We in educational theatre have the opportunity to increase our audiences for our university theatre productions through active public exposure of the theatre and its faculty/staff. Barriers to the ‘town & gown’ syndrome can be overcome when the university theatre team makes a concerted effort to network and become visible in the community. This paper features practical ideas in marketing the theatre, not only making the theatre program a viable part of the community, but also a ‘shining star’ to the university administration. Generally these principles are not prohibitively expensive but tend to be labor intensive as long-term contacts and community good will gestures are made with the local population.
For the last twenty years I have been an arts administrator, most recently serving ten years as Managing Director of the University Theatre at the University of Texas-Pan American. This fall I transferred to Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, where I am presently teaching Theatre Management and Arts Administration at the Masters and doctoral level. This paper focuses on marketing and audience development projects and activities undertaken during my tenure at the University of Texas-Pan American.
First, it is necessary to understand a little bit about this university, its unique demographic components, and its associated marketing challenges. The University of Texas-Pan American is located in the southern tip of Texas, about 20 miles from the Mexican border. Our student population is 90% Latino/Hispanic, closely mirroring the local population. We are the second most economically disadvantaged area of the US, second only to our adjacent county. Only two percent of our population has achieved a college education. We are a relatively small theatre department, with five faculty and about forty students in the undergraduate and Masters program.
The population demographics do not exactly mirror those of the typical arts patron. Attendance at our theatre productions, however, was booming in 1992, until the largest and most read newspaper in the area brought in a new editor who arrived with a ‘mission’--to increase readership through more local news coverage. Unfortunately, the newspaper’s new policies mysteriously rejected coverage of nonprofit groups, and the arts in particular. Within weeks of the new editor’s arrival, the newspaper no longer accepted press releases from local nonprofit groups--not from the University Theatre, the local museums, the symphony, the Easter Seals Society, church groups, etc. The damage to our attendance was immediate, dropping by 50 per cent. Letters to the editor, write-in campaigns and petitions from the affected groups did nothing to change the newspaper’s policies. Fundraising was also affected because the paper would not accept the obligatory ‘shake and grin’ photos that banks and business appreciate when they make a financial contribution.
One does not miss the free publicity given by local newspapers until it suddenly disappears. The response of our university theatre was immediate and proactive. During the past five years, we have implemented a number of projects that have helped to increase our attendance and keep the University Theatre out ‘in the public eye.’ We can tell that the campaign has been effective because the Chancellor of the University of Texas system, on a recent visit, remarked that our University Theatre was one of the most remarkable entities of our entire university.
Let me describe some of the many projects we have undertaken, out of necessity, to keep our university theatre program in the limelight, and to help it remain a ‘shining star’ of the school. Some of these are tried-and-true ideas, and hopefully others will serve as an inspiration for more creativity in reaching out to potential audiences. Please note that none of these ideas should conflict with your theatre’s mission or programming, but should only serve to make the surrounding community more cognizant of your theatrical activities.
1) Increasing direct mailing is a logical place to begin. We implemented a “Super Arts Mailing List,” collecting names and addresses from as many arts groups as possible. Of course, some organizations are reluctant to share this information, but we were successful in our efforts with a ‘you-show-us-yours; we’ll show you ours’ approach. Additionally, the University Theatre offered to provide the upkeep for these lists; at the rate per piece of return address requested, this was a monetary benefit for all involved . Participating organizations could request the entire mailing list, printed on labels, free of charge, and sorted by zip code, town, etc. We collected and collated over twelve thousand names from the symphony, National Public Radio station, two museums, dance groups, etc. We also requested names and addresses from patrons at as many arts events as possible, allowing these patrons to add themselves to our mailing list by returning a pre-printed, self-addressed card.
2) Since the University Theatre found itself with empty seats at each performance, we decided to donate free seats to future, prospective audience members. Most theatres occasionally have empty seats and can benefit by filling those seats with people who have not attended previously. Our solution was to print up several types of cards that entitled the bearer to complimentary seats. “Guest Cards” listed the season of plays and allowed for two free admissions. The patrons, however, were required to submit their names and addresses in order to claim the seats, thus increasing our mailing list. These “Guest Cards” were distributed at civic club speaking engagements, to new home buyers by the Welcome Wagon, to the New Comer’s Club, and to any other prospective audience members that we encountered.
Twenty-five “Star Cards” were also printed and submitted to every local high school Theatre Arts teacher. The “Star Card” allowed high school students and teachers to be seated at curtain time, as space allowed. This outreach project not only increased our visibility, but helped in our undergraduate recruiting efforts. We also found that some teachers later enrolled in the Masters program.
A third card, the “V.A.P.” card, proved very successful. V.A.P stands for “Very Artsy Person,” and the card was sent to any individual or group active in the local arts scene. We also offered the card to potential donors and national/state/local politicians in order to continue our advocacy efforts. The “V.A.P.” card entitled the bearer to two free admission to all the plays in the season--a one hundred dollar value. The bearer of the card had to call in for a reservation because we did not want to pre-reserve a seat for a ‘no-show.’ Needless to say, the V.A.P. card garnered good will for the theatre and we saw many new faces in the audience, including our mayor and several city council members.
3) The University Theatre offered a donated performance once a year to a local nonprofit group. For instance, the Wednesday or Thursday night performance would be a special showing for the League of Women Voter’s. The Theatre would print programs and pay royalties (our only out-of-pocket expense) and the nonprofit group would be responsible for publicity and selling tickets. Usually, the nonprofit group used its theatre night as a fund raiser and increased the cost of the ticket significantly. The only ‘payment’ that the University Theatre required was the names and addresses of those attending, again to be used for mailing list purposes. We saw many new faces that returned later as patrons and then as subscribers to our productions. Other groups who received donated productions were the local Cancer Society, the American Association of University Women, the Montessori Discovery School, and the Edinburg Cultural Activities Committee.
4) One of our faculty, Dr. Marian Monta, offered a weekly Arts Column to the local newspaper. The purpose of the column was not to publicize our plays (God forbid!), but to discuss trends in the arts, or to advocate for the arts in general. Copies of many of her articles were distributed at the ATHE convention in 1997 and are available from me. Dr. Monta has allowed others use of these clever, informative articles with proper by-line credit. Those interested should contact me for more information. The articles, by virtue of having been written by someone connected with our theatre, kept the local community aware of our existence at a time when other press releases were rejected by the newspaper.
5) All of our faculty were encouraged to become active in the community and professional organizations. A “Shakespeare-in-the Park” project was begun, in cooperation with the local Parks and Recreation Department. Two thousand people attended the performances at a city park; they also received flyers announcing the University Theatre’s upcoming season. This co-production allowed for greater community visibility and had the greater advantage of garnering funding from Target Stores, local banks and foundations. This is a continuing effort of the University Theatre.
We also became very active in local Chamber of Commerce activities and the local city arts council, as well as professional theatre organizations--ATHE, USITT, SWTA (Southwest Theatre Assn.), TETA (Texas Education Theatre Association), TNT (Texas Nonprofit Theatre), and TCA (Texas Commission on the Arts). Time and money must be spent in joining and serving on committees and boards of these organizations, but the increased exposure for you and your theatre eventually is rewarded both within and outside your university.
6) The University Theatre has spent a great deal of time preparing speeches for civic clubs. This is a great way to distribute ‘Guest Cards.’ while reaching a number of people who may not be familiar with your programs. At times we introduced students at the meetings; other times we played a pre-produced VHS tape, showing stunning images of live theatre, with actors dressed in extravagant period costumes. Slick season brochures were passed out and the usual message to the club members stressed the fact that our University Theatre was not community theatre or the touring Broadway shows that appeal to the widest range of tastes--like McDonald’s. We were something different, like Scalopini’s, in Rome. We told the club members to come see us if they wanted to taste the new and different, to try something exotic--they might not like everything they tasted, but they were sure to discover exciting possibilities. “We are haute cuisine, at Burger King prices!”
7) Again, to appeal to the younger crowd, we provided a dinner for all the area Theatre Arts high school teachers. Once a year we convened, at University Theatre expense, to network and discuss topics of mutual concern. The “Star” cards were distributed and we had a chance to promote our season. While we have no figures, I believe that these dinners generated better visibility for our theatre and produced greater tickets sales from friends and colleagues of the invited teachers.
7) Finally, the University Theatre’s annual New York Theatre Trip yielded advantages, resulting in greater attendance at plays, more community visibility and some much needed theatre income. Each year a faculty member hosts this trip, occurring during Spring Break. While the price is very competitive, the community members who go on the trip help to underwrite the costs for students who also want to travel; additionally, scholarship money is earned from this enterprise. Community members who sign up for the trip appreciate being listed in all University Theatre play programs as a ‘Director’--a special contributing member of the theatre. We found that there is a lot of good will garnered from this trip and it is anticipated eagerly by some who continue to go yearly to New York.
In conclusion, I know that time is precious to faculty members with many committee assignments, publications and required research. At the University of Texas-Pan American, we found that the above projects worked but required a great deal of commitment. In our case, we feel that our time was well spent. The University Theatre has sold more season tickets than the basketball program. We believe that this is appreciated and rewarded by the administration--plus we have not ever received an NCAA violation!
Our local community, the university President and our Chancellor recognize the importance of our theatre program and regard it as truly a ‘shining star’ of the institution.
Copyright, Linda Donahue, 1997
Dr. Linda Donahue is Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance and Head of Theatre Management at Texas Tech University. This paper was originally presented at the Theatre Management Competitive Panel at ATHE’s annual conference in Chicago, August 1997.
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