…this is what I think they should be:
1. Introduce loyalty schemes
The Young Vic and Southwark Playhouse sort of do this already with discounts when you buy tickets for a certain number of plays in one season or pay a lump sum up front and get so many tickets. Maybe it would encourage people to try something new or see more or make those of us who go regularly feel appreciated.
2. Make better use of social media accounts
There are only so many tweets asking if you are coming to see [insert name of play] and it is such an opportunity missed when there is a massive audience hungry for tidbits. It's obvious that a lot of these accounts are set up with little thought to what content they are going to contain as the ideas seem to run out very quickly.
3. Be less media and more social
Related to number 2. the clue is in the name, too many theatre social media accounts don't engage with their followers a lot of whom are potential paying audience members. Without engagement most feeds quickly become one-sided and boring. Social media isn't merely a soap box for theatre marketing departments, there is so much potential there that isn't being utilised.
4. More loos
I've said it before but there are very few theatres that have enough and enough that aren't the size of a Hamster cage or in a location you can get too without it taking the entire interval (just think of all the extra drinks and sweeties that could be sold if people weren't stuck in the queue for the loo).
5.Critics to scrap star ratings
Controversial, potentially. They look good on the adverts when they are good but otherwise? They just encourage people to make snap decisions about a play and often about the review without reading it. A few words lifted from a review carries more weight on an advert, I feel anyway.
And while we are on the topic of critics why not invite more bloggers to press nights? This isn't merely about me, although it would be nice, but there are some fantastic, enthusiastic and knowledgeable wordsmiths out there whose opinions I, for one, rate more highly than most paid critics. They are the people I look to for recommendations.
6. Over to you, what would you put on theatreland's list of New Year resolutions? I am sure I have a bag more myself and will add when then come to me.
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