Programmes

A recent community play that I attended had a superb programme, beautifully printed hard card glossy cover, a total of twelve sides of A5. The layout was excellent, thumbnail colour photos of the cast and crew. The font was about 10 pt, well above the diabolical new normal of 4 point. The only trouble was it was $4 a copy.

I suspect that the theatre group may have a lot of unsold copies.

After buying the seat ticket, purchasing the dreaded 3 raffle tickets for $2, is $4 a little too much for a programme when a $2 (or perhaps $3) simpler version would suffice? Or am I a tight old whinge.

I myself think that it would be better that the ticket price incorporate the cost of Programmes (and even state this when purchasing the tickets are being advertised/bought) as most patrons would try to keep their evening spending money for any drinks or snacks. I know I do. Just my thoughts.

Absit invidia (and DFT :nono:)

Jeff Watkins

Looking for an Agent? Read this first!!

Another instance of the old adage that you can't win!

On the one hand there seems to be the feeling that programmes have to keep going more and more up-market- presumably to impress everyone else! On the other hand??? They mostly end up in the bin afterwards, except for those dedicated ?few'  who actually like to keep their programmes for ever - me for one!

I try to compile a programme that looks reasonably good, contains all the necessary information and does not cost a lot- we keep programmes to a cost of $2- less than the cost of actually producing them- some shows we get rid of a lot of programmes, some we don't and I've never been able to fathom out  why!! 

I like doing the programmes-  and I'm not a graphics designer or even any good at "Art" but I like to think they are "not bad" at least.

I generally draw the line at $3.00 maximum when elsewhere, how about you?

We have often debated whether to include the cost in the tickets.....but trying to keep the cost of tickets steady with everything else going up, there's no easy answer.

And No Gordon you are not being a tight-wad- or if you are there are a lot more out there.

That could work also, or as an optional extra when booking? Although that may complicate bookings too much... Might work for Online Bookings but not many Com-eatre clubs can offer that... hmm...

Absit invidia (and DFT :nono:)

Jeff Watkins

Looking for an Agent? Read this first!!

If you have local adverts in the programme, which generaly covers the cost plus, why don't you make them available & the punter could make a donation if they choose to do so.

The same with seat cost, whatever they wish to pay, I've done this & I think the price for a seat worked out to an average of about $30 odd a ticket. The most from a single punter was a $100 note for his seat & he put $50 in for a programme, mind you he just won a packet at the races.

I noticed when i was back home in Pohmyland, A number of ameatre groups had a standard glossy cover 8mo size programme & just changed the info on the inserted leaves.

At a couple of ameatre shows I attended, a programme was placed on each seat & included in the seat price.

When we did the first show at Phoenix Theatre, our progranne was a four colour printed cover & with a black print inners.

I wanted to make them available at a donation only, in fact they was initialy one placed on every second seat in the house. This lasted for a couple of shows, untill after a screaming match, I compromised by having them only in the foyer. Which was a blue & we ended up with quite a few boxes of them left to gather dust in the storeroom.

Mainly because of those with impaired vision they became ony available at a price & not placed on the punters seats.

The object was to promote the theatre group into the future & build a punter base of those who might not or have ever attend a local ameatre production.

My orginal idea was to have a standard cover for each prodiction & only the innards would changed per season, which flew like a lead cuddy!

But as I was not an officio of the group I let it wash past me like an ocean wave.

When I went back home to pohmyland a few years before, I picked up on this idea of a programme standard cover, which a lot of groups did there & only changed the seasons date on the programme & the details on inset pages. Being a geordie (aka 'Scotsman wi' nee brains 'n work'd oot") Aah naa t'wor aah varry canny waay t'dee 't!

Me owld marra, yer net as daft ah thowt, donnert maybe but ye hiva grate idea thurr.

Ah went te see a sho the ither night an the proggies - nae proggie mats mind, just proggies - wur $10 for wan sheet oh paypur - yis, wan sheet, why ah said 'man yiv gotta be jokin'. Ah bet they niver selt them. that wiz at the Drag show, ye na, like the dres in Walkker.

Heway Sunderland

Gordon

Wye aye ah naa! C'n niver woork 't oot?

 "when ye waak t' walker 'n byke t' Byker wot dee ye dee at Wallsend?"

Ye tak yer hinnie back tiv hur seet. Gud yin pet.

Gordon