Ways to spread school musical spirit

[showchoirguy]

Posted: 2/5/11 at 1:28pm

For the past years, the arts at my school have been very unappreciated and put into the shadows by the students and even our principal, this causing our budget to drastically drop. So I am comming to you guys for suggestions on how to raise awarness to get the students to know that the musical is comming. I already have 2 ideas. 1. The cast dresses up in costume and go through the hallways singing the songs with the music and dancing along to the music. 2. We dress dress up in costume and we go door to door in class rooms and advertise the musical. If anyone has ideas, please dont be afraid to speak your mind. Thanks :)

[ahhrealmonsters]

Posted: 2/5/11 at 1:46pm

Works for advertising and funds: Have a bake sale. You can have it themed with the show, have the students sell the baked goods in costume. It advertises, and you'll get money for the club/show.

Posted: 2/5/11 at 1:49pm

When I was in high school, we did a production of Damn Yankees. We got the baseball team involved and had a school "buy out." Our actors and several teachers played a baseball game against the actual baseball team. All money went to the musical.

Every year, we also had a "fun run" where the track team would get involved. Everyone payed to basically run this special track laid out around the school.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 2/5/11 at 1:52pm

Three words:

Naked Marching Band

[HummingAlong]

Posted: 2/5/11 at 2:01pm

Loving Logan's idea, too! think like a marketer. Cross promotion.

Updated On: 2/5/11 at 02:01 PM

[HummingAlong]

Posted: 2/5/11 at 2:02pm

I think you have to tread very lightly in these situations. Remember that, while these sound like fun ideas to people who already love this world, to an outsider, this may all sound a tad off-the-wall. At my high school, the arts were highly appreciated and there was still little tolerance for "disturbances" in the school day such as singing or loud/crazy costumes in the hallways.

I would say do something that other clubs have done, just up the ante one notch. Do it just one notch better, just a little bit cooler, to not only get people's attention but avoid looking too wacky if you're not already well received. Give them something familiar, just cooler. Then people may be more comfortable giving you a chance. (A bake sale sounds great, just give it a creative twist, nothing too crazy though.)

And if, after a few good tries, nothing works, then move on. Unfortunately, high schools can't always foster everyone's talents and interests. Maybe start to look into some community theatres in your area where you can perform on nice big stages with bigger budgets (hopefully) and excited audiences!

[peerrjb]

Posted: 2/5/11 at 2:55pm

Been in your situation on various levels.
First of all, what is the show? If you're doing some piece that is an old warhorse, you're going to have a harder time interesting your audience. Key to the connection with your student body is making sure that that show itself has elements which the non-theatre types will find worth attending.
Questions to the actors like "WHY on earth would anybody WANT to see [insert show title]?" "HOW do we connect what the STORY IS to the feelings of the other students?" If you can find a way to help the kids relate to the material, you're going to find better options.
Have a contest with interested non-drama ART enthusiasts to design a really cool show logo or poster. If you have access to a Karaoke machine, and the material from the show is available for Karaoke, have a party or after-school food-based event where some students do a couple numbers, but others who might attend (for a nominal fee) could show off THEIR skills doing NON-theatre songs... It's always interesting when kids realize that what your Cast Members do so effortlessly is actually hard, challenging, and FUN.
If you were doing something contemporary, have some kind of ad campaign (or maybe video interviews added to Facebook or YouTube) which show bits of song and HIGHLIGHT the REASONS your MATERIAL is going to touch, amuse, inspire, or encourage the hoped-for audience.
I think HummingAlong is right with the "disturbances" comment...and also, the sad truth is that you may add an unwanted Geek-Image if you've got your students parading around garnering the wrong kind of laughter. Costumes are meant to live in their "stage world", not in the Computer Lab.

The other, larger-scale thought, is that you need to connect with your local Board of Education or District Offices. Hit them with the facts regarding the actual life-skills and proactive educational factors of what goes on in the Arts. THEY may have dropped the ball, and the funding's inequitable elements could be discussed among people who really may not understand how short-sighted they're being. You need to find the right person(s) who can take your cause to the next level.
Good luck with this enterprise.

[showchoirguy]

Posted: 2/5/11 at 3:07pm

We are doing Seussical.

[trentsketch]

Posted: 2/5/11 at 3:58pm

Here are two ideas that have worked great in the past.

First, can you get permission to have the leads do some kind of commercial during your morning announcements? Meaning, you write up some funny little 30 to 60 second bit that the lead characters read out over the PA system to promote the show. We do it the week of the show (a different ad every day) and it definetly builds interest.

Second, try to do a sneak peak. When a school I worked with did All Shook Up and pre-sales were really soft, we got permission from the principal and the librarians to let us do four of the numbers from the show during lunch. We had our Natalie, Chad, and Mayor Matilda take turns narrating the context of the show while they sang "Roustabout" into "One Night With You" into "C'mon Everybody" and ended with "Teddy Bear/Hound Dog." I have never seen so many people in that library as when the music started. Teachers and students came flooding in and we wound up spending the rest of the lunch period taking ticket orders and handing out order forms and publicity material.

Of course, most schools would probably benefit from doing this in the cafeteria. This school sound-proofed their cafeteria so much that you couldn't hear the kids at the table next to you.

There is one other way, but the results have always been mixed. One director would cut a 35 minute excerpt from the show and have the cast perform it every period of the school day about a week before the show. He blindly sent out invites to all the teachers to bring their classes and we were lucky if forty kids saw it the entire day.

One I've wanted to do but could never convince any school I work with to go for is to hold a contest to design the poster for the musical. Invite anyone in the school to submit their design and print the winner's. You hand out an application with a synopsis of the show and maybe even some concept art or photos of previous productions and let the students have at it. Add in a prize of a gift card (like $20 or something to a local chain store) and a pair of free tickets. It'll get the teachers and students talking about the production.

If all else fails, do High School Musical next year. You'll be turning students away at the door.

[peerrjb]

Posted: 2/5/11 at 10:23pm

Seussical.
Have you thought of connecting with the students and teachers at YOUR school and working towards getting a contingent of students and teachers from local middle and elementary schools to come see the show? You could work this connection through literature, poetry, pop music, language arts, and theatre. Maybe even arrange for your students to perform a few moments at an assembly for the younger set. After all, perhaps many of your current students have siblings at the lower level, who -- if they become fascinated and excited by theatre/music NOW -- will become the performers and audiences for the future.
After all, where does it say your paying audiences have to be the students at YOUR school? Community connection and interaction may build a brighter future for your program.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 2/5/11 at 11:16pm

Are there elementary schools in your district or nearby?

If there are, then it's easy to promote Seussical to the community. Have the cast visit the schools and maybe read some of the Dr. Seuss stories the show is based on to the young elementary school children. Then send them home with a flyer advertising the show.

[Ellski]

Posted: 2/5/11 at 11:50pm

Are the musicals free? If they aren't, the having the people in the play sell the tickets is a good way to let people know about the musical. It's hard to say no when your friend ask you if you want to buy a ticket, and when you've already spent money on the ticket it's not as likely you'll just forget about it. That's what my theatre department does, and the tickets are a dollar cheaper if you buy your ticket in advance.