You Got To, ACCENTUATE…

If you have ever been blessed enough to spend quality time with me in a planning meeting for any theatrical endeavor you are sick to death of hearing me say, “We have two things: time and people.”

So I’m sorry Will and Megan.

On an indie theatre level you probably don’t have space, or money, but you have people who are passionate about what they do, and you have time.

Argue with me all you want on the time front, short of 6 shows a year you have enough time to do things the hard way. If you are doing 6 or more shows a year on an indie theatre level I would argue that you should buy a healthy life insurance policy.

Wrangling about “but my life is so hard” aside, given that you have only time and people: leverage them.

Look around your grocery store, how many celebrity magazines are there? 3.5 trillion? People love people. It’s a true truth. But looking around at theatre marketing in town (and previously in San Francisco) groups try to sell concept. I know I’ve been guilty of it.

 

Sell your people.

Put them on your posters. Put them front and center in your press releases. Build your pitches to local media around them.

Create shots they can use going forward.

Link your people to roles prominently so you can create a true history for your company.

A community needs it’s stars. It’s needs a talent base that it feels invested in, or it’s never going to commit.