Running Your Theater: Advertising a show

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Advertising a show

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=3060
Printed Date: 10/30/25 at 8:32pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Advertising a show

Posted By: tonyboling
Subject: Advertising a show
Date Posted: 3/18/08 at 9:29pm

So our local community theatre actually just got back on it's feet in 2002-2003.

They do four shows a season, two plays and two musicals. I don't think they completely have their stuff together yet though. I just finished Stage Managing The Miracle Worker and volunteered to design the poster/flyer/program cover and the president also ended up having me make a newspaper ad and such.

Anyways, the promotion done for the show was a write up in the local paper, the ad I made that didn't get into the paper until just before the second weekend and two actors went on a local community talk show to promote it. There were no ads sold for the program and I saw nothing put up around town.

What I'd like to know is what you guys do to promote your shows because something has GOT to be done around here.

Replies:

Posted By: Nanette
Date Posted: 3/19/08 at 9:31am

For the first show we did, I pounded the pavement in a nearby town and locally having our posters put up. Since then we've just put an ad in the local rags and have sent in the press releases weekly. (If I send something to our paper, it gets printed ... newspapers love "good news".) I also take comp tickets in to the newspapers and radio stations. The radio stations are invited to give them away as "on air" prizes. The newspapers are also invited for an interview and photo shoot.

The free publicity works well for us (press releases). Putting up posters didn't really seem to bring in any more than we usually get.

In the future we're expanding our advertising to surrounding communities (within 50 miles).

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In a world of margarine, be butter!

Posted By: John Luzaich
Date Posted: 3/19/08 at 5:51pm

Tony,

Check out "Other Topics" category, and then under that "Marketing Best Practices". There have been a number of posts and many many good comments and suggestions from people involved in various community theatres from large to small. Many posts have to do with marketing, advertising, and public relations.

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John
cfct@cfu.net
http://www.osterregent.org
http://www.facebook.com/osterregent