The West Australian

Never mind about reviews - when was the last time you saw a MENTION of community theatre in the West, or the Sunday Times for that matter????????And yes most of us (we) publicity officers ARE tired of banging our heads against a brick wall, it hurts after a while!!Community papers are a bit beter, we (Melville ) have had a good run recently - keeps fingers crossed - but even then it does depend on an interested reporter and how many of the cast come from the paper's 'catchment area'And to think that the Adjudicator for this years SDF is the Sunday Times Arts editor.Suggestion: both Alison Farmer and Ron Banks have e-mail addresses. Why don't we ALL bombard them with complaints/suggestions/ideas?I've done so but being a voice in the wildernes ain't enough, it needs lots of us, and I mean lots (and no I didn't get an answer)SO GET OUT THERE AND START.

SO GET OUT THERE AND START.Just a thought - I doubt if it will work anyway?. But just for the sake of IT!We tend to hold seminars, classes and the like on most things;- drama and performance orientated workshops of needs and wants.So why not Publicity, unfortunately it would have to be packaged and parcelled up with different Tinsel and paper.I dont know if a workshop on front of house and other communications has been done? - "to death" probably.Most groups I have been connected with, only tend to worry about what happens on the boards not FOH or even backstage.When it comes to publicity, advertising, promotion and what else it takes to get the punter to buy a ticket, it is either the same soul who is lumbered with the task or someone who eventually or stupidly holds there hand up and says "I'll do it".This is one of the important factors of 'what we are about' surely? - I could be wrong - if so, why don't we stay home and do it in front of the mirror. "Thee can't do without us and we can't do without thee' but if we are together we might be able to get "what we can't do without' - bum on seats!.I have seen resources expended on frivolous things to the detriment of the production and to the point of not having enough left to even advertise, possibly because there is no communications between the Committee, show, FOH and/or those 'who do it in the dark'.Possibly 9 times out of 10, the first thing that happens is to call auditions, then only after it is cast and in rehearsal are any thought given to backstage or front of house - "plenty of time for that - later" - Panic!?!?!?We (Royal WEE) do tend to get things back to front in most cases and are completely four wall syndrome and "don't let anyone know what we are doing" "we are not a secret society - just a society with lots of secrets". We got to project our voice "from the diaphragm and out the parrots beak".Lots of things can be engineered to happen, given time and planning (the 3 P's), by utilising what you have got;- to do the 'street bit' or shopping centres or do something generic with a show say like "travelling north" get in on promoting Queensland (heaven will forgive - I think?) or "Mikado" dar-dar-dum - what ever.But, Im sure the frazzled Publicity Officers battered with scars and dripping real blood everywhere, know this only too well!!!We tend to push for people to fill positions and then leave them on there own, with the only consolation being - if they don't get it right first time - bitch about them or go hunting for faults like buried treasure. No support - no thought!I'll get off my bike - now! As I said IT's just a 'wee' thought.RegardsJoe McCabe

Re: The West Australian

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