SOR 49: Beth Williams of AUP Talks About What She Took Away From the Open Book Project and Which Tactics She Used to Successfully Promote Her Latest Show

Guest:
Beth Williams

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At the end of last year I did a series of blog posts where I chronicled the process of promoting a show at a small professional theatre as it was happening. I called it the Open Book Project, and I went into great detail about my thoughts and conclusions from the process. In this episode I bring on Beth Williams from the theatre that participated in the project to find out what she took away – and how the marketing went for their latest show.

In this episode:

• the best takeaway from the Open Book Project – every show is different, but there’s one tool that Beth will be using for every show
• how the marketing process worked on a different show – At Home At the Zoo is a tough sell, but how did the tactics work on a more recognizable show
• which tactics were the most demanding – sometimes you are working on a limited time table, so which tactics might need to be removed for time
• how you market success – once the show opens, the size of your crowds and the word of mouth can shift what marketing options are available to you
• what makes a for a good interview – as more and more theatres are now using interviews of the cast as a marketing tool, what makes for an interview that stands out from the crowd

Items mentioned:

• The Open Book Project – landing page for the project where you can see all the elements on a promotional campaign as they happen
• AUP’s Production Blog – depending on when you’re reading this you might have to go back a few pages, but this is where the bios (worth checking out) and other marketing pieces for Streetcar live

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Thanks to Beth first for being my guinea pig for the Open Book Project and again for joining me on the podcast, and thanks to you guys for listening.