Issue 51
Theatrical Internet 101: Part Two

Welcome!

A follow up to last month's newsletter, our June issue focuses on using the Internet in your production as a research tool, a communication tool and a marketing tool.

In This Issue

• INTRO
  An introduction to the newsletter
• A PRODUCTION RESOURCE TOOL
  How to use the internet during rehearsal.
• A COMMUNICATION TOOL
  What is social media?
• A MARKETING TOOL
  21st century marketing
• STAY CONNECTED
  Join us on Facebook and Twitter.
• FREE RESOURCES
  Some amazing (and free!) resources for drama teachers.
• CONFERENCE ALERT
  Meet us in person.
• IN THE NEXT ISSUE
  What you can expect next.
• STAY IN TOUCH
  How to reach us.

Intro

You can read Theatrical Internet 101: Part One here.

Now that we've covered the general basics of using the Internet in a theatrical context, it's time to get specific. 

In this newsletter we'll cover how you can use the Internet in a production as a rehearsal research tool and a selling tool. It's been said before and I'll say it again, the Internet provides a wealth of information at your fingertips. Use it to make your production the best it can be!

A Production Resource Tool

For a production of a Shakespearean play use the Internet to:

Research the play. Every Shakespearean play has online information available: websites, school projects, study guides. Know the play inside out. 

Research vocabulary words. The more you understand exactly what you're saying, the better you can communicate the text to an audience.

Research a specific character. How have they been presented in other productions? How do other actors see the character? Do you agree or disagree with their interpretation?

Research the dominant themes. Very helpful for directors. 

Look up images. Images are a great way to find inspiration, to compare and contrast a director's vision of a character, to help place a picture of a certain moment in your head. When it comes to Shakespeare it's all about understanding the world. It's easy to find images from past productions online, or even paintings of Shakespeare's plays. There are many painters who used Shakespeare as inspiration (e.g. Hogarth William, George Romney, Henry Fuseli, all from the 1700's). There's even a website called Shakespeare Illustrated.  

Look up Video. Look at YouTube videos from past productions. Videotaped moments are never going to give you a theatrical representation of the moment, but as a visual learner I know how helpful it is to see Shakespeare in action.

REMEMBER! The point of looking at other productions is not to copy, it's to be inspired, to confirm your vision (as in: I'd never play Puck THAT way), to give you an opportunity to SEE and HEAR the play instead of letting it sit on the page. Do whatever it takes to understand the world of the play and the language of Shakespeare. Understanding the play enriches the experience for actor and audience alike.

Exercise

Look up images of Puck from A Midsummer Night's Dream. (Go to Google/Images, search Puck+Midsummer Night's Dream)

• How are the pictures of Puck similar?
• How are the pictures different?
• How is the character photographed (what is stance, pose, moment is captured)?
• What are the similarities and differences in the costumes?
• Based on your research, if you were directing this play, how do you see the character of Puck?

For a production that takes place during a certain era or decade use the Internet to:

Research the decade. What was life like in that era? How did events define the times? What technology was available? What was invented in the decade? What hasn't been invented yet?

Research costume and set. What did people wear? What was the furniture like?

Research the people. How are they different from your friends and family? How are they the same? Can you read letters written by people in this decade? What words do they use? Can you look at pictures? How do they stand? Do they smile in the pictures?

Try to narrow down the year. Can you narrow down when the play takes place? If a play is set in the '30's' is it 1930 or 1939? Is there a year or month mentioned? What's happening in that time? Are historical events reflected in the play? Are the characters influenced by historical events? How can your actors show this influence?

REMEMBER! Instead of just doing the play you can make the production an experience. Taking on a research element allows you to immerse the whole production in a specific time and place. Even if budget constraints hamper total authenticity, the more real the time and place feel to the actors, the more authentically they can communication the world of the play.

Exercise

 Find a play that is set in a specific era such as Kaufman & Hart's The Man Who Came To Dinner (set in the 30's) or Arthur Miller's The Crucible (set during the Salem witch trials).

• What details can you find in the script that mark the era? Highlight them.
• Are there any references you don't understand or are unfamiliar with? Look them up!
• Can you pinpoint an exact year for the play?
• What historical events might influence the play?
• What cultural events might influence the play?
• Research clothing of the era. Identify three articles of clothing for characters in your play.
• Research furniture trends of the era. Identify a piece of furniture that would work in your play.
• Do a physical acting exercise. Research pictures or drawings of a person/people from the era. Based on what you see in the images, develop a physical stance, a pose, a gesture and a walk. Are others able to guess what kind of character you are just from the physical action?

We're writing our own play. How do we research that?

The Internet is a goldmine of information!

Research the theme. If you're writing a play around a certain theme, each person in the play should do their own research. This acts as a great starting point: discuss and pool information on the theme and then talk about what can be done to make the theme theatrical.

Visually research the theme. Research pictures and images inspired by the theme. 

Aurally research the theme. Come up with a list of songs that musically represent the theme.

Research playwriting exercises. Assign each student the job of researching a playwriting exercise that would be helpful during the process. Or assign each student the job of researching playwriting warmups, something that can be done at the beginning of class or rehearsal. Just as actors need to warm up, so do playwrights. If you're writing the play as a group, it would be very beneficial to amass a collection of exercises that work specifically for ensemble writing.

Research improv exercises. Many ensemble playwriting experiences are built out of improv exercises. Improv is an excellent way to encourage a group mentality of working together as well as a “Yes, and” approach to creation: accept ideas, don't reject them. Assign each student the job of bringing in an improv exercise that will help the ensemble work together.

Exercise

Research group improv games. Divide students into groups and each group is responsible for the research and then the teaching of the game. Give students a specific theme for the game such as storytelling, narration, or characters so they are not providing games out of context. Make sure students provide a 'why' for the game. Why did they choose it? How will it help the ensemble writing process?

Our play is modern. There's nothing to research!

There is always something to research.

• Is the play set in a specific location?
• Does the main character have a specific job? Do you know it inside out?
• Is the play about a certain issue? What do you know about the issue? Are you aware of the statistics? Are the statistics up to date? 
• What's the main theme of the play? What do you know about this theme? How can you explore the theme visually? Aurally? Don't be limited to the words on the page!
• Can you use the Internet to find the playwright and ask them questions directly?
• Can you read reviews/see images of other productions?
• Can you look up images/pictures/drawing/photographs that will inspire the set?

REMEMBER! The more you know about the world of the play, the more authentic the acting and directing will come across.

Exercise 

Choose a modern play (such as Almost, Maine by John Cariani), something that at first glance doesn't have an obvious research slant. Then in groups, brainstorm research areas. Don't throw out any idea as 'stupid.' Each group should be given a focus: acting, directing, or set design.

Exercise

Choose a modern play. Research photos and paintings that could be used as an inspiration point for the production. Focus on colour palates, shapes, movement in the picture. Research pictures with similar themes to the play. Don't be afraid to get abstract, even if the play is very linear or realistic. Be creative and see where it takes you!

As a starting point, go to flickr.com and type in the theme of the play in the search box. What pictures pop up? Identify three pictures that spark an interest in you and visually represent the theme of the play. How would you theatricalize these images?

For example: My play Among Friends and Clutter is about relationships. So I typed in the word “relationship” in the search box on Flickr.com. Here are the three pictures I identified that that interested me.

The first one, I love the linking. It just seems so safe and protected. This is something that could definitely be involved in the set, maybe the cubes link together like a jigsaw puzzle. Maybe a backdrop of links. Maybe characters linking arms, forming a chain, something unbreakable. And then what happens when the chain breaks?

This picture is called Old Relationships: rusty window. And that just really intrigued me. Do old relationships rust out and break down? Are there any relationships like that in the play? Is this a negative view of relationships? This may or may not work in the context of the play. Keep in mind that you shouldn't censor yourself when it comes to creativity. Don't judge what sparks you. You never know if you show a picture you're unsure of to someone else and they see a completely different, totally relevant world.

This photo is called Free Sweet Baby Kisses Family Love, which totally made me laugh out loud. Love is a strong theme in the play, love between friends, between family, between partners, love gone horribly wrong, love that is just right. And the pure joy of love that is in this picture is something that must be remembered in the play. Sometimes a picture acts as a great rehearsal motivator or reminder.

Exercise

Now take everything you've done for a modern play and use it for a play that is set in the future!

NOTE! Make sure you're not using, changing, toying with pictures that are under copyright. The easiest thing to do is to use pictures that are available under a Creative Commons licence. Scroll to the bottom of the flickr page, click Creative Commons and use pictures under the attribution licence. That means the pictures are free to use in non-commercial situations so long as you credit the photographer. Learn more about Creative Commons here.

A Communication Tool

There is a lot of 'talk' how the Internet harms the art of communication. Nobody talks anymore! Everyone's just sitting in front of their computers or staring into their smart phones! Actually, it's the opposite.

The big buzz phrase (some might say annoying buzz phrase!) when it comes to Internet communication is 'social media.' There are a million definitions from a million different people as to what social media is but it's not that hard to break down. 

When we think of media, it's usually TV, newspapers, things that impart information but don't interact with us. Media on the Internet talks back! It is social. It is two way conversation, not one way information. People are conversing through online platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Communities form around blogs. It's easy to get involved in an online community no matter where you're from or where you live. You can have a conversation with someone across the street or around the world. Media on the Internet has become interactive; it's by no means a one-way street.

All well and good but how does social media relate to the high school drama production?

How can I use the Internet as a communication tool?

Talk to your playwright. In the past, it would be impossible to have access to your script's playwright. Now with 21st century technology you can ask your playwright questions via email. Your playwright could participate in a video discussion with the cast via Skype. If you're working with a modern play, you should absolutely reach out and try to communicate with the author. Playwrights (most of us) do not live behind brick walls barring out all conversation with the outside world. We want to talk to you, we want to answer questions.

And don't be afraid to communicate after the production is done. Most of us would like to know how it went, how the audience reacted, and were there any issues with the script?

Do a Production Exchange Program. Find a school in another state, province or country that's doing the same play. Communicate with them! Share production ideas, share issues and questions, have actors playing the same part talk to each other, have casts discuss the audience's experience.

Have a Comments Platform. If your show or department has a website, allow comments. Put up a Facebook page and accept fans. Talk to the people who add comments. Put students in charge of checking the site and responding. Focus on the conversation aspect of the comments platform. It's important for students to know how their work is perceived and to be able to process feedback.

Blog. During rehearsals, have every member of the cast take part in writing a blog about the experience. Communicate what rehearsals are like. Don't be afraid of showing and discussing struggles. Consistent blogging is a great way to make a website sticky, which encourages people to return again and again. We'll talk more on this in the Marketing section.

Exercise

Here's a social media exercise specifically for a production cast. Have your actors communicate in character through a Twitter page. (like this Royal Shakespeare Company Twitter page of Romeo and Juliet) A great way to get inside the characters and show how much actors understand their parts.

Issues

Not every move is a bed of roses. Keep the following issues in mind.

Blocked Sites. Many administrations block social media sites. It may just not be possible to use Facebook and Twitter in an educational context.

Inappropriate Behaviour. There is a lot of opportunity for anonymous inappropriate commenting, bashing, and rude behaviour. Some people don't want to be part of an interactive communication, they just want their opinion loudly heard.

Inconsistency. Communicating is hard work. It takes consistent effort to keep a blog up, to make sure comments are responded to appropriately, to continue the process after the initial excitement.

One Way Street. The most important aspect and at times hardest aspect to grasp is that social media needs to be treated as a conversation. You can't just use it to send out the same old information and expect people to be engaged. The Internet is not a display board. Some companies treat social media the same way they would treat a print ad or a television commercial: a one way delivery of information. If you're going to put your voice out into the Internet, always think about what may come back.

Poor Website Design. If the website is hard to read in the first place, people will not stay, they will not want to engage. Keep it simple, keep the flash to a minimum and most importantly of all, make it easy to read! No white text! No neon colours!

A Marketing Tool

One of the big issues high schools have in terms of attracting an audience to their shows is attracting audience beyond the cast's circle of family and friends. How do you get the larger community to attend shows? How do you build relationships with your community?

Most high schools don't have a marketing budget even though they'd like certain shows to be money makers. Many schools need their productions to make money. But it's easy to see why schools wouldn't bother with outside marketing: ads are expensive and there are no guarantees on getting a return. Why waste the money?

But 21st century marketing has taken some interesting turns. Traditional advertising as a whole is proving less and less reliable, and less and less necessary. Customers are growing tired and more than a little numb to the 'buy me, buy me!' advertising methodology. They now want 'engage me, engage me!' Customers are becoming more and more interested in being part of an experience. This is a perfect opening to apply Internet marketing, social media platforms, and offering two way communication instead of one way information.

Even at the high school level the Internet can be used as a marketing tool. And more to the point, a free marketing tool. It's important to note, however, that while this type of marketing is generally free, it does cost time and energy. A lot of time and energy. There's nothing worse that a poorly managed website, an out of date blog.

Having said that, I don't know a drama teacher who isn't already bogged down and over extended. It certainly may be that you read these suggestions and know there's no way to incorporate them into an already packed situation. But I did want to include this section. It provides an option, some things to think about, a new direction. The best thing to do, as always, is to find ways to involve the students so you're not doing it alone. Do you have a communications/business/marketing class in the school? Get them on board!

How do I sell my show with Internet marketing?

Establish your show on the net. Have a website, blog, a Facebook group/event/fan page, a Twitter profile. Some of these platforms are less involved that others – Twitter only gives you 140 characters!

Don't worry about using these Internet forums to sell tickets. Internet marketing is not about pushing the product. Communication, not information! Create an experience. Be human. Tell a story. Showcase the students, the show, what's actually happening. Give a backstage peak into the world of high school theatre. Make an event out of your show before the play even takes place! Think “experience” and “engagement.” Think about the person or groups of people who might not ordinarily come to your show and let them get to know you. If a customer is interested in you and what you're offering, you don't have to push tickets on them.

Wait! Doesn't it cost money to put up a website? 

There are many free options. Look into wordpress.org, which is a free blogging platform, but can also be set up like a website with static pages (such as a home page, contact info, ticket prices, etc.)

Wait! I don't know anything about computers or technology!

This is a great opportunity to use your students' knowledge. Every teenager knows how to set up a Facebook fan page. Simpler is always better. You don't need a fancy webpage, you need an engaging webpage! Never use 'I don't know' as an excuse not to do something.

Be Sticky

By focusing on the multi-faceted experience of your production instead of the one time information throw out, you can also make your website sticky. What does that mean? Sticky websites are those that consumers return to again and again and again. There's new information daily, or weekly, there's a reason for people to return. Content beyond information brings people back to a website or Facebook page.

Aside from information about our plays, the Theatrefolk website has a blog, which is updated daily. We do weekly videos called 'Spread the Love' where we talk on what we love about our plays. We have free resource handouts for teachers. We do a monthly newsletter. We link to our Facebook page. In short, there's plenty of content apart from the buying and selling of books.

How do I Make My Website sticky?

• Create an event before the show
• Post rehearsal photos 
• Post video clips (if you have permission)
• Do video blogs or podcasts about elements other than the play: costume fittings, what kind of make up you're going to use, painting the set. Ask each actor to describe their part.
• Shoot video commercials for the production.
• Write blog posts from the first rehearsal to the last show. 
• Interviews with the cast and crew.
• A director's Q&A (where the cast comes up with the questions) about why the play was chosen.
• Show drawings of your set.

NOTE! I love video. These days it's relatively easy to shoot something (with a camera or even a phone!) and get it posted. But be very careful with video of the show itself. Make sure you have permission from the author and publisher before recording any part of the play.

Exercise

Have students come up with a list of questions they would ask a director about a play.

Exercise

It takes practice to become comfortable speaking to a camera with in a relaxed, comfortable manner. Practice video podcasting. Give groups of students (two's and three's) a particular topic relating to a play. The group has five minutes to prepare a one minute video (less is always more, website videos should never be longer than two minutes). Review and discuss the videos.

Exercise

One of the best ways to figure out what to do with your own website is to research what others have done. Have everyone research how a theatre company participates in Internet marketing through their own website.

• What does the website tell you about the company?
• Is the site friendly and engaging?
• What extra stuff does the website provide? Is the website sticky?
• Is there a blog? Is it up to date? 
• Does the blog feel like a marketing pitch or an actual communication? 
• Based on your research, come up with one suggestion for your school production website.

Stay Connected

We’ve got big plans for this year, including giving away some free plays through our Twitter and Facebook pages. Now would be a really good time to friend us up!

Free Resources

Did you know we have a page full of free resources for theatre teachers? Check it out here!

Conference Alert

Here's our upcoming conference schedule. If you're attending, please drop by and say hi!

In the Next Issue

We're taking July off! See you in August.

Stay in Touch

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