The topic of creating an audience for the future is one of keen interest to me. And is to a lot of folks who know that they will eventually rely upon the youth of today to fill our theatres tomorrow.
I came across this great article from The Miami Herald that talks about a new teen ambassador program that allows teens to attend one performance per month for free, in exchange for the teens writing reviews of the show and sharing them through their social networks.
It’s brilliant on many levels. I’ll be very interested to read the follow-up story.
We’re actually considering doing something similar at the Tidemark Theatre here in Campbell River. We are also part of the eyeGo program (http://www.eyego.org/). Students in grades 9-12 can come in, show their student id, and see a show for $5. The only drawback is that its not available to younger students.
Blessings,
Mary
I’ve written about that program before, and I think it’s really great. I love how this idea takes it one step further–I think the buy-in is greater by getting them to write reviews.
That is really awesome!!