Theatre and the Internet

An Introduction

by Staff Writers    Posted 05/23/2008

Theatre, by its very nature, connects people. But what about connecting electronically? At best, Theatre and the internet have an estranged relationship. However, Theatre should take advantage of its inherent communal nature and utilize everything the internet has to offer it. Suffice it to say, everything is on the internet. More importantly, so is everybody. The likelihood that your audience has not been online today is as low as the likelihood that they will pay a million dollars for a ticket to your show. The question is: why isn't your show online? Hopefully, some of you are reading and thinking that your show is online and you use the internet and who doesn't sell tickets online? Even if you are doing these things, using the internet and having a website are only the first steps in harnessing everything the internet can do for your production. If this article was a Greek play, the chorus would end every act with, "The internet can make or break your production."

The minute you start any production process, make a budget for the internet services you plan to use. "But it's the internet, shouldn't it be free?" The answer is "No." There is rarely anything such as free marketing or space. Low budget, yes, but free is rare. If you find it, post it in the Marketing Advice forum.

Space is a necessity in the real world to rehearse and perform. In the virtual world, it is necessary for marketing your show effectively and sharing information. Therefore, purchase a webspace. A webspace includes: a domain name like www.theatre-inc.com, a host service or server (the physical space your website is generated from), and a website (the code that your website is built of).

A website opens up the world of online marketing for your show. Moreover, it acts as an extensive landing point for your real world audience. With so many choices and so much information available to people online, a blurb in the newspaper or a handout card isn't enough to sell a ticket. Another advantage of a website is that it is always available in the same place, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

So, once you have built a website that is interesting, artistic, and tells anyone interested everything they need to know about your show, you're on your way. Next, you should get listed on Google, Yahoo, and other websites, especially sites that have theatre calendars, information, and resources.

If you still doubt the validity of the web, think of the first thing you do when you hear about something by word of mouth and want to find out more. Or you read an online review and want to find out more. The web is where people go to take action.

Now that we have briefly covered the necessity of creating and marketing a website, why not take advantage of people's willingness to take action on the web? If someone is searching for your website, they are probably looking to purchase tickets. Why not sell them tickets? SELL YOUR TICKETS ONLINE. There are companies that run online ticketing that you can utilize or you can sell tickets through your own site with help from web designers and a credit card gateway. No matter what it takes, if your show has more than 5 performances, sell tickets online. More tickets are sold online than anywhere else. Broadway online ticket sales have grown at astronomical rates over the last few years. The Theatre Communications Group (TCG) has published multiple reports stating that online ticketing would help Theatre and productions. The bottom line is to make seeing your show as easy as possible. Use online ticketing.

When should you begin your internet endeavor? The very day you procure funding for your show. The internet is a fairly low budget marketing medium and can help generate interest early on. You can use this early interest to your advantage to pre-sell tickets, post early reviews, give behind-the-curtain access to your audience, and turn mildly interested people into dedicated fans. Plus, the internet has virtually no waste. If someone views your website and decides not to buy a ticket, you really haven't lost much. In fact, your site's popularity just improved. Traditional print ads are very costly and can literally end up as money spent in the garbage, right along with your print materials.

Beyond the marketing advantages, there are other benefits to being on the web which increase production value. If you are an NPO, you can take donations online. If you are trying to gain investors or staffers, it is much more professional to e-mail from producer@hamletthesequel.com than stars256@aol.com. Plus, when your entire staff has a production e-mail account, it is easy to sort and find production-related e-mails in your inbox. Rehearsal schedules can be posted online, giving cast and crew fast access to call times. Most websites come with FTP access, a drag-and-drop storage location that your design team can use to share large files like CAD documents and images. Most importantly, it gives you a place to interact with your show's fanbase and announce events like receptions and talkbacks.

As stated at the beginning of this article, "the internet can make or break your production." If you take nothing else from this article, realize this. There is an old business adage: never make it difficult for someone to give you their money. If you want to sell tickets to your show, make them easy to buy. SELL YOUR TICKETS ONLINE!

Staff Writers

Theatre-Inc - See this Business's Listing

The staff writers of Theatre-Inc are comprised of former and current Theatre professionals who work with the company and write regularly as well as other professionals within the company with experience to lend to the Theatre World. Many of the staff writers have worked in multiple disciplines in theatre, ranging from directing, producing, design, acting, stage management and general management. These unique perspectives provide them with a depth of experience to address issues that often frustrate theatre professionals. But, sometimes we just like to share fun experiences and things that we ourselves find humorous, frustrating, or just outrageous.