To promote a theatre production, you first need to have a fantastic show ready to go. The cast needs to be top quality, their theatrical costumes perfect, the music resonant, and the set glorious. Once you have all these elements, it is time to entice people in to see the performance you have worked so hard on.
There are a few things you can do to promote your theatre performance which will really draw in the crowd.
Create a Trailer
This is one of the most effective ways to make sure everybody gets a good idea of what your show is all about. Get some great clips of your stars in rehearsal. Make sure you show off the set design and the costumes that you’ve worked so hard on. Mix behind the scenes rehearsal clips with clips of key people involved talking about the show. Make sure to talk about who the show is aimed at and what people can expect to see if they buy a ticket.
Contact Local Press
Now you have a trailer, share it with local press. Local newspapers and magazines are one of the best ways to get your show out into the world. Once the journalists have watched the trailer, encourage them to come along for a special press night before opening night. This way, their reviews will be out, and people can start buying tickets for your performance before it begins. This will maximise the number of people who will see your show.
Use Social Media
If your theatre company does not have social media yet, create profiles on all the major platforms. This is another great way to share the fantastic trailer you created. You can also share more behind-the-scenes content, interviews with actors, sneak peaks of the best costumes, and more. Consider running a giveaway, offering free tickets to people who share your promotional post. This is a great way to get more followers and build a real buzz around opening night.
Harness the Power of Word of Mouth
Your own friends and family are your most powerful advocates. Ask them to share information about your performance on social media and amongst their friends and colleagues. Make sure they know enough about the show to really sell it to people. Generally, people are much more likely to purchase something recommended to them by a friend, and theatre tickets are no different! If you have people who can vouch for your performance, encourage them to do so!
Create Flyers and Posters
Flyers and posters which are put up around the local area are one of the most effective ways of marketing a theatre production. Make sure your promotional materials are eye-catching – use shots of your most impressive costumes, puppets or props to really let people see how visually impressive your production is going to be. Then, share these flyers and posters far and wide. Ask local shops to put them up and distribute them to letterboxes.
Hit the Streets!
What better way to promote your performance than to take it out and show people what you’re going to offer? Getting your top performers fully costumed and sending them out to speak to the public is a fantastic way to encourage people to buy tickets. If somebody has a great experience with your cast on the street, they are highly likely to buy a ticket to see more of them!
What is the Best Way to Promote a Theatre Production?
The best way to promote a theatre production is with a multi-pronged strategy. Use a combination of these tactics to highlight the best parts of your performance and people will be sure to flock to see it!
At Promotional Props and Costumes, we help theatre companies create visually incredible costumes for all kinds of performances. We’re sure that using these within your promotional material will get people from all over queuing up on your opening night! Get in touch today for more information.
