Author: Kate Foy

You might be interested in the media page from Pilot Theatre York in the UK. They’ve taken to social media in a big way. Classy site that ‘tells their story’ through slick design too.

I took part in a discussion a month or so ago with some international theatre colleagues on how business … specifically the theatre … is or is not using digital social media to market their ‘product.’ It’s a conversation that is ongoing, and a process that continues to unfold.

We’re all used to being stymied from time to time by technology. We have the imagination, we have the tools, we see the potential … but stuff goes wrong, people resist … sometimes it can all get too hard. Why bother?

With that in mind, I’ve posted an audio file of part of that conversation I had back in January 2009. I talked about using digital social media to engage with audiences, and I mentioned the challenges we face in Australia with regard to access by customers and the experience of those who are marketing what we do.

This podcast is 6 minutes long.

[podcast]https://actorsgreenroom.net/audio/Smart_Marketing%20%26%20the%20Digital%20Divide.mp3[/podcast]

This is a modified version of an email I sent through to some of my theatre colleagues this morning. It’s part of my strategy to get the word out about World Theatre Day celebrated this year on March 27.

As one of the international facilitators for World Theatre Day 2009, I’m writing to ask you, as an Artistic Director, producer, company marketing, general manager, or theatre advocate to consider joining in the global celebrations on Friday March 27th – 3 week from today as I write. It’s not hard … in fact we’re making it very easy for theatre companies around the world to share our love of theatre on this one day.

WTD has been celebrated – if lightly – as part of the International Theatre Institute (itself a part of UNESCO) since its inception in 1948. Never heard of it? Not surprising really; it’s been a local celebration internationally, and news of what happened on the day has tended not to cross borders. This year it’s different. Now we have the internet.

You can get all the information on ideas for the day, who’s who, links and so on at the official World Theatre Day Blog

One of the facilitators in the US has written what I think sums up the reason for us all joining in. Here’s Travis Bedard, the Artistic Director of Cambiare Productions in Austin Texas:

World Theatre Day isn’t about creating a global theatre experience. It’s about celebrating the local theatre experience globally. World Theatre Day is an acknowledgement that we are all doing this thing that we love.
And the internet allows us to share those local celebrations and revel in the fact that we’re not alone in our pursuit, and that no matter how many times they try to prove it to us mathematically, theatre is not dead.

That’s it … an opportunity to celebrate, to share, to advocate, and to profile your group internationally.

We’d love you to mark the occasion in any way you wish, and then to share those individual and diverse celebrations with the rest of the world via the web. We’ll be using the WTD09 Tumblog site as a ‘stream’ to hold your contributions. We’ll be providing the email address with details on how to add images, videos, sound files … whatever … in the week leading up to March 27. Again … easy.

This year the World Theatre Day address has been written by Augusto Boal. Consider sharing it by putting it on your company blog, or read it out on WTD itself at curtain time (if you have a show on that day) … indeed, this has been the tradition for many years.

I hope you’ll consider joining those other many, many of your colleagues from around the world on March 27th. Let us know via the WTD09 blog, on Twitter (please tag your message #WTD09) or if you’d prefer, email directly to me what your plans are. I’ll make sure your message gets out there.

And in the spirit of the day … and because it’s so easy to do so …. please cut and paste, link or forward this on to other theatre colleagues in your network.

With warmest wishes

Kate

World Theatre Day isn’t about creating a global theatre experience. It’s about celebrating the local theatre experience globally. World Theatre Day is an acknowledgement that we are all doing this thing that we love. And the internet allows us to share those local celebrations and revel in the fact that we’re not alone in our pursuit, and that no matter how many times they try to prove it to us mathematically, theatre is not dead. Travis Bedard

Never heard of World Theatre Day? Hardly surprising really. What has been called a global celebration of the power of theatre on one day each year – this year March 27 – has been far quieter than it should have been for too long. WTD is an activity of the International Theatre Institute (ITI), which was founded in 1948 by UNESCO.  The ITI website has only just this week undergone a long overdue revamp.

Each year the ITI commissions a leading world theatre figure to write a special address. Last year it was Canadian Robert Lepage.  This year it’s Brazilian Augusto Boal‘s turn; here’s Boal’s timely WTD address to the theatre community.

The WTD tradition goes like this: companies choosing to celebrate read the address at the start of a performance that day. But it doesn’t stop there. Companies or individuals were encouraged to celebrate in any way they like. WTD celebrations tended to be locally focussed – no bad thing of course – but they remained pretty much unknown outside their immediate location.  Enter a group of international theatre individuals already in touch on an almost daily basis, and keen to put the ‘world’ back in WTD. Given the availability of Web 2.0 tools and applications, the WTD 09 facilitators are using the power of online communication and the occasion of WTD09 to bring the global theatre community closer together.

Follow the progress so far on the WTD 09 blog where you will get an idea of what companies world-wide are planning in their own backyards, and how they intend to get out the news to others. Get involved and let us know what you’re planning either here or directly at the WTD09 blogsite. I’m one of the facilitators working locally so more of the world theatre community can engage globally.

In the meantime, start thinking over what you or your company might do. Of course you are busy and resources are probably stretched, so keep it simple, and share with the rest of the world. What about short videos, still images, audio files of interviews, various kinds of audience-engagement activities like backstage tours. What is your group presenting on March 27?  Do you have a website? What about a blogpost on WTD09 and you. If you feel up to the challenge, why not a flashmob? Go on, you know you want to!

If you’re on Twitter, keep up by joining the Theatre Group then tag appropriate posts with #WTD09 or #wtd, and of course, with #theatre. If you’re not already a Twitter member come along and join the fun. There are many theatre companies already sharing their activities quite independently of WTD.

If you write a blog post about your engagement with World Theatre Day it would be great if you could tag your blogposts WTD09 or just wtd … so we can find you and gather in the good stuff.

Plan it, share it, and pass it on … let’s get the world involved on World Theatre Day 2009. That’s March 27 at a theatre near you.