Theatres are getting social – but what sells tickets?
More than 55,000 Facebook users “like” the new Broadway musical “Sister Act,” which, like most major theatrical productions today, has its own page, as well a Twitter account (1,300 followers), YouTube channel (30,000 uploaded views) and set of apps. (Photoshop your face into a nun’s wimple and win free tickets!) – observes the New York Times.
Yet how many 50-year-old white female tourists — the average Broadway ticket buyers — are plunking down money for “Sister Act” because @MzzzD17 wrote on Twitter that seeing it “made me want to go back to church! :-)”? Ask Broadway insiders to say how many tickets have been sold as a result of all this social networking, and the look on their faces reads, “Server not found.”
As Stephanie Lee, president of Group Sales Box Office, says,
“Facebook is a way for shows to tout themselves and then hope fans will post on the site so buzz can go viral. That’s a great tool, but the buzz from all these shows can become deafening. We’ve found that on Broadway group buyers still want an agent they know who can tell a hit from a flop.”
The Sister Act on Broadway site with Facebook, Twitter and YouTube links
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.
