Marketing for Men
Tue, 22 Nov 2011, 05:03 pmjessmess27 posts in thread
Marketing for Men
Tue, 22 Nov 2011, 05:03 pmSo we all complain that we have a million women auditioning for our plays but never enough men. I'm the first to say, well write for women, but it's not always that easy. My current production 'Flesh Wounds' for example has an even split, male to female with really good roles for either gender. Girls are coming out of the woodwork, but men? I have more auditioning than roles, but certainly not enough to be picky.
Rather than whinge that there aren't enough men in theatre, or that there are two many male roles, I'd like to ask how can we as theatre be more attractive to men? It's hard to stage explosions, car chases and extreme sports, but surely that isn't all men are looking for in escapism?
'Flesh Wounds' for example, has actually been really well received by all the men who have read it, either during it's panel process with the Old Mill, being assessed through Stages, or the reading and workshop we staged later in preparation for the upcoming season.
Unfortunately all those males are either away during the season or have moved to a different city! Otherwise, they have all expressed they would love to play, what I think are really decent male roles.
My question is this, how do we market to men? What are men looking for from their entertainment? How can we convince men that stage plays are worth both auditioning for, and attending?
These aren't rhetorical questions, all you opinionated theatrical men out there--I want real answers. What makes you sit up and say, 'that's the role I want to audition for?
I've had that issue before Elliot
Thu, 24 Nov 2011, 07:43 pmI've had a play where I've been inundated with boys for the role of a teenager, but had only a few woman audition to play his mum! Maybe the real answer is that the majority of the population of community theatre is either retired or uni/school leaver aged. Obviously it's not hard to deduce why that is... Still I feel like my question is yet unanswered. Forget the auditioning issue, how can we market theatre as a whole, as not boring, old fashioned and primarily for women? Theo has suggested more smoke machines and hot girls brandishing guns. (Odd from a pacifist)