Thursday, January 27, 2011

Seeking: Exciting, brave new musicals!

Every January and February changes the topography of the NAMT office in a wonderful way. Piles of CDs and scripts start appearing on once empty flat surfaces and binder clips become scarce. It is submissions time for our 23rd Annual Festival of New Musicals. The non-member deadline passed earlier this week and I am excited to give the members and alumni an extra 3 weeks to find those perfect shows to submit this year (your deadline is on February 15, postmarked). As the Festival has grown in my 3 years here, it has become clear that we really need to present the best, most eclectic, exciting 8 works we can find and I look to you, our members and alumni, as the primary source for our great musicals. Don't be afraid that something is too edgy, or too wholesome, or too big, or too small for the Festival. Is it great? Does it excite you? Does it make you love being in the theatre? Then submit it because odds are you are not alone in your opinions! Let's share our great work with the each other and the world this October!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Tweeting DURING a show?

I'm a bit of an internet addict, and I'm a big fan of Facebook and Twitter in my personal life. But I've yet to be convinced that social media is effective as a marketing tool, since your audience there is self-selected: you're not reaching anyone who doesn't already know you. I also enjoy my time in the theatre as a time to turn off my addictive devices. So I'm fascinated by the SF Playhouse Pluggers program. The Playhouse invites select patrons to tweet during the show. They sit in the back row so as not to disturb others, and the Playhouse doesn't censor them in any way. So the theatre gets the word out to everyone who follows their "pluggers," inviting new people into the shared experience happening in the room. They also get some "cred" for not being afraid of criticism. You follow someone on Twitter because you're interested in what he has to say, so if he's writing about a show, his interest might get you to check it out yourself...offline.

We'd love to hear from members who have had success with innovative campaigns like this. Or let us know if you try this idea out!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Join Op4G and Help NAMT!

Do you like to give your opinion? Do you like pocket money? Would you like to help NAMT support the development of new musicals? Now you can do ALL THREE! Last week we told you about our new relationship with Op4G, and I wanted to mention it again because I am so excited about its potential to help you and NAMT. In my long career of hearing businesses tout "win-win" scenarios, I believe this truly is! Op4G is a market research company partnering with not-for-profits to find a select demographic base for their corporate clients. If you join, you get paid for giving your opinion on surveys and a portion of your payment is donated to NAMT. It's easy to join. Go to www.Op4G.com and click on the orange "Join Op4g" button. When asked to "select your non-profit", select National Alliance for Musical Theatre. Indicate how much of your payment you want to donate to NAMT - between 25% and 100%.

Please spread the word by sharing this link. If we can get lots of people to join Op4G and choose NAMT as their not-for-profit, we could create a donation income stream to help writers and producers that will last for years.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Seize the moment at the New Works Summits

As theatre people, we tend to not venture far from home and see each other's work. We pour so much time into our jobs and craft that it can seem daunting to go see someone else's show when all you can think about is your own. But there is something vital about seeing other work.

This is why NAMT holds New Works Summits all around the country; to get us out and seeing new works at member theatres and sharing the experience with our colleagues.

The Summits are truly special events. Small and intimate, you actually find time to say "hi" and to have conversations with everyone. Together we get to enjoy a weekend filled with shows and other events as peers. There is something invigorating about seeing a musical with fellow producers and writers who you can turn to afterwards and spark up a discussion then and there, not over the internet.

I hope that many of you will join us January 14-16 at Goodspeed Musicals in CT for the next New Works Summit. Let's experience these new musicals together!