I have made contact. Or rather, I'm going to have lots of contacts. And in addition, I signed with Constant Contact. This past week has been about getting ready for a huge marketing launch to about 2500 organizations. I think it's that many. You see, it's been two years since my son and I did the nitty-gritty dirty work on getting emails for all these organizations. The contacts are stored on my old dead computer so I took it into BestBuy and they pulled all that stuff off for me and technically, I'm ready to go. (Now, if I hadn't left the charger for my other computer at the lodge over Labor Day!)
In the meantime, I have signed up with Constant Contacts to create email blasts. With 2,500 contacts, I cannot afford the postage, paper or time it would take to send direct mail pieces. I also don't want to kill that many trees. So the marketing has to be 98% viral, through emails, social media, and regular ole telephone. But the first month or so is a free trial so I am working on fonts and colors and all kinds of stuff to get the look I want and the look that people respond to. So if you're a close friend, you'll be getting these test emails. And if you want to be on the list of folks who get these preliminary blasts, let me know and I can add you.
I go back to the PASSION script at least every two days and something new always strikes me. Lately, I've been spending a lot of time on the Roman soldiers, their movement and their sound. I've also been reviewing technical stuff that some playwrights (and I'm not claiming to be a playwright) don't understand because they write in an almost movie-ish fashion. In movies, you can stop the camera, change hair, costume, makeup and location. I've been in plays where I've had to do all that in about 14 seconds. I'm happy to say that I have given time for things to move, for people to get to a new entrance, for the action to continue forward without make actors sprint around the space.
I've spoken here about pictures and everyday, they become clearer in my head. Stage pictures are what stay with us after we've left the theatre. Words help, but I really feel they are secondary to our connection with the play. (Here I am saying this after a paragraph about the script!!) But the weight of the words is much more if we have an accompanying visual. Otherwise, I am back to square one - the reading of the Passion at my church. Bleh. I know after people see PASSION, they will 1) re-envision the pictures they saw in the production; 2) feel cheated without the accompanying visual; and 3) want to see PASSION again.
That really sounds like I have a huge case of hubris, but I don't. I do have confidence in pictures though, and the visceral reaction we have to them. You'll see. (Get it? You'll see?)
In the meantime, I have signed up with Constant Contacts to create email blasts. With 2,500 contacts, I cannot afford the postage, paper or time it would take to send direct mail pieces. I also don't want to kill that many trees. So the marketing has to be 98% viral, through emails, social media, and regular ole telephone. But the first month or so is a free trial so I am working on fonts and colors and all kinds of stuff to get the look I want and the look that people respond to. So if you're a close friend, you'll be getting these test emails. And if you want to be on the list of folks who get these preliminary blasts, let me know and I can add you.
I go back to the PASSION script at least every two days and something new always strikes me. Lately, I've been spending a lot of time on the Roman soldiers, their movement and their sound. I've also been reviewing technical stuff that some playwrights (and I'm not claiming to be a playwright) don't understand because they write in an almost movie-ish fashion. In movies, you can stop the camera, change hair, costume, makeup and location. I've been in plays where I've had to do all that in about 14 seconds. I'm happy to say that I have given time for things to move, for people to get to a new entrance, for the action to continue forward without make actors sprint around the space.
I've spoken here about pictures and everyday, they become clearer in my head. Stage pictures are what stay with us after we've left the theatre. Words help, but I really feel they are secondary to our connection with the play. (Here I am saying this after a paragraph about the script!!) But the weight of the words is much more if we have an accompanying visual. Otherwise, I am back to square one - the reading of the Passion at my church. Bleh. I know after people see PASSION, they will 1) re-envision the pictures they saw in the production; 2) feel cheated without the accompanying visual; and 3) want to see PASSION again.
That really sounds like I have a huge case of hubris, but I don't. I do have confidence in pictures though, and the visceral reaction we have to them. You'll see. (Get it? You'll see?)
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