Right on the Button

Selling a high school musical gets harder and harder. Even inside the school.

For us, the days that everyone --staff and students-- comes to see the annual school musical are long gone. A large part of our student population has no theatre tradition so not only are they not coming to see our productions, they don't even know anything about it.

I am not sure what to say about the staff. Some are very loyal and gracious attending each production with diligence . . . and sometimes with their family. We love them. Others we never see. Probably never see them at any school activities. They teach, cash the check, and go home. I find them bewildering. I wish they would come back once in a while to see our little plays.

I firmly believe that theatre-lovers will come to see our production of THE PRODUCERS if we can just find a way to let them know we are doing it. It is a very popular show with high name recognition. Even if you don't know the musical, you might be familiar with the 1968 movie that featured Zero Mostel. We just have got to tell people --all people-- that we are presenting THE PRODUCERS and hope that for seven bucks most people will recognize it as the entertainment bargain it really is.

We are the first theatre of any kind in this area to present our own production of THE PRODUCERS and we have taken that responsibility very seriously. We are trying very hard to do the material justice and to support he play with the appropriate technical elements. I really do think the show is going to be simply fantastic. It sounds as good as any show we have done in recent years -- maybe better. And Lord knows we have built enough scenery to clog most stages including ours.

We are being a little more aggressive with our marketing/promotion. We embellished our press list to include more members of the media (now up to 70 or so), we got our newlsetter out early to nearly 1200 addresses, have posted the dates on every online calendar we can think of, and I have made personal appeals to the local print media --what little is left-- to bless us with a feature article. I think one might.

More to the point, I have printed our yard signs again. This time they are two-sided and a lovely red color to stand out agasint the dreary late winter weather. More than eighty signs are out there dotting the neighborhoods in west Akron. I saw a few of them myself earlier today. I still need to put them around the school and hope to do so tomorrow. I will still have a few left if anyone needs one for their yard.

I spent the better part of three hours tonight making buttons with our fabulous new button maker. I made around 100 of the little diamonds that I hope to start SELLING to the cast and crew and orchestra tomorrow. There are six different button designs that feature lines from the play as well as the date and place info. Some kids said they wanted one of each. I am happy to oblige. I can make more. The package comes with materials to make 250. If I have to make them all, my hands will be sore but my heart will be late.

Maybe my hands will be sore again later when I have to count the box office receipts. I hope so because someone has to pay for this lumber and all these costumes.

And who could forget the pigeon puppets? Not me. I'll never forget the pigeons. You won't, either, if you come see THE PRODUCERS at Firestone High School.