From the Executive Director

Something to Remember

By Teresa Eyring

At certain airports nowadays, an announcer’s voice graces the intercom system with a catchy mnemonic for how much fluid you can take through a security checkpoint: Remember, everyone, it’s 3-1-1 (receptacles must hold no more than three ounces and fit inside one one-quart baggie).

As we begin a new season of plays and theatre education programs, I am reflecting on the impact of the theatre industry nationwide. And with 2,271 productions scheduled to open at TCG member theatres alone (see Season Preview), I’d like to put my own simple reminder on an intercom system tapping into the hearts and minds of theatre audiences, trustees, staffs, students and artists across the land.

It’s 2PW—which means the play, the pen and the word of mouth. These are three distinct powers we have in keeping theatre alive, vital and central in our communities. I propose that we mobilize ourselves to individually exercise each of these powers at least once, if not constantly, during the coming season.

Power of the play: It’s a mighty thing, that thousands of plays come to life—on stages, in bars, in parks, on the street—across the nation every year. Most emerge, have a life in their communities for a limited time and then disappear, though lingering on as memories and conversation topics for artists and audiences who were lucky enough to be there. Given the temporal nature of what we create, there’s ever an urgency to help people see productions while they’re up and running. It’s difficult enough to get habitual theatregoers into the theatre, let alone those who never even think about going. For the purposes of this mandate, I propose a focus on identifying and engaging the non-attenders, with the goal of increasing the overall audience for this great work while also providing something of value for the new playgoer.

Oct. 18 marks TCG’s third annual nationwide event Free Night of Theater, which is aimed at attracting infrequent and non-attenders to participating theatres. Shugoll Research, a company that has been tracking Free Night since its inception, reported that 32 percent of the 2006 program attendees have returned to buy a full priced ticket.

What would a year-round effort to engage the non-attenders look like? Some devoted proselytizers take an individualized approach to converting their favorite non-theatregoing taxi drivers, bankers, mail carriers, doctors, yoga teachers, clients, employees and young people by gifting them tickets to plays or taking strategic advantage of complimentary tickets when their theatres are “papering.” It’s especially useful when they also make sure the theatre is aware of who came so it can follow up on a timely basis with opportunities for those individuals to stay involved. While not everyone becomes a regular theatregoer this way, Shugoll’s research suggests that a reasonable percentage will return. So why not try?

Power of the pen: Okay, pens are becoming anachronistic. But whether real or virtual, written communication with legislators, editors, friends and colleagues about the value of theatre has an impact, and numbers matter. TCG is an active member of the American Arts Alliance, which also includes the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, Dance/USA, American Symphony Orchestra League, National Alliance for Musical Theatre and OPERA America. In addition to maintaining communication with the National Endowment for the Arts and working to increase federal arts appropriations, AAA advocates for increased funding for arts education at the U.S. Department of Education, improved visa processing for theatre artists from abroad and increased tax incentives for charitable giving. Following a five-year effort on the part of the performing arts community, Congress approved a provision to make performing arts organizations eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance as part of the FY 2007 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill. Success comes when many voices are heard. When you receive an “action alert” from AAA, please make sure to respond and get others to do so as well. If we envision a world where performing arts are more central to the civic agenda, we need a groundswell. These requests, in the ongoing business of the day, are easy to ignore. Let’s commit to proactively “picking up the pen” to notify legislators and others about the value theatres bring to our communities.

Power of word of mouth: In his speech to theatre trustees at TCG’s annual conference in June, Twin Cities businessperson and sage Burt Cohen said that one of his key practices as an arts trustee is to remember in his daily conversations to talk about the artistic work about which he is passionate. Not only does this lead others to attend arts events, but it helps underscore the importance of providing financial support.

Theatres that poll their audiences, particularly single- ticket buyers, about why they decide to purchase a ticket (or anything for that matter), learn that “hearing about it from a friend” is generally the most oft-cited motivator. The corporate marketing world has leveraged this fact into orchestrated word-of-mouth strategies that build interest in their products. Theatre practitioners and supporters can also mobilize word of mouth by asking their allies to use daily interactions to advance the theatre cause.

So, remember everyone, it’s 2PW. No references to emergency numbers or catastrophic days in history. Just a quirky reminder, as we begin a new season, of the work we need to do to leverage the great asset that is our nationwide theatre industry.