Tips of the Month
October 2015
Small Wonder
For quick paint touch-ups, use cotton makeup rounds. These round cotton pads, about the size of a silver dollar, won’t shed. Use them to apply dabs of paint, oil or paint. You can find them at drugstores and discount stores, as well as online. The ones shown at right are the most basic (and thinnest), and will do for most jobs (click image for larger view). Thicker pads are also available, although more expensive.
The Power of We
Whether you’re a director, board president, or chief administrative officer of your theatre company, take a tip from the Harvard Business Review, and motivate your team with “we,” not “I.” Using first-person plurals and second-person pronouns such as we, us, and you—rather than the first-person singular pronouns I, me and my—show that you are focused on what you and your team can achieve together, rather than on what you need from them. It also helps shift your perspective and makes you more aware of what others need.
Getting the Word Out
If you can put together dramatic or musical snippets, or even a mini-version of a recent show, many civic, school and church groups may be willing to pay a nominal fee to have you demonstrate your capabilities. More important, use the opportunity to publicize your group and upcoming production and get names for your mailing list.
Flat-Out Simple
Cardboard often warps or buckles when painted. To avoid this, paint the first side and while it is still wet, paint the second side. If one side won't be seen from the audience, you can use leftover paint on it.
The Secret's in the Braid
Ever wonder how professional dancers breeze through the most complicated routines, without giving hats a second thought, while your performers can barely keep a flower in their hair during action scenes or dance numbers? The secret is "horsehair braid," a type of braided nylon available at online millinery supply houses or large bridal shops. Purchase 1/2: or 5/8" braid in all the basic hair colors. Sew a piece matching each dancer's hair color along the entire bottom edge of crows, tiaras and caps; for flowers, wrap pale green braid in two or three places along the stems. Make a curl in the performer's hair at each point of attachment (the sides and center, for a larger headpiece) and criss-cross with two flat bobby pins. Finally, use as many thin v-shaped hairpins as necessary to secure the headpiece in place.
No More Split Ends
Because they are repeatedly tied and untied, the ends of lash lines often become frayed. If you use cotton lines, dip the ends into white glue and press them firmly into a compact shape. If you use nylon or polyester rope, seal the ends by melting them slightly in the flame of a pocket lighter. Allow the rope to cool before using.
Strong and Thump-less
To make a strong walking stick, use a hardwood banister rod (used to construct stairway rails). A rubber tip attached to the end will keep it from thumping on the stage floor.
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September 2015
Bustle in a Hustle
If you're doing a Victorian play and need bustles, consider using ski or bicycle packs for the purpose. Sometimes called “fanny packs,” these consist of a nylon sack or bag attached to a belt of the same material that straps around the waist. Designed to carry small items, for costume purposes, you fill the bags with crumpled newspaper. The actress then buckles the lightweight unit on, with the filled sack at the back. The costume is slipped on over the unit and the result is a convincing bustle effect.
Audience Development
One way to recruit new audiences is to schedule special low-priced performances—like 99-cent previews or "pay-what-you-can" matinees. Some theatres offer these specials in return for the patron’s email address, while others hand out a special “Welcome to Our Theatre” brochure , with information on the current or upcoming season, contact numbers, etc.
Tying One On
Monofilament fishing line is transparent, strong and relatively inexpensive, and is ideal for suspending lightweight scenic elements in front of light backdrops, or for securing items that might shift during scene changes. It comes in several different thicknesses, each clearly marked as to how much weight it can withstand—typically ranging from 8 to 60 pounds. When hanging from above, you also can add another piece stretching from from the bottom of the item back to the wall, to keep the item from swinging. This can be helpful for lobby displays, as well.
On the Way Up
If your theatre company is working its way up from the bottom, capitalize on the underdog principle when fundraising. Studies suggest that people tend to support the underdog. Just make clear that your organization is strong, with a clear plan for the future—donors like to know their gifts will be used wisely.
What’s Underfoot
If carpeting or carpet padding on stairs or platforms doesn't look right for the period or place, try using sheets of heavy corrugated cardboard stapled in place. The cardboard can be painted or covered with canvas and then painted.
Design Sense
When creating a brochure or web page, avoid using many small photographs, which designers say detract from rather than enhance visual communication. Ideally, use one strong photograph, but if you have two or more photographs, make sure that one of them is dominant. Note that square photographs lack visual interest; use other rectangular shapes with a mixture of horizontal and vertical orientation.
Share and Share Alike
Consider the possibility of shared rehearsal space with another theater or theaters in your area. Ideally you need at least two rooms to avoid conflicts for space, but the cost of rental for a two-room space is typically far less than for two separate spaces, when the expense is shared between companies.
There’s a Catch
If you use magnetic catches for onstage doors or cupboards, you can reduce the amount of "stick" the actor needs to overcome by taping over part of the metal plate to which the magnet sticks.
Short and Sweet
When preparing a direct mail or fundraising letter, keep the first sentence short. This signals that the letter will be easy to read. Also limit paragraphs to no more than three or four sentences. Longer paragraphs turn off readers.
Room with a View
To suggest glass in a window, stretch rolled window screening over the back of the opening. It suggests the glint of glass without the weight, glare, or danger of breaking.
In the Know
Consider making available a glossary of your company's particular jargon and slang for volunteers and new members. This helps them more quickly understand memos, discussions and special projects. The extends to abbreviations for local businesses, government offices, or organizations.
No More Peek-a-Boo
When repainting a set, if old paint bleeds through the new, allow the paint to dry. Then cover the area with a coat of white glue, thinned with a little water. After the glue dries, try painting again. This usually works, although occasionally two coats of glue may be necessary.
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August 2015
The Public Eye
If you want to gain positive recognition for your company, create a service award to be given annually to the resident who makes the most contributions to your community, or to the arts in your community. By being associated with this award, your organization gains publicity and prestige.
4 Questions for Fundraisers
1) If you had only one donor and he or she gave you $50,000 every year, how would you write to that person? 2) How much would you want that donor to feel fully part of what you're doing? 3) Why not treat every donor as if he or she were a $50,000 donor? 4) How can you go wrong with this approach?
The Print Calendar
Plan to have materials printed at times when printers are less busy. For example, avoid school openings, the beginning of a new year and major holidays? Reason: you can expect to receive lower bids when printers aren't busy.
It Doesn't Hurt to Ask
For its production of Rumors, set in an upscale New York home, one community theatre managed to get a donation of an entire coordinated set of furniture. The head of the production crew sent letters to furniture stores in the area, asking for help in exchange for complimentary tickets and an advertisement in the program. The manager of a local furniture rental firm responded with tables, chairs, a sofa, bar, and other elegant pieces--and they delivered and picked up, as well.
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July 2015
Capture the Moment
If you're a director, instead of writing down your notes to cast and crew during a rehearsal, try using a hand-held digital recorder. Reason: You can talk faster than you (or an assistant, if you have one) can write. Also, handwritten notes are often dashed off quickly and in poor lighting, so aren't always readable. If you prefer to give notes immediately after rehearsal, attach a headphone to the recorder and listen to the playback, using the pause buttons to advance to each taped note in sequence. If you want to post written notes on a bulletin board, there's more work, since you'll need to transcribe them. The good news: You will have had a bit of time to reflect on the rehearsal itself, so some of the notes may be eliminated, while others can be rephrased to make them more useful to the actors or technical staff.
Costume Help
If you need people to sew costumes but can't find anyone, ask a local fabric store to enclose a flyer (which you provide) in each customer's bag. The flyer should be short and to the point, telling of your need, with a phone
number and contact person clearly stated. Similar specialty stores might do the same for flyers listing other personnel needs. (Be sure to give the store a mention in your printed program or in the lobby).
Eyes and Ears
Do you have someone in your company who wants to work hard but has no specific theatrical talents? Consider making them a production ombudsman. So often during rehearsals or performances, there is confusion or unhappiness
about any number of things. And, as it so often happens, the director or stage manager doesn't hear about it until someone--or something--explodes. Call your volunteer "assistant to the director" or "production coordinator" or
whatever you will, but their basic purpose is to be the director's eyes and ears backstage, and to make sure things flow smoothly. You can also make this person the directorial "gofer," put them in charge of the backstage coffee pot,
and hand them any number of other small chores. Warning: Pick your person carefully. The job is not that of tattletale. This is a sensitive position for a dedicated, caring person.
Green Room 'Emergency' Kit
An "Emergency" Kit is a great thing to have backstage at all performances. The kit might include an ironing board and iron, safety pins, needles and a wide variety of thread, glue, shoe polish and brushes, fabric bonding tape, and
other items. Explain to the cast what it's for and impress on them to return everything to the kit after they've used it. Better yet, appoint someone to dispense materials from the kit as needed. That way they can re-stock the supplies as they run out.
Getting There
"A play is action," writes David Ball in his book, Backwards and Forwards. Why do you think actors are called actors?" From Ball's perspective, reading and understanding a script involves looking for those moments "when something happens that makes or permits something else to happen. The first thing to discover is how a play goes from one place to another. Find the first event of each action, then the second, then the connection between the two. The play's journey is contained within its actions, and getting there is half the fun."
June 2015
It's in the Bag
Consider using see-through plastic trash bags to cover equipment. With the help of scissors and tape you can easily make custom dust covers for anything from computer keyboards and monitors to printers to props to sound equipment. For a bit less money, you can purchase regular black plastic bags, but you'll have to guess what's underneath--or put labels on them.
Any Suggestions?
Here's a surefire morale booster: put a suggestion/comment box backstage, and answer the suggestions publicly on a nearby bulletin board. This way you provide rapid feedback and show people that management listens and responds. The answer board could become one of the most popular spots in the building.
It Adds Up
Use an electronic postage or food scale to count large numbers of identical booklets or brochures. Stack them on the scale until you reach one pound; then count the number. The simple math involved in weighing a few brochures and then
multiplying can save lots of time over counting individual pieces by hand.
Put a Cork In It
Some theatres cover one wall backstage or in the green room with cork. This permits any part of the wall to be used as a bulletin board and helps prevent the scarring of plasterboard or paneled walls. It also cuts down on backstage
noise.
Everyone Benefits
If you plan to buy several computers for your company, offer members a chance to purchase one for home use at your company's cost. Reason: The company receives a larger discount because more computers are purchased, and members
become a resource of people knowledgeable about operating the same computers.
Keeping Track
- Establish a "People" file for all of the people you deal with on a regular basis. In each person's folder (actual paper folder or in a computer file) place pertinent papers that reflect the working relationship you have with that person. Also include information on management styles, likes and dislikes, and other facts that will help you or others deal better with that person. This can be especially useful when asking for donations or other favors.
- Develop a delegation book or computer file. Whenever you delegate something to someone, make a note This way you can periodically follow up on those things you've delegated and make sure all is going well.
A Note of Appreciation
Have some sort of company "pat-on-the-back" memo pads printed up, on which producers, directors or designers can easily and quickly write a line or two of appreciation when a staff person or volunteer has done an outstanding job.
Saving on Paper
If possible, use the same paper stock for more than one professionally printed publication or flyer. The printer may give you a quantity discount.
It's the Little Things
When writing a fundraising appeal letter, experts recommend that you don't hyphenate a word that might break at the end of a line. Hyphenations slow the reader down. Besides, people just don't hyphenate when writing personal letters--and your appeal should be seen as a personal one.
May 2015
Costume Treasure Trove
In operation for more than 40 years, New York City's Theatre Development Fund (TDF) Costume Collection has over 80,000 theatrical costumes available for rental to community and regional theatres, civic and religious groups, as well as schools, colleges and universities nationwide. Created in 1968 to help strengthen Broadway and Off Broadway, in particular serious dramatic plays, TDF has subsidized more than 1,000 plays and musicals, including 34 productions that later became Pulitzer Prize winners, and has developed a wide-ranging variety of programs to serve audiences and theatres. Located within New York’s historic Kaufman Astoria Studios, the TDF Costume Collection sprawls over 16,000 square feet on the seven-building campus where numerous films and television shows are produced. You can view selected items from the TDF Costume Collection online on Facebook, Flickr, Tumblr, and Pinterest. But to really understand the incredible breadth of what we have available, TDF recommends that you make plans to visit the collection in person. Click here for hours and address.
All Wet
If you need an umbrella to look as though it just came out of the rain, spatter it with a thin solution of white glue. Lights shining on the dried glue will reflect as though off wet spots. Caution: don't spatter borrowed umbrellas, since the glue is permanent.
The Eyes Have It
When making up eyes, use eyeliner to paint a small black dot at the corner of the eye nearest the nose. The result gives more impact to the eye makeup without being noticeable in itself.
Audition Magic
In an audition, says Michael Shurtleff, don't stop if you're doing badly. Instead, get angry at your reading partner, or kiss your partner and offer words of endearment. "Either action, however unsuited to the script you may think it is, will connect you with your partner, will create relationship, will renew what you're fighting for, and will interest the auditors in you. There's nothing to be gained by stopping and everything to be gained if you take a big blame-or-love risk to rescue yourself."
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April 2015
There's an Idea
A makeup idea file can be a real timesaver when you get into production of a show. A typical file would include good, crisp photographs of people, young and old, of different races, from different cultures and eras. Magazines are a good source, as are art reproductions for historical characters. (Check out second hand bookstores.) You can break up the collection into such categories as "Old Age--Male," "Old Age--Female," "Bald Heads," "Hair," "Historical," "Scars," "Noses," "Mouths and Chins." A three-ring binder with 8 1/2" x 11" transparent acetate pages works best to hold your idea file--the pictures slip in easily and the acetate protects them from dust and makeup stains.
Hats Off
During the run of a show have the actors store their hats on a head block when they are not being worn. The exception is rigid hats, such as toppers and derbies, which should be placed in hat boxes. Taking such care will lengthen the life of hats considerably.
People Power
In fundraising, remember that people give to people, not organizations, a direct mail piece or even to a building. They give to other individuals--a friend who has asked for help, a business contact, a person who inspires their confidence. Always try to make appeals as personal as possible.
The Numbers Game
Along with your rehearsal schedule include a wallet-sized piece of paper with important phone numbers that can be clipped for the cast member's wallet or purse. List a number where cast members can call to leave messages, the contact numbers of the director and stage manager, the theater (backstage) and box office. Don't post these online unless you have a password-protected site.
Keeping It Dry
Double-check your backstage area to make sure you have a fire extinguisher that is safe for electrical fires. One theater company found that their extinguisher was water-based only after a cable shorted out. Luckily the fire was put out before someone used the extinguisher; it was only when the fire department investigated that the lack of a dry extinguisher was noted and one was installed.
Eyes Wrong
One of our members recently attended a performance in which one of the actors soon became a distracting, irksome presence. The actor in question never missed a cue, was always on mark, and was vocally and physically in character. So what was the problem? The reason was not obvious at first, but gradually the realization set in: the actor's eyes wandered constantly from actor to actor, from left to right, from audience back to the stage. Never once did they ever seem to come to light on anything for more than a few seconds. Despite the fact that everything else was in control, this one thing- -the inability to focus attention--destroyed totally any illusion that the actor was a part of the dramatic action.
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February-March 2015
Longer-Lasting Costumes
Dress shields sewn into the armholes of all clothes makes for a longer life for your costumes. They can be bought in all sizes and are available for men as well; however, if you can't find the men's shields, use the largest size in women's. Perspiration not only stains costumes, it can rot fabric.
Audience Development
Looking for a way to increase audiences at your productions? Consider giving free performances of one-act plays or a musical revue in city parks, or at local shopping centers. While your audience is gathered, have company members pass among them with information about your company. Even better, have tables with sign-up sheets placed strategically about the area, so that departing audience members can leave their names and addresses (including email) for future mailings.
Scare Tactics
The best way to get over stage fright is to focus one's attention on one's acting partner, playing the scene totally to and with them. When the focus is off the audience and on the other actor, stage fright usually goes away and one's performance is enhanced considerably.
As the Day Goes On
To suggest a transition from late afternoon to evening lighting, double-hang instruments with the two basic color schemes. Blend for late afternoon,then use a long, slow fade to the evening colors.
Sound Idea
Avoid running a continuous sound effect for more than a few minutes at full volume. For example, a 20-minute scene during a thunderstorm may become tedious if sound effects are overused. In real life one is not aware of the constant sound of rain, but rather of the changes in the sound of the drops or wind velocity, or occasional thunderclaps. Good sound effects heighten the effect you want in the scene, not overwhelm it.
Renting/Leasing Space?
When negotiating for a theater space, make a note of all repairs and improvements that will be necessary to convert the space into a theater. Get estimates of the cost involved. That way you'll have an easier time negotiating for repairs and improvements with the landlord.
Paint--Wet & Dry
When using dry paints for sets, remember that water added to the pigment makes the color much darker than it will be after it dries. To avoid problems, mix the colors while still dry, noting the proportions used; then add water. Paint a test piece of wood or canvas and blow-dry. If the result is good, go ahead and mix the entire batch. Otherwise, continue the experiment. Be sure to mix more than enough paint, since it is almost impossible to match the color if you run short.
Audition Strategy
When reading for a part for which you cannot find proper motivation, consider using the desire to change your partner. The change desired must be concrete in your mind--for example, "I love you, but if you'd only..." There are any number of ways an actor can "point up" a particular word or phrase in a speech: through a rise or fall in pitch; a rise in volume, or a fall in volume followed by an increased intensity; slowing down; a movement or gesture just before the word or phrase; or even by elongating vowel sounds ("Oh, on the caaaaahntrary").
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January 2015
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December 2014
- Limit the number of fill-in-the-blank questions, and replace with those that can be answered by circling yes or no, or a series of numbers indicating a range of opinion. You'll increase your response. One survey company doubled the response to 30 questions by reducing fill-in-the-blank responses from 15 to only two.
- When surveying about your season or services, ask respondents what they liked most about these. It not only helps you continue to emphasize things that people like, but it may provide you with testimonials you can use in brochures or other marketing pieces.
- Ask those who disagree to paraphrase one another's comments. This may help them learn if they really understand one another.
- Work out a compromise. Agree on the underlying source of conflict, then engage in give-and-take, and finally agree on a solution.
- Ask each person to list what the other side should do. Exchange lists, select a compromise all are willing to accept, and test the compromise to see if it meshes with the goals of the group as a whole.
- Have the sides each write 10 questions for their opponents. This will allow them to signal their major concerns about the other side's position. And the answers may lead to a compromise.
- Help people understand they sometimes have to admit they're wrong. Help them save face by convincing them that changing a position may well show strength.
- Respect the experts in the group. Give their opinions more weight when the conflict involves their expertise, but don't rule out conflicting opinions.
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November 2014
Costume Trickery
You can darken tan leather belts and shoes by wiping them with a cloth dipped in ammonia. Apply the ammonia as evenly as possible to avoid leaving streaks on the weather. (Do this outside or in a well-ventilated area, since ammonia fumes are irritating to eyes and nose.)
Families That Play Together
Bringing families to the theater is the idea behind a number of well-received programs around the country. Two decades ago, "Family Week at the Theatre" (now called Stages Festival) became the first statewide celebration of theater for New Jersey's young people and their families. During the first week of March, which is also Arts In Education Month, New Jersey's professional theater community has offered free and discounted performances, workshops, play readings and behind-the-scenes events for all ages. Many theaters host backstage tours, workshops, open rehearsals, and other free events designed for multi-generational participation, including free performances. In Louisville, Kentucky, Stage One offers a four-person Family Pass for $125 ("Flexible tickets - a $350 value") and a two-person pass for $65 (a $175 value). Pass holders may reserve the respective amount of tickets for any of StageOne’s four Mainstage Productions, Exclusive Member Movies Series, or StoryTeller Events. They also receive exclusive discounts & pre-sale offers to other family friendly performances held at The Kentucky Center. [More...]
Take It Off
Forget scraping and soaking when price tags, stickers, and decals won't come off equipment or other recently purchased items. Instead, tackle the problem with solvents designed for the job, such as Goof Off or Goo Gone. They not only lift off stickers (and the gummy residue they leave behind), but also remove crayon scribbles, dried glue, chewing gum, tape, and tar from most objects. (They also remove paint, so don't use on walls.) Both products are sold in hardware and paint stores, and online.
Affordable Receptions
If you're planning to hold a special event somewhere outside your theater, you know that most hotels and country clubs charge a lot, and often require that you use their equally expensive in-house catering services. Instead, consider renting space for your reception in a public or historic building, a local park, a botanical garden, a museum, or a university. The fee for use of such spaces is often minimal, and you can order food and decorations from your own sources. While it's true that some of these facilities have special requirements (a historical building, for example, may not allow you to attach decorations to the wall), they're often more understanding of the fundraising needs of other nonprofit organizations.
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October 2014
Fasten-ating Tips
Here are two useful suggestions from professional woodworkers:
- You can stop splits when nailing wood by staggering the nails along the grain of the board. Never drive two nails into the same grain line. Blunting a nail's point, by taping it lightly with a hammer before using it, will also lessen the chance of the nail splitting the wood as you nail.
- If a screw hole has enlarged so that the screw has lost its grip, coat a wooden chopstick with glue and use it to plug the hole. When the glue dries, trim the chopstick flush with the surface and refasten the screw. You can do the same thing with a wooden matchstick to plug a smaller hole.
Steam and Clean
Is the inside of your backstage microwave oven beginning to look like the Carlsbad Caverns? It's easy to happen when many people use the same oven and don't clean up after themselves. You can steam-clean the oven by boiling a bowl of water inside. The steam softens the grease and dried food particles so that you can wipe the oven clean. If spills are particularly gruesome, cover them with a wet paper towel and run the oven on "high" for 10 seconds. This will loosen most baked-on food.
Shoe Storage
The best storage for shoes is in boxes, says costume consultant Charlotte French, but in most cases a shoe rack will do fine. "They may get dusty on a rack, but that isn't a problem with leather shoes, because you can just dust them off," French says. "Cloth-covered shoes, however, should be kept covered. And unusual or valuable shoes should be kept in boxes." If you have some very good or unusual shoes you can use shoe trees, she says, but you might just as well assume that as insoles age they will curl. "It's a natural process, and you can't do much to stop it," she says. "If they're good shoes, you can always have the insoles replaced at a shoe repair shop."
Triple Threat
Combining safety, convenience, and security in one package, motion-sensitive floodlights make a sound but inexpensive investment for many theaters. Once installed, they will turn on as a truck pulls up to the loading dock or a worker approaches the back entrance to your theater. They also help deter prowlers. Motion-sensitive lights are available at lighting and hardware stores for as little as $30. And don't forget solar-powered models for locations that don't have electrical outlets handy.
Underodor De-armament
Iowan Evelyn Stanske reminded us of the costumer's trick of using vodka to remove odor from the underarms of costumes. The vodka is dispensed as a fine mist from a plastic spray bottle; the alcohol neutralizes the odor and kills bacteria that cause the problem in the first place. While many costumers use this method, they suggest that before spraying any natural fiber material (artificial fibers aren't harmed) that you first test the effect on an inconspicuous area of the fabric.
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September 2014
That's Oil, Folks!
The product's "real" uses (at least as advertised) are to stop squeaks, protect metal from rust, and free sticky mechanisms. But in the immensely entertaining WD-40 Book, authors Tim Nyberg and Ken Massey discuss a host of other uses of this familiar backstage fixture. Some examples: removing glue from fingers; removing lipstick stains; unsticking a computer keyboard and mouse; removing rings from fingers; keeping wasps from building a nest under eaves; and removing gummed labels and duct tape residue from most surfaces. ("WD," explain the authors, stands for "water displacer" and its formula--perfected on the 40th try.)
In the Public Eye
Looking for a way to increase audiences at your productions? Consider giving free performances of one act plays or a musical revue in city parks or at local shopping centers. While your audience is gathered, have company members pass among them with information about your company. Even better, have clearly marked tables with sign up sheets placed strategically about the area, and ask departing audience members to leave their names and addresses (snail & email) for future mailings.
Sweet Surprise
"Finger Jell-O" makes a good (and easily made) substitute for prop candy, says theatre consultant Charlotte French. French learned this when she had to come up with a plate of exotic candy for a production of Kismet. "You can cut it to any size, and it's not messy," she explains. "It's easy to eat, not filling, and doesn't stick in the throat like some real candy. The sugar-free kind doesn't leave a sticky residue, either."
Dry Mix
When using dry paints for sets, remember that water added to the pigment makes the color much darker than it will be after it dries. To avoid this problem, you can mix the colors while still dry, noting the proportions used, then add water. Paint a test piece of wood or canvas and blow dry. If the result is good, go ahead and mix the entire batch. Otherwise, continue the experiment. It's always a good idea to mix more than enough paint--it's almost impossible to match the color if you run short later.
Letter-Perfect
When sending out a fundraising letter consider these eight tips from marketing experts. First, put yourself in your prospect's shoes. Ask yourself whether your words appeal to your prospects' interests or needs. Write from their point of view. Second, write the way you talk. Maintain an easy-to-understand, simple, friend-to-friend style. Third, develop a powerful, interest-holding first paragraph. Give the reader a reason to read on. Fourth, specifics are more meaningful than generalities. If there is a problem, explain it in straightforward terms, and be as focused on your proposed solution. Fifth, people give to people, not organizations. Put your needs in the context of their effect on your own community. Explain how the money raised will make a difference in someone's life. Sixth, build conviction. Use testimonials, facts and reasonable expectations, rather than extremes. "Without this new theater, the arts in Uniontown are doomed" is not likely to scare anyone into donating, and may turn off many prospective donors. Seventh, ask the reader to do something. Mail, call, visit, ask further questions, whatever--always invite a response. And make it easy for them with a response card, a street address, phone, or email address. (Be sure to note the hours your theater office is open.)
Sound Advice
According to sound experts, it's best to run a continuous sound effect no longer than a few minutes at full volume. A 20-minute scene during a thunderstorm, for example, could become tedious if the sound effect continues full blast throughout. In real life we aren't aware of the constant sound of rain, the experts point out, but rather of the changes in the sound of the raindrops or the wind velocity, or of occasional thunderclaps. Their advice: bring the sound down after a few minutes, then find places to raise the volume briefly.
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August 2014
To Dye For
Recently SD costume consultant Charlotte French purchased a large quantity of buttons, cheap. Trouble was, they were not the right color for her immediate needs. Then an idea struck, and presto! Some navy blue Rit dye transformed a group of these buttons from brownish gray to bluish gray. "You often find cards of buttons on sale," she says, "and usually you have to go with the color you get. Of course, dye isn't going to change a bright red button to navy blue, but if the button is light colored--and most of them are--you should be able to tint it enough to work with a particular costume."
Off to the Right Start
When sending out press releases or media alerts, first determine the recipients' reason to read your piece before writing anything. Then write a subject line that persuades your target to read your message. Remember your recipients are busy media professionals. There are two primary considerations on their minds: readership interest and editorial interest. Your title can make a difference between being read, and possibly acted upon or being tossed without being read. Note: This may mean customizing each announcement you send.
Keep an Eye On It
If you own your own theater, consider installing a one-way viewing hole in the doors between the auditorium and the lobby corridors. This will allow house staff to keep an eye on the progress of the show without having to open the doors constantly.
Wigged Out
After washing synthetic wigs in detergent, oil soap or in a synthetic wig wash, rinse them in a solution of water and fabric softener to help combat static electricity. To dry, place the wig in a net bag and run it through the dryer on the air fluff (no heat) cycle. Important: These instructions apply only to synthetic, not natural hair, wigs.
Light On the Subject
When lighting with the same color from both sides, use a slightly different shade on each side to add interest.
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