The Power of 7

 

In celebration of Indie Theatre Week (July 23 - July 29, 2012),  we asked members of the OOB community to share some of the Indie Theatre moments that inspired them.

Contributed by  Antonio Minino

 

 

 

 I am a firm believer in the power of the number 7, so it was a big deal for me to celebrate a big 7th anniversary this year. It was 7 years ago that I packed my bags in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and moved to New York City. I had no idea what awaited me, all I knew was I was going to continue my studies and develop as a performer and what comes after who knows. I had  no concept of indie theater whatsoever, equity and what not. I grew up watching the Tonys thinking THAT was the option. That's why you come to New York right? To the big apple! Who knew there was an equally exciting theater community. One with artistic freedom and a common hunger to create. 

Best advice I was ever given was in my first year in New York by one my teachers and it was, "create your own work. Yes go out and audition but from this group I bet some companies will emerge and you will create your own work. Never just wait. Never stop creating." Although MTWorks was not formed by a group of classmates, the concept definitely stuck with me and gave me the courage to believe my point of view as an artist was valid and there were enough people out there who might be interested in it's message. I also quickly learned the difference between Broadway, Off-Broadway and Indie Theater, and I'm not talking about contracts. The big difference was in the risk. The risk level of the material, the unapologetic language and scenarios,  and the demand for an audience to use their imagination is what indie theater is all about, and boy did it feel like home. 

Don't get me wrong I love Broadway and hope to work at that level very soon, but as an audience member it is easier to guess what you will get out of a Broadway show than an indie show and that is where the magic of indie theater lies. The freedom to fail is much  greater, creating room for growth; the success is also much sweeter, having created something wonderful in 4 weeks and growing as actors on the stage in just 3. 

Working as a press agent with Katie Rosin at Kampfire PR and collaborating with different artists at MTWorks, I quickly realized how tight this community was, and no wonder. We are all out there for the same goal, sharing the same experiences and dreaming the same dream. Whatever your reasons for becoming an artist we all have one thing in common. We want abundance. We want creative abundance, we want to share our abundance and we want monetary abundance. We all know which of the three is the hardest to obtain in indie theater, but trust me it is the least satisfying, or we would all be  lawyers or doctors. 

Being an artist is not a choice. It's who we are. If I'm not creating in some way I'm miserable, it's that period I like to call an "Artistic Drought". If we deny ourselves as artist completely, which I have done myself for fear or monetary needs, we do not cease being artists. We sadly are keeping our true selves  "in the closet" but the artist never dies. What does this have to do with the indie theater community you may ask? During an artistic drought I know I can knock on the door of an indie director, writer or producer and brainstorm ideas and from an idea create and workshop something that one day might be presented to the public... Not sure that would happen as easily in another theatrical environment.

I have never known a more inclusive, creative and fearless community than the indie theater one. I hope you are embracing and taking advantage of all it has to offer as I assure you it will embrace you. Oh an once you become that famous Broadway or Hollywood actor/director/producer big shot... Don't forget where it all started and who your family was, support indie theater always.

 

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Antonio Minino is an actor and director. He is a co-founder of MTWorks, currently serving as the Secretary of their Board of Directors and Literary Associate for The National NewBorn Festival. He is the owner of Fab Marquee Productions and a contributing writer for The Happiest Medium.

 

 

If it waddles like a Duck, don't call it a Chicken!

Contributed by Guest Bloggers of the week, Katie Rosin & Antonio Miniño of Kampfire Films PR

Promoting the truth goes a long way.

It is easy to embellish what the production you are promoting is about in an attempt to gain the attention of a wider range of ticket buyers. You might try to change the focus of your marketing strategy to fit certain groups, without taking into consideration its relevance in the play or project in question.

A lot changes from the script to stage production. You could have read the play and have a certain idea of what themes lie within it, but that might not be the focus of this production. This is why it is key to maintain a clear and constant communication with your producer/director to make sure the angle you are using will enhance the experience rather than diminish.

It all comes down to word of mouth created by your audience and the press. You may have come up with what you think is a great way to sell the show, and it might get your audience in the theater, but once that audience doesn’t see what they were promised two things happen:

1. They will be disappointed, obsessed and focused on what they were expecting to see and will not appreciate the great things that the show really is about.
2. They will not tell their friends to come see the show. A referral is the most powerful tools in selling theater tickets.

I recently experienced a case of misleading advertisement as a theatergoer. Both the press materials and postcard/ads suggested the show fervently dealt with gay marriage and Prop 8. Well it didn’t. At least not in a way that drove the plot. But it was still a good production with talented actors and crisp direction. I was able to put aside the fact that I was cheated and lead to believe it was about something that it wasn’t. But my friend who saw the show with me was not as forgiving, and neither was the press. All the reviews focused on how poorly the subject of gay marriage was tackled within this play.

Be true to your project and never promise something you can’t deliver for the sake of ticket sales. Trust that people will like what you are selling, and remember the importance of word of mouth.


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Remembering to say "Thank you!"

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Contributed by Guest Bloggers of the week, Katie Rosin & Antonio Miniño of Kampfire Films PR

Last week Kampfire received these beautiful tulips from Shay, Nick, and the NY Innovative Theatre Awards, thanking us for our on-going contribution to them and the community. We were touched, and it reminded us why we love working with this fabulous organization in the first place.

It also re-confirmed a notion that saying "Thank You" goes a long way. We always remember to thank our donors, but we sometimes neglect showing appreciation to our audiences. A few years ago, when I went to see The Color Purple, the next day I received a thank you email (see below). Although, I didn't like the show that much, it did make me feel that my business didn't go unnoticed (even though I know it was an automatic email through the ticketing agent).

With more the intimate audiences of OOB we can send a more personalize thank you, an email which in addition to complimenting their good taste in theater, reminds them if they liked the show to vote for it at nyitawards.com and join your Facebook fan page. Offer them a free ticket to return to the show with a friend who hasn't seen it and remind them to place a tax-deductible donation to your organization so you can continue to create the work they saw.

A little thank you can go a long way to encouraging future ticket sales and donors.

Next week's guest bloggers are from Kampfire Films PR

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Thank you so much to last week's blogger Heather Cunningham . Her blogs were so insightful and are full of resources for set, props and consume designers. Thank you.

Next week's bloggers are Katie Rosin and Antonio Miniño from Kampfire Films PR.

Kampfire Films PR is a full service Marketing and Public Relations agency founded by Katie Rosin, offering exceptional and custom campaigns for each client’s unique needs and projects. Rosin was instrumental in the launch of the Broadway musical Brooklyn and the National Tour of Mother Load. She worked on the publicity team for the comedian, Jerry Seinfeld, and his movie Comedian. Antonio Miniño later joined the Kampfire Team, after having produced and marketed various fashion shows, theatrical productions, as well as produced and hosted for the award winning Fashion TV. Together they have represented companies of all levels, genres and aesthetics in the Arts. Kampfire Off-Broadway highlights include: GLAAD Award Nominee, She Like Girls, Ohio Theater; …Another Man’s Poison, Jay Sharp Theater; Swimming With The Polar Bears, 45 Bleecker Street; Much Ado About Nothing & American Rapture, Beckett Theater; Glimpses of the Moon, Algonquin Hotel; IT Awards recipient, Elizabeth Rex, Center Stage; Mother Load, Sage Theater; Wasps in Bed, Beckett Theater; Anaïs Nin: One Of Her Lives, Beckett Theater; Triple Threat: 2007 Drama Desk Nominee (mis)UNDERSTANDING MAMMY: The Hattie McDaniel Story, Theatre 5. Kampfire clients include: 3Graces Theater Co., Astoria Performing Arts Center, BOO-Arts, Maieutic Theatre Awards, New York Innovative Theatre Awards, New York Neo-Futurists, Nicu's Spoon, Oberon Theatre Ensemble, Pascal Productions, and Planet Connections Theatre Festivity.

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