Senior Thespian Theatre Marketing

WHAT TO PREPARE

For a Theatre Marketing entry, the Thespian must prepare a marketing campaign for a production of a published work written for the theatre. Designs for performances of original work, poetry, fiction, screenplays, television, concerts, or any other medium are not permitted. Only one (1) Thespian may be involved in the design. No collaborations are permitted. Designs for either theoretical or realized productions are acceptable, though it is strongly recommended that the Thespian was responsible for the actual publicity in a realized production. All rules listed in the Senior Thespian General Rules apply. The Thespian must prepare the following:

  1. A portfolio of materials (bound or digital) that methodically works through the marketing process and that must include the following:
    1. One-page design statement that includes:
      1. Unifying production design concept;
      2. Theme of the show/recurring motifs;
      3. Target markets outside of the school audience, noting any publicity restrictions from the licensing agency.
    2. Research, including:
      1. Summary of given circumstances from the script;
      2. Functionality requirements of the marketing elements;
      3. Genre, locale, and setting of the play (or other explanation of the world of the play);
      4. Artistic and practical needs that impact the design;
    3. Sources of inspiration for design and color palette (if used).
    4. A brief summary of their role and responsibilities during the production (including self and/or team’s responsibilities).
    5. Production dates, number of performances, and cost of admission (if realized).
    6. A copy of the marketing budget for the publicity campaign and justification of expenses. (Note: work will be adjudicated on creativity and quality of the materials; not necessarily on how much money was in the budget.)
    7. Details of the design concept’s development, including examples of collaboration with the production team.
    8. Final creative assets (such as posters, tickets, promotional handouts, social media templates, etc.) demonstrating branding, promotional efforts, various modifications based on specs/usage, and student’s ability to adapt to the constraints of the licensing agent (i.e., billing requirements, licensed logo usage – if applicable, etc.). If non-original material is used, sources must be cited, and receipts of purchased materials (when applicable) must be included in the presentation of the assets.
    9. Distribution schedule and locations.
    10. A press release.
    11. Outcomes for realized productions, including budget/cost analysis (income vs. money spent) noting any free services rendered such as copies, printing, vendor donations, etc. and assigning a cost value to those donated elements. (Note: Income may not directly affect the marketing budget, but analysis work that presents the marketing costs in relation to the full production budget and revenue should be done.)
  1. A five to eight (5-8)-minute presentation (judges may follow the presentation with a four (4) minute optional question and answer segment) summarizing the work with connections to concept, collaboration, and design decision-making. The Thespian may use digital media during the presentation (the Thespian must provide their own equipment for viewing), or the Thespian may bring photo boards or other visual aids to display along with the portfolio.
    1. The Thespian should address general questions such as:
      1. What are some of your responsibilities in your field?
      2. How did the director’s concept influence your work?
      3. How did the style of the play affect your work?
      4. If the production was realized, what challenges did you face in unifying the director’s concept across all areas of your work?
    2. The Thespian should address category-specific topics such as:
      1.  How effective do you feel your marketing was in bringing an audience to the show?
      2. How did you engage with the media (television, newspaper, social media, etc.)?
  2. Optional written essay response to share additional information about the theatre marketing process with the adjudicators.
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