FEB
20

Filling Seats

Using YouTube and Social Media to Promote Your Show 

By Flip Kobler 

Flip Kobler began his performing career as an actor before morphing into a writer.  Flip and his wife, Cindy Marcus, have written for Disney and now run Showdown Stage Company and Showdown Theater Academy in Valencia, California.  Pioneer Drama Service is pleased to offer several plays and musicals by this dynamic duo. 

So pre-production is done, auditions went well, rehearsals are coming along and opening night looms somewhere ahead.  In the midst of all this madness, it’s time to think about promoting your show.

My high school years were pre-Internet, so promoting meant flyers, t-shirts, and begging Aunt Peg to get her Canasta group to buy tickets.  How times have changed!  Twitter, blogging, Facebook, YouTube, the school’s website and a gagazillion other sites have opened a whole new world to help you get cheeks in the seats.

Let’s start easy.  Facebook and Twitter are the fastest and easiest to use, updated by your cast.  You know a huge chunk of your cast already has a Facebook page.  Have them post to all their friends, and their friends’ friends, and all their friends.  Tell about the show.  Include pictures if you have some from rehearsals.  Posters.  Artwork.  Is it a musical?  Is there a music clip they can include?  It’s a great, simple way to spread the word.  Fast.  Twitter is the same, you just have to do it in 140 char or less.

Blogging and vlogging (that’s video blogging) can be really effective ways to get out more detailed info and keep your potential audience teased and hyped to see the show.  Does your school or community have a blog on their website?  If not, can you start one?  This can be updated daily, weekly, monthly...  it’s up to you.  We did a production where we started blogging before auditions and continued bi-weekly through the rehearsal process, right up to closing night.

These blogs don’t have to be “War & Peace” length tomes, just bright, fun info about the process of putting on a show.  For example:  Auditions today for the spring musical.  Turnout was great.  Lots of talent.  When Billy J.  sang “Bird Is the Word” he had the place ROTFL.  If you see him in the halls this week, get him to sing it for you.  Cast list will be posted tomorrow.  Good luck, everybody.

Keep updating, letting people know the haps.  Set construction began today.  Dance rehearsal all day Saturday.  My legs are killing me.  Can’t wait for Feb 10 when the show opens! Any news or major developments will keep your readers interested and curious to see the show once it finally opens.  And if you can do this updating on camera, so much the better.  A vlog is worth a thousand words.  Here’s an example from one of our productions.

Which brings us to YouTube.  This is an amazing tool to do a promo or commercial for your show.  We know what you’re thinking, ’cause we run into the same problem every time:  “Are you kidding me?!  A promo?!  The rehearsal process is so time-consuming and demanding, we can’t have the sets and costumes done early enough to shoot publicity pictures, let alone a video!  You must be out of your mind!”

Yes, I am out of my mind, but I’m getting help and that is beside the point.  The truth is, with a little bit of pre-planning, you can schedule this out.  We usually put a student in charge of the YouTube promos.  Those fab-o eager beavers who weren’t quite ready for a lead role, but want to be involved love to take on this kind of thing.  Use their energy; they can make this happen.  Here’s an example of a rehearsal process vlog.

A good YouTube promo can be anything.  Scenes from the show, highlights set to music, even a slide show can help sell your production.  Here are some examples from our past shows:  Usher, Brother’s Grimm Out of Order and Bergeracky.

And the cool thing is these can be shared on Facebook, linked to Twitter and even sent to your local TV stations.  You might be surprised how much publicity you can get, and not just for the show.  The fact that your cast put together a YouTube video is great human interest stuff.  Broadcasters eat that stuff up.

And finally, Pioneer Drama ENCOURAGES you to upload your videos to YouTube.  Unlike most publishers that stringently restrict this kind of thing, Pioneer wants to help you promote your show and celebrate your success afterwards.  So with Pioneer shows, take advantage of the Internet and post away!  After all, the more successful your show, the happier your students.  Everybody wins.  And that’s what it’s all about.  Touching lives through theater...  together.

As always, I am here if you have questions or just want to say yo.  Until next time, get out there and break some legs.