29/07 at 2:37pm
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Hi, I am encountering the same issue. i need to compose a style guide for our website. Did you find a style guide specifically for the industry...or did you develop your own? I am going through the AP stylebook and some web design books for correct formatting. Please let me know . Thanks, Michelle |
Posted By: Bill_Long
Date Posted: 7/07/07 at 8:10pm
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Michelle,
I have been working on our website for the past 10 years. http://www.casttheatrical.com - www.casttheatrical.com I found that my best source of information was other theatrical sites. On these sites I found a lot of good ideas and some not so good. I found that even if you are not trained in web design but have some artistic inclination the Web Site design is a developing skill. You create what looks good to you.
Through the years I have changed our site at least 5 dozen times. I have even purchased online flash templates. Unfortunatelly I haven't figured out how to make the work yet. What ever works for you.
Personally I go by the following rules:
1. Make sure your control hyperlinks are available on all pages.
2. What is important to the promotion of your group is the first thing anyone sees. 3. Remember the Code. - KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)
------------- Cast Theatrical Company Rosenberg Texas |
Posted By: SpaceCoast
Date Posted: 7/12/07 at 1:11pm
With todays web 2.0 and blogs, you can use the power of the web to promote your theater!
I to am assisting my local theatre with website/digital needs so if anyone has links to files that can be modified please post
I have created seating charts for all the local theatres using a microsoft program called visio (pretty neat program, you can do a complete layout of theatre too)
Peace!
------------- Devon http://www.spacecoasttheatre.com - SpaceCoastTheatre.com http://www.surfsideplayers.com - SurfsidePlayers.com |