Ideas, suggestions, and how-to information on all aspects of theatre, updated monthly

September 2010

Fasten-ating Tips
Here are two useful suggestions from professional woodworkers.

• You can stop splits when nailing wood by staggering the nails along the grain of the board. Never drive two nails into the same grain line. Blunting a nail's point, by taping it lightly with a hammer before using it, will also lessen the chance of the nail splitting the wood as you nail.

• If a screw hole has enlarged so that the screw has lost its grip, coat a wooden chopstick with glue and use it to plug the hole. When the glue dries, trim the chopstick flush with the surface and refasten the screw. You can do the same thing with a wooden matchstick to plug a smaller hole.

Lending a Hand
Here's a way for a theatre company to support the children's creativity, encourage them in live theatrical performance, and  reap considerable public relations benefits for itself. A few years back, a group of fifth grade students from Ridgewood, New Jersey, premiered a new play on Broadway at the Roundabout Theatre Company's Stage Right. The play written, staged and performed by the children, dealt with sweatshop conditions in the overseas factories of certain American corporations. The children wrote the play while in the fourth grade and planned to perform it for the students at their school, but district administrators canceled the show at the last minute, claiming it inappropriate for elementary age children. Roundabout then offered the students the use of its theater, located in the heart of Times Square, to perform their play. The students rehearsed at the Roundabout during the day of the evening performance. The Broadway performance was by invitation only, which allowed the students to bring their families, friends and peers to share in the experience of a Broadway premiere. A reception followed. 

Steam and Clean
Is the inside of your backstage microwave oven beginning to look like the Carlsbad Caverns? It's easy to happen when many people use the same oven and don't clean up after themselves. You can steam-clean the oven by boiling a bowl of water inside. The steam softens the grease and dried food particles so that you can wipe the oven clean. If spills are particularly gruesome, cover them with a wet paper towel and run the oven on "high" for 10 seconds. This will loosen most baked-on food. 

Shoe Storage
The best storage for shoes is in boxes, says costume consultant Charlotte French, but in most cases a shoe rack will do fine.
"They may get dusty on a rack, but that isn't a problem with leather shoes, because you can just dust them off," French says. "Cloth-covered shoes, however, should be kept covered. And unusual or valuable shoes should be kept in boxes."
If you have some very good or unusual shoes you can use shoe trees, she says, but you might just as well assume that as insoles age they will curl.  "It's a natural process, and you can't do much to stop it," she explains. "If they're good shoes, you can always have the insoles replaced at a shoe repair shop."

New Space from Old

When planning to remodel an existing facility, you can save frustration and dollars by looking at several alternatives before you proceed, keeping in mind the following points:

• Interior walls that carry none of the load of the roof or floor above can be easily removed.

• Load-bearing walls may also be removed, but the process is more complicated and very expensive.

• Doors may be made into windows, and windows expanded into doors. You can also close up existing openings altogether--or create brand new ones.

• You can move light fixtures and outlets fairly easily, but heating ducts and radiators are more difficult to rearrange. If you can possibly avoid it, do not cut into any wall containing plumbing lines.

• If new plumbing fixtures are being added, locate them near existing lines to save money.

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August 2010

The Lowdown on WD-40
The product's "real" uses (at least as advertised) are to stop squeaks, protect metal from rust, and free sticky mechanisms. But in the immensely entertaining WD-40 Book (Bad Dog Press), authors Jim & Tim (who also wrote The Jumbo Duct Tape Book ) discuss a host of other uses of this familiar backstage fixture. Some examples: removing glue from fingers; removing lipstick stains; un-sticking a computer keyboard and mouse; removing rings from fingers; keeping wasps from building a nest under eaves; and removing gummed labels and duct tape residue from most surfaces. ("WD," explain the authors, stands for "water displacer" and its formula was perfected on the 40th try.

When Asking for Advice, Keep It Positive
Fostering a sense of community within a theatre company is vital to its well-being. In a company newsletter a few years back,  the Woodland [CA] Opera House noted that its board of directors woul soon go on an annual retreat. "One of the topics will be a review of our current programming," noted Executive Director Jeff Kean, noting various directions the company might take.. "WOH could be a rental house, a performing arts center for youth or multi-discipline, including music and dance. It could be a semi-professional house, or a producing community theater. The latter was the board choice and has been the direction we have moved this year. To me, community theater means making available as many opportunities for participation for all segments of the community. Continuity and quality of product is important. But fostering the community sense of ownership within the facility was the paramount task set for me by the board. If you have positive input to make concerning the direction we are traveling, I urge you to contact me or any board member. Let your voice be heard--this is your theater." (Note Kean's request for "positive input." In other words, instead of dwelling on problems--and pointing fingers--the board wanted to focus on solutions.)

In the Public Eye
Looking for a way to increase audiences at your productions? Consider giving free performances of one act plays or a musical revue in city parks, or at local shopping centers. While your audience is gathered, have company members pass among them with information about your company. Even better, have clearly marked tables with sign up sheets placed strategically about the area, and ask departing audience members to leave their names and addresses for future mailings.

Sweet Surprise
"Finger Jell-O" makes a good (and easily made) substitute for prop candy, says theatre consultant Charlotte French. French learned this when she had to come up with a plate of exotic candy for a production of Kismet. "You can cut it to any size, and it's not messy," she explains. "It's easy to eat, not filling, and doesn't stick in the throat like some real candy. The sugar-free kind doesn't leave a sticky residue, either."

Dry Mix
When using dry paints for sets, remember that water added to the pigment makes the color much darker than it will be after it dries. To avoid this problem, you can mix the colors while still dry, noting the proportions used, then add water. Paint a test piece of wood or canvas and blow dry. If the result is good, go ahead and mix the entire batch. Otherwise, continue the experiment. It's always a good idea to mix more than enough paint--it's almost impossible to match the color if you run short later.

Letter-Perfect
When sending out a fundraising letter consider these eight tips from marketing experts. 

1. Put yourself in your prospect's shoes. Ask yourself whether your words appeal to your prospects' interests or needs. Write from their point of view. 

2. Write the way you talk. Maintain an easy-to-understand, simple, friend-to-friend style. 

3. Develop a powerful, interest-holding first paragraph. Give the reader a reason to read on. 

4. Specifics are more meaningful than generalities. If there is a problem, explain it in straightforward terms, and be as focused on your proposed solution. 

5. People give to people, not organizations. Put your needs in the context of their effect on your own community. Explain how the money raised will make a difference in someone's life. 

6. Build conviction. Use testimonials, facts and reasonable expectations, rather than extremes. "Without this new theater, the arts in Uniontown are doomed" is not likely to scare anyone into donating, and may turn off many prospective donors. 

7. Ask the reader to do something. Mail, call, visit, ask further questions, whatever--always invite a response. And make it easy for them with a response card, a street address, phone, fax, or e-mail address. Be sure to note the hours your theater office is open.

Sound Advice
According to sound experts, it's best to run a continuous sound effect no longer than a few minutes at full volume. A 20 minute scene during a thunderstorm, for example, could become tedious if the sound effect continues full blast throughout. In real life we aren't aware of the constant sound of rain, the experts point out, but rather of the changes in the sound of the raindrops or the wind velocity, or of occasional thunderclaps. Their advice: bring the sound down after a few minutes, then find places to raise the volume briefly.

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July 2010

Social Networking

According to the book Internet Management for Nonprofits: Strategies, Tools & Trade Secrets [John Wiley & Sons], social media requires not only a different approach to strategy but also a different mind-set from that of implementing e-mail, direct mail, and other traditional communications and fundraising campaigns. To measure social media success in the early stages, organizations need to measure intangibles such as conversations and relationships. Ultimately, the key question to ask when measuring engagement is, "Are we getting what we want out of the conversation?"  

Here are some key points the authors raise:

• Social media requires not only a different approach to strategy but also a different mind-set from that of implementing e-mail, direct mail, and other traditional communications and fundraising campaigns.

• Ultimately, the key question to ask when measuring engagement is, "Are we getting what we want out of the conversation?"

• Social media is about awareness, which facilitates the spread of a nonprofit organization's message in a way that the nonprofit does not need to do the heavy lifting.

• "Insight" and "Impact" are key terms. "Insight" means using social media to listen, learn and adapt. "Impact" refers the effect of this insight on specific organizational outcomes.

• Listening means knowing what is being said online about an organization, its field or its issue area. Listening involves the use of monitoring and tracking tools to identify conversations that are taking place on the social web. It is like a large focus group.

• Learning means discovering what works once the strategy has been launched. It is a reflective process that is done alone or as a team to harvest insights developed through listening.

• Adapting means using insights to make corrections to improve social media results in the next interaction. It is much easier to adapt a social media project at a tactical level than to change or improve other areas in an organization that social media might shine a light on: customer service, programs, and services.

• One of the topics people are most passionate about when considering social media is brand control. In a direct-marketing world of billboards, television ads and mail, the organization has complete control over the message. Because the cost of each impression is so high, the significant amount of time spent debating the particulars of word choice or font selection makes sense.

• With social media, you have to be willing to actually engage with people as human beings. It's more listening than broadcasting. What people want in social media interactions is to have a genuine two-way conversation.

• When you participate in social media, you have to let go of your message. You're engaging in conversations that are already occurring without you. You can throw up your hands in frustration or you can participate.

• It's important to recognize the difference between an online tactic and an online strategy. Having a web site, using Twitter, etc., are all tactics that can be used to achieve specific goals. A lot of organizations start with tactics instead of strategies. We really encourage groups to articulate a strategy first, with measurable goals, and then figure out which of these shiny objects like Facebook or Twitter they might want to test, in order to try and achieve their plan.

More On Social Media

Check out this informative (and sometimes surprising) June 2010 report (in PDF format) commissioned by the AARP, Social Media and Technology Use Among Adults 50+

Selling Smarts
Selling ads for theater programs can be difficult when advertisers have so many possible venues to consider. The Des Moines (IA) Playhouse found this to be the case--competing for advertising dollars in their area are a large urban newspaper plus 15 weekly and monthly newspapers, and more than 30 radio and television stations. In addition, the Playhouse faced competition for advertising dollars from four other performing arts groups in the region. In response, the company produced a visually eye-catching media kit that included not only advertising rates but audience demographics, photos and reviewer quotes from past seasons. The kit's message was that "Playhouse patrons are an active, well-educated, high-income group that values high quality at a reasonable price." Ads were sold on an annual basis, from an eighth page to a full page. Placement on the center spread, back cover, and inside covers carried an additional charge. Repeat advertisers received a discount, and the theater gave out summer production tickets as incentives to those who renewed ad contracts early.

More Than Furniture
On the lobby wall of the Performing Arts Guild of South Kitsap, Washington, was this sign: "Theater is life. Film is art. Television is furniture." This prompted  a fundraising letter to ask, "If you have cable, you are probably paying $1200 or more a year for furniture. If you take a friend to a couple of movies a month and buy popcorn, you are probably paying around $600 a year for art. What can we persuade you to pay for life?"

The High School Connection
The Salvage Vanguard Theater of Austin, Texas, joined a growing number of theater companies providing special theater opportunities for high school students. Ten students from Johnston High School first read the script of David Hancock's The Invisible Medium, then attended the theater's production with their teacher, after which they took part in a lively talk-back. "Usually, if high school students see a performance, they see very mainstream material," Salvage Vanguard's Artistic Director told the Austin Circle of Theaters newsletter. "This is an opportunity to expose them to something entirely new. It's also a terrific way for the theater company to develop an audience for the future. These students will be our target audience in four or five years."

Increasing Clout
The Atlanta Theatre Coalition created a directory of theaters to increase community awareness. It also coordinated an Arts Clearinghouse for corporate donations of paper, computers and furniture. This collaborative effort provided more clout than might be possible for just one small theater.

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June 2010

Buttons to Dye For

      Recently costume consultant Charlotte French purchased a large quantity of buttons, cheap.  Trouble was, they were not the right color for her immediate needs. Then an idea struck, and presto! Some navy blue Rit dye transformed a group of these buttons from brownish gray to bluish gray. "You often find cards of buttons on sale," she says, "and usually you have to go with the color you get.  Of course, dye isn't going to change a bright red button to navy blue, but if the button is light colored--and most of them are--you should be able to tint it enough to work with a particular costume."

Off to the Right Start

      When sending out press releases or media announcements, determine the recipients' reason to read your piece before writing anything, says Paul J. Krupin of Direct Contact Publishing. Then write a subject line that persuades your target to read your message. Remember your recipients are busy media professionals. There are two primary considerations on their minds: readership interest and editorial interest. Your title can make a difference between being read, and possibly acted upon or being tossed without being read.

  Jammin' at the Jewel Box

      The Jewel Box Theatre, in Oklahoma City, conducted a "Jewel Box Jam" each March. The "Jam" was a full day of theater arts workshops in auditioning, acting, dancing, choreography, and stage combat for high school students. Attendees were nominated by area drama teachers, which made participation an honor as well as a learning experience.

  An Evening to Remember

      An evening of one-acts is a long-standing tradition of the Solon [OH] High School Drama Club.  Each year six seniors are elected to select, direct, and design three short presentations that share a central theme. Once the shows are selected, the directors hold auditions and choose a cast from the ranks of the club membership. Each Saturday in January the casts and crew meet to construct sets, gather props and costumes, design the lighting, and complete the technical aspects of the shows. The performances that follow benefit from this cooperative approach, and also give less experienced students a chance to perform on the main stage in a significant role.

An Impressive List

      Here's a clever idea--a sample list of achievements written in a way that is bound to get attention for your company.

"Since Poorhouse Players' first show in September, 2000" an announcement might read, "a community 'miracle' has offered 138 performances of 25 different productions." Breaking this down even further, this translates this to:

      * 600 volunteer actors in 248,000 actor-hours of rehearsals

      * 300-plus parts for kids to shine

      * Over 1,000 costumes

      * 14,000 volunteer hours of set-building and painting

      * 8,750 volunteer hours of backstage crewing

      * 1,060 lights focused

      * 500 volunteer hours to stick on 108,000 mail labels

      * 24,000 seats filled by appreciate community folks

"In short," the announcement might conclude, tongue-in-cheek, "we keep a lot of people off the streets!"

Party Time

      Oklahoma's Duncan Little Theater held a party for volunteers and members, with an impromptu play reading as entertainment. "What a great chance to perform for those folks who spend most of their time backstage or in the box office, or who haven't been cast for the last several auditions," pointed out the newsletter of the Oklahoma Community Theater Association. "We all need a little encouragement and fun. And you might discover a talent that has been hiding out."

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May 2010

Attention-Getters
When the San Francisco Opera wanted to call attention to its new productions, it used a clever campaign of ads that used a photograph of a costumed character in a contemporary San Francisco setting. Thus, the headline "Prince Igor. Coming to the San Francisco Opera." appeared under a photograph of a man in full Russian regal regalia preparing to enter a cab at the San Francisco airport. For Hamlet (the opera by Thomas), a similar headline ran with a photo of the prince, rapier extended, alongside a stack of luggage at the airport, as if guarding them. The ads, with their juxtaposition of time and place, were arresting and informative.

Food for Thought
Tacoma Little Theatre developed several cleverly titled support groups under its "TLC for TLT" umbrella:. The "Supporting Rolls" supplied the potluck food for work parties and tech rehearsals. The snacks for intermissions were called "What Foods These Morsels Be!"

Royalty Tips
At the New York convention of the American Association of Community Theatre, a panel of representatives from major royalty houses provided some valuable reminders. When you discuss royalties with them, they encourage you to provide a complete rundown of the ticket price range and the average percentage of sales to the total house seating, including estimated special discounts and comps. If you have 350 seats, for example, but rarely sell more than 300, explain this. Many theaters pay more than they should because they generalize their information and don't talk directly with the royalty representative, often settling for a receptionist to read them the published royalties.. If you lose money on ticket sales (as opposed to poor budgeting), notify the publisher immediately. If it hasn't sent a check to the author yet, it be able to reduce the amount of your royalty payment.

Fangs a Lot
Hosting a blood drive during a run of Dracula is both good publicity and an excellent community relations gesture. That's what the Little Theatre of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, did, in cooperation with the local Red Cross. Donors were taken by appointment or as walk-ins, and were rewarded with a complimentary ticket to the play. 

No Male Magnolias
As we have reported before, it's often illegal to change the gender of characters in plays protected by copyright. A classic example was a production of Steel Magnolias in which the role of beauty-shop owner Truvy was to be played by a male--who just happened to be a professional hairdresser. Three weeks before opening night, Dramatists Play Service ordered the show's producer to recast the role with a woman or lose the rights to stage the play. Like many other playwrights (including Edward Albee and Tennessee Williams), Robert Harling would not permit the substitution on the grounds that it violated the artistic integrity of his play. "I have never checked with a publishing house on who I cast before," the show's producer told the New York Times. "We do a lot of nontraditional casting here and we don't ask, for instance, if we can cast a black actor in a role traditionally played by a white person. So what is the difference here? Is one type of discrimination OK, and another not?" Actually, Dramatists Play Service, like any royalty house, was simply carrying out the wishes of the author, as it is required to do. It's a good idea, therefore, to read the specifics of any royalty contract, many of which have specific bans on gender changes.

Getting Acquainted
Often a call for auditions fails to pull in enough people because many would-be actors are unfamiliar with the play in question. The Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, came up with a solution that was both fun and effective. All those interested in auditioning for the upcoming play were invited to a play reading. Descriptions of characters are provided, as well as the rehearsal schedule. "Remember, this is not an audition, nor will the director be present for the reading," read the company's announcement, making a very good selling point. "It is simply an opportunity to become familiar with the script." The reading was also open to those interested in working backstage or in other areas.

Lobby Tips
If you sell refreshments or other items in the lobby during intermission, make sure that signs advertising these items are posted high enough to be seen. Don't tape signs to hang down from a table or counter, for example; as soon as several people stand in front, the sign cannot be seen. To serve people faster (and sell more), experts suggest that you have patrons form one line that moves down the refreshment table, picking up food and drink, and paying at the end. This avoids a crush of customers jockeying for position at the front of the table.

How to Measure
When measuring for costumes, experts suggest that you make sure the actor is wearing only underwear, and use a measuring tape that has not been stretched. Have actors stand up straight with their weight evenly distributed; posture and balance should feel natural and comfortable. Make sure they do not hold their breath during measurements. Measure each arm and each leg separately, since they may differ in length. When taking vertical and horizontal measurements, keep the tape taut. When taking circumference measurements, keep the tape snug, but not tight, and keep the tape measure level and parallel to the floor. Keep your fingers on top of the tape, never between the tape and the body.

Just the FAQs
If you find yourself responding to the same questions about your company, year after year, consider collecting these and publishing them as a lobby handout,  an article in your newsletter or season mailer, or on your website. Topics could include company history, previous productions, your nonprofit status, where your sets and actors come from, and ticket returns and refunds.

Two Can Play
What do you do when your show is so popular that you have to turn people away? Gloat? When the Virginia-based ACT I found itself in this position (due to its new but small home at the Old Keswick Train Station), director Jimmy Locke wondered if he might collaborate with another local theater company to bring his sold-out revue to a larger audience. With the help of the Four County Players, of Barboursville, the show played two additional performances, with the two groups splitting the profits and making many theatergoers very happy. 

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