For anyone interested in my final paper for the MBA 6800 course --
Theater and
the performing arts have been around for centuries providing entertainment to
royalty and the masses alike but in the twenty-first century drawing in new
audience has become a challenge for many arts companies. With the expansion of social media over the
last decade, performing arts companies are catching on to the business practice. As most companies are non-profits the
financial resources for large marketing campaigns are not always available,
social media can be an affordable and effective way to engage with patrons,
donors, and community members.
Of course
when it comes to social media marketing techniques, everyone has an opinion and
a list of best practices to follow. One
of the more interesting lists comes from SoldOutRun.com which suggests over
eighty different tactics for theatre marketing including the following:
- Strap a GoPro camera to an actor during rehearsal for an intricate dance, fight, or flying scene and share on social media
- Record a video tour backstage showing how any dramatic scene changes, costume changes, or other technical elements of the show are pulled off
- Give people a free drink when they tweet a picture of themselves from the lobby during the show
- Create video postcards from the cast thanking donors and VIPs
Each technique allows the performing art company to use
their social media channels to promote the show, season, or other events in an
interesting manner. Is a follower more
likely to attend an event where they have seen a quick tour backstage? Does a patron tweeting for a free drink at
intermission help draw in others to see the show?
In 2012 Pew
surveyed 1,244 arts organizations that received funds from the National
Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and found that a majority of participants believe
that technology is "very important" to their organization, even
helping to make art a more participatory experience (Mlot, 2013) . In 2011, Theatre Bay Area commissions a
Social Media Audit of the over 200 arts organizations and found similar
findings to the 2012 Pew survey. Both
surveys found that the most used social media platforms for arts organizations
are Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube which Pew citing 99%, 74%, and 67% use
respectively. Theatre Bay Area’s
research also found that “arts and cultural organizations that tweet more than
four times per day and do not replicate Facebook content on their Twitter feed
have more followers and a higher rate of engagement than others” and “venue pages on Yelp and Foursquare that have been claimed
by an organization have more user engagement than those that have not.” (Lord, 2011) .
When looking at why arts organizations are
using social media the top reason is to boost the organization’s public profile
Performing arts
companies have welcomed in the new wave of technology with many interesting
tactics including “tweet seats.” A tweet
seat is “a seat, or one of a block of seats, reserved in cinemas, theaters and
sporting events for those who wish to send tweets to Twitter followers about
the event while it's in progress,” according to techopedia.com (techopedia, 2016) . These specially
reserved seats started popping up at the end of the 2000’s predominately in the
United States. As an audience member,
you can purchase a special tweet seat ticket, typically in the back of the
theater where the cell phone glow will not be seen, and are able to live tweet
the production you are enjoying. This
perk is meant to encourage audience interaction and to create a buzz about the
company’s production (The Huffington Post, 2012) .
However, much
controversy erupted in the arts community about whether tweets seats are a
viable option. Rupert Christiansen of The Telegraph refers to tweet seats as
“reserved for those sad souls who simply can’t spend a nanosecond away from
their smartphones and who want to send their Twitter followers a blow-by-blow
account of the progress of the show” (Christiansen, 2014) . He goes on further to say that many
“regard this as yet another concession to barbarity and further evidence of a
catastrophic decline in the etiquette of audience behavior” (Christiansen, 2014) . But it is important to remember that the way
we experience theater today with dimming houselights, assigned seating is from
the late Victorian era and even then there was still cat-calling allowed during
productions.
According to a poll done by Ben Hewis
in 2014 three-quarters of poll participants hate the idea of tweet seats (Hewis, 2014) . This dislike for
tweet seats can be seen in many comments left on articles discussing the
topic. One unhappy commenter stated, “So
we spend weeks/months learning our parts, make sure each carefully perfected
expression portrays exactly what we're feeling and every single move we make
has a purpose...however small. THEN, as we attempt to convey our story to the
audience, they look into their laps and tweet to their mates about a
performance they can't even be bothered to watch. No...don't think so!!” (Netburn, 2011) . While it is understandable that audience
distraction could lead to a different experience at a performance, is it not up
to the discretion of the audience member to balance their engagement between
Twitter and the live performance? Arts administrator Howard Sherman, former
executive director of the American Theatre Wing, weighs in with “I do worry
that people get so engaged in live tweeting that they miss the actual event, so
while I don't oppose it, I do wonder if it undermines the experience of the
event itself. But that's a matter of personal choice,” (Judkis, 2011) .
Although some
find tweeting during a show a distraction, many companies are using it as an
additional layer of interaction with the community. In 2009, the Lyric Opera in Kansas one
hundred tweet seats were reserved for its final performance of Gilbert and Sullivan's
"HMS Pinafore.” In these reserved
seats audience members could use their phones to tweet about the production as
well as follow content sent by the theater's artistic director about the
production, the scenery, and whatever was happening on stage (Netburn, 2011) .
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) has taken a similar approach to
their performances creating a specific hashtag for patrons who participate in
the company’s tweet seats. According to
Chris Pinelo of CSO, “Basically, it functions like interactive program notes.
You have an assistant or associate conductor backstage giving some insights
into the music you're experiencing, and then you're able to respond, and it's
like a digital conversation," (Ahmed, 2011) .
On the other
hand, certain types of performance and venues find it difficult to offer tweet
seats. Smaller venues worry that
audience members will be distracted by others tweeting in the intimate
environment. Metropolitan Playhouse in
New York City, a three-quarter thrust state and only three rows of seats,
cannot consider introducing tweet seats without thinking of the disastrous
effect the glowing screens would have on the lighting design (Ahmed, 2011) . Opera companies, like the Palm Beach Opera in
Florida, worry about audience “whiplash” as they divide their attention between
phones, the actors, and the supertitles projected above the stage providing
translations for shows performed in other languages (Ahmed, 2011) .
Others have
found an alternative use for audience engagement during a show,
“Twittermission.” The Huntington Theatre
in Boston has introduced Twittermissions where artists, designers, stage
managers, or other faces behind-the-scenes will field questions from the
audience and answer them in real-time during intermission (Dunn, 2013) .
This practice allows for audience
engagement without the disruption that can be caused by tweeting during the
show. Huntington Theatre also projects
the Twitter feed in the lobby during intermission (The Associated Press, 2013) . By projecting the tweets in the lobby it increases
the visibility of the social interaction.
While mingling in the lobby, those without Twitter accounts are able to follow
along with the discussion and learn any insider information an artist might be
sharing while those with Twitter accounts have an added thrill of seeing what
they have posted on the big screen.
Beyond tweeting before, during, and
after performances, performing arts companies have also introduced social media
takeover days sometimes tagged as #TakeoverTuesday. The most
popularly used social media platform for takeover days is Instagram with photos
being pushed over to Facebook, Twitter, and other sites, like the company’s
blog page. As a marketing technique,
takeovers allow a company to broaden its reach by letting another user take
over the account, providing followers with new content and possibly expand the
company’s audience thanks to the guest user.
In many theatres, the star of the show or lead actors will take over the
theatre company’s account for a day posting about their day leading up to the
show, getting ready, and maybe one or two images form backstage during the
performance. In the image to the left,
Amanda Jane Cooper, performing as Glinda in the national tour of Wicked, posted
a recap of her #InstagramTakeover for the Segerstrom Center for the Arts
account. Her followers have now been
exposed to the @segerstromarts account and may follow it, expanding the theatre
company’s audience reach.
As stated on
the TheatreMama blog, “Takeovers are perfect for theatre, because it is
essentially changing the perspective of the storytelling” (theatreMAMA, 2016) .
Companies are able to give a glimpse on the behind-the-scenes side of
theatre that many patrons do not know about.
For a young person interested in pursuing a career in theatre, these
small looks into the life of an actor or other member of the theatre community
can be extremely valuable. It can also
open up the dialogue by commenting on the images wanting to learn more about
the person, the company, and the art. For
theatre-goers, a takeover may pique the interest of some to attend a show they
may not otherwise go to. While a
takeover day may seem like a supplement to other social media marketing
campaigns, it can be an important one to the audience and community around a
certain show or theatre.
Regardless of
the social media platform chosen, a performing arts company can benefit from
the technology. While in business it may
be more apropos to sell, sell, sell, in the arts world audience engagement and
development are key. Ticket sales are of
course important and a possible way to measure the impact of a social media
marketing campaign, it is not the only reason to be part of a social media
platform. Engaging in conversations, posting
interesting content, and other tactics as mentioned previously will entice
users to follow a company’s media and see a production or even donate. When a company is deciding where to spend
their time (and money) on social marketing, Facebook and Twitter are the
winners, but not the only options. Each
company should use what works for them as long as they are engaging with their
community.
Works Cited
Ahmed, B. (2011, 12 12). 'Tweet Seats' Come To
Theaters, But Can Patrons Plug In Without Tuning Out? Retrieved from NPR:
http://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2011/12/12/143576328/tweet-seats-come-to-theaters-but-can-patrons-plug-in-without-tuning-out
Christiansen, R. (2014, 10 17). Why theatre seats
for Twitter junkies is a #goodidea. Retrieved from The Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/11169040/Why-theatre-seats-for-Twitter-junkies-is-a-goodidea.html
Dunn, T. (2013, 1 28). INTRODUCING:
#TWITTERMISSION. Retrieved from Huntington Theatre Company:
http://www.huntingtontheatre.org/blog/Thoms-Blog/Dates/2013/1/Introducing-Twittermission/
Hewis, B. (2014, 9 11). What are your views on
'Tweet Seats'? Retrieved from What's On Stage:
http://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/tweet-seats-poll_35673.html
Judkis, M. (2011, 12 05). Theater “tweet seats”:
Good idea, or bad etiquette? Retrieved from The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/arts-post/post/theater-tweet-seats-good-idea-or-bad-etiquette/2011/12/05/gIQAODTcWO_blog.html
Kanter, B. (2010). Social Media and the Performing
Arts: Engagement First, Ticket Sales Second. Retrieved from Beth's Blog:
Nonprofits and Social Media:
http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2009/10/social-media-and-the-performing-arts-engagement-first-ticket-sales-second-2.html
Lord, C. (2011, 6 14). Social Media and the Arts:
a groundbreaking new study. Retrieved from Arts Jounral:
http://www.artsjournal.com/newbeans/2011/06/social-media-and-the-arts-a-groundbreaking-new-study.html
Mlot, S. (2013, 1 4). Social Media Helps Boost the
Arts, But at What Cost? Retrieved from PC Mag:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2413832,00.asp
Netburn, D. (2011, 12 6). Theaters set aside tweet
seats for Twitter users. Retrieved from Los Angeles Times:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/12/theaters-tweet-seats-twitter.html
Sold Out Run. (2016). The Big List of Theatre
Marketing Tactics. Retrieved from Sold Out Run:
http://soldoutrun.com/theatre-marketing-tactics/
techopedia. (2016). What is a Tweet Seat? -
Definition from Techopedia. Retrieved from Techopedia:
https://www.techopedia.com/definition/28507/tweet-seat
The Associated Press. (2013, 1 27). Providence
theater experiments with 'tweet seats'. Retrieved from The Associated
Press: http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/01/27/theater-tweet-seats/1868693/
The Huffington Post. (2012, 12 28). Minnesota
Theater Offers ‘Tweet Seats’ To Smartphone Addicts. Retrieved from The
Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/28/theater-offers-tweet-seats-to-smart-phone-addicts_n_2375447.html
theatreMAMA. (2016). Follow Me: Are Instagram
Takeovers Good Business for Broadaway? Retrieved from theatreMAMA:
http://theatremama.com/follow-me-are-instagram-takeovers-good-business-for-broadway/
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