Date: Tue, 13 Aug 2002 00:46:57 -0500
Subject: Re: PUPT: Maybe They're Right . . .
From: "Karen Larsen" <karenlarsen-AT-earthlink.net>


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A few more points.

Nancy, vis a vis the second night.  Last year we did only one evening of
most shows, and found the same reaction from the audiences who wanted to
tell their friends. When we ask at shows (as we do each time) how folks
heard about the show, the vast majority were told about it or brought by a
friend.

As an aside-  we often have parents from our family shows "crossing over"
and coming to the adult shows.  When Preston was here last spring, we had
the opposite crossover, with audiences from his adult shows coming in the
next day to see his family show.  An interesting form of progress!

We did run one show last year (Figures of Speech's The Beanstalk Variations
- Jack and the Beanstalk re-set in a Freudian Psychiatrist's Office) for 4
nights, expressly to try to get a newspaper review (they won't cover short
runs in the Boston area... too much competition for newspaper space).  We
didn't get The Boston Globe, but we did get a review from The Boston Herald,
and felt like we had made progress.  That's one of the reasons we're running
our first evening-length show for 5 performances.  If we can get covered for
the first big show, it should help us get coverage for the others.

Though we've booked many of the shows for only two nights, in most cases we
have made sure that there is flexibility in our theatre spaces to add
performances the nights before and/or afterward if ticket sales warrant it.
For this season we're offering the option of a subscription series, and we'd
like to think that may increase sales.

As to Mark's suggestion about trying differing times...
For Sandglass' show we are partnering with and presenting in the space of
the New Repertory Theatre in Newton Mass. (all the theatres we're using are
subway accessible, which we think is important).  On Saturdays they do two
shows, One at 4 PM and one around 8 (can't remember at the moment if it's 8
or 8:30).  When they suggested that, I wondered if that was a time when
seniors tended to come, but they said no, it's when people come who want to
go out afterward and have a drink with dinner, and not have to worry about
getting served in time to get to the theatre. Wouldn't have occurred to me,
but it makes perfect sense when you think about it.

One more point.  I was remiss in not mentioning another performance in our
series.  Debra Hertzberg will be doing a tryout of her new Nosferatu (based
on the silent film, and workshopped this past June at The O'Neill) on and
about Halloween. This run will precede a New York opening, and we're quite
excited about it.  Sorry Deb!

Karen
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HTML VERSION:

A few more points.

Nancy, vis a vis the second night.  Last year we did only one evening of most shows, and found the same reaction from the audiences who wanted to tell their friends. When we ask at shows (as we do each time) how folks heard about the show, the vast majority were told about it or brought by a friend.  

As an aside-  we often have parents from our family shows "crossing over" and coming to the adult shows.  When Preston was here last spring, we had the opposite crossover, with audiences from his adult shows coming in the next day to see his family show.  An interesting form of progress!

We did run one show last year (Figures of Speech's The Beanstalk Variations - Jack and the Beanstalk re-set in a Freudian Psychiatrist's Office) for 4 nights, expressly to try to get a newspaper review (they won't cover short runs in the Boston area... too much competition for newspaper space).  We didn't get The Boston Globe, but we did get a review from The Boston Herald, and felt like we had made progress.  That's one of the reasons we're running our first evening-length show for 5 performances.  If we can get covered for the first big show, it should help us get coverage for the others.

Though we've booked many of the shows for only two nights, in most cases we have made sure that there is flexibility in our theatre spaces to add performances the nights before and/or afterward if ticket sales warrant it.  For this season we're offering the option of a subscription series, and we'd like to think that may increase sales.

As to Mark's suggestion about trying differing times...  
For Sandglass' show we are partnering with and presenting in the space of the New Repertory Theatre in Newton Mass. (all the theatres we're using are subway accessible, which we think is important).  On Saturdays they do two shows, One at 4 PM and one around 8 (can't remember at the moment if it's 8 or 8:30).  When they suggested that, I wondered if that was a time when seniors tended to come, but they said no, it's when people come who want to go out afterward and have a drink with dinner, and not have to worry about getting served in time to get to the theatre. Wouldn't have occurred to me, but it makes perfect sense when you think about it.

One more point.  I was remiss in not mentioning another performance in our series.  Debra Hertzberg will be doing a tryout of her new Nosferatu (based on the silent film, and workshopped this past June at The O'Neill) on and about Halloween. This run will precede a New York opening, and we're quite excited about it.  Sorry Deb!

Karen