If all goes according to plan, patrons at the Algonquin Arts Theatre on Oct. 7 will see more than Guys & Dolls, the show set to open the Manasquan theater's 2018 Broadway Series. They'll be among the first to see--and experience--the theater's new and expanded rest rooms, all thanks to the Second Seat Campaign, a capital improvements project that combined imaginative crowdfunding with what theater is meant for: entertainment.
The Second Seat Campaign evolved by way of the first seat campaign, which was called "Take a Seat" and funded the replacement of all the seats in the auditorium, according to Algonquin Arts marketing director David Applegate.
"Once restroom expansion was determined to be our next capital project, we started to get a little bit silly in a staff meeting, and someone jokingly called it our Second Seat Campaign," Applegate said in an email.
That little bit of silliness turned the campaign into a musical sketch that parodies classic Broadway show tunes, including numbers from Les Miserables, Rent, and Bye, Bye, Birdie. One reason why the facilities are being expanded is because theatergoers in an Algonquin Arts survey complained about long lines and waiting times for the old bathroom. The sketch acknowledges the complaint--and possibly the respondents' pain--with a reworking of Rent's "Seasons of Love," which begins with the words "Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes." The sketch can be seen in its entirety on the theater's web site, www.algonquinarts.com.
"Bathrooms are a part of every visit to a public facility but something that's often uncomfortable to talk about," Applegate said. "Injecting humor and song made it a lot easy to have an uncomfortable conversation with our patrons, and besides, we exist as a theatre to entertain our audience."
Writing and performing the sketch was a group effort, Applegate said. Once they had the campaign's name, the staff brainstormed its message and then submitted parody Broadway songs relating to the campaign. The sketch that developed was first presented in late 2016 at the end of intermissions--"just after everyone had to wait in long restroom lines," Applegate recalled. "We tried it out with live performers during our production of White Christmas featuring members of that show's ensemble, and the audience responded with big laughs, and the donations started to come in."
The theater then created a video that would be aired at the end of intermissions and viewed online. Executive director Pamela Ward "wanted the whole staff to be involved in making the video--so we closed down early one day and shot the video over about three hours featuring our staff and some volunteers," Applegate said.
Ward in the video gives the estimated cost of the project as $125,000. Applegate said the funding is now in place, and work is expected to start at the end of this month and conclude in time for the opening of Guys & Dolls on Oct 7.
The Second Seat Campaign offers more than just the promise of reduced waiting time for a porcelain perch. Depending on the level of contribution, donors will receive recognition that ranges from having their name on a plaque on the bathroom wall to having their name on the bathroom wall, in the programs, in pre-show projections, and on the back of a product of the first seat campaign: a seat in the auditorium.
The Second Seat Campaign evolved by way of the first seat campaign, which was called "Take a Seat" and funded the replacement of all the seats in the auditorium, according to Algonquin Arts marketing director David Applegate.
"Once restroom expansion was determined to be our next capital project, we started to get a little bit silly in a staff meeting, and someone jokingly called it our Second Seat Campaign," Applegate said in an email.
That little bit of silliness turned the campaign into a musical sketch that parodies classic Broadway show tunes, including numbers from Les Miserables, Rent, and Bye, Bye, Birdie. One reason why the facilities are being expanded is because theatergoers in an Algonquin Arts survey complained about long lines and waiting times for the old bathroom. The sketch acknowledges the complaint--and possibly the respondents' pain--with a reworking of Rent's "Seasons of Love," which begins with the words "Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes." The sketch can be seen in its entirety on the theater's web site, www.algonquinarts.com.
"Bathrooms are a part of every visit to a public facility but something that's often uncomfortable to talk about," Applegate said. "Injecting humor and song made it a lot easy to have an uncomfortable conversation with our patrons, and besides, we exist as a theatre to entertain our audience."
Writing and performing the sketch was a group effort, Applegate said. Once they had the campaign's name, the staff brainstormed its message and then submitted parody Broadway songs relating to the campaign. The sketch that developed was first presented in late 2016 at the end of intermissions--"just after everyone had to wait in long restroom lines," Applegate recalled. "We tried it out with live performers during our production of White Christmas featuring members of that show's ensemble, and the audience responded with big laughs, and the donations started to come in."
The theater then created a video that would be aired at the end of intermissions and viewed online. Executive director Pamela Ward "wanted the whole staff to be involved in making the video--so we closed down early one day and shot the video over about three hours featuring our staff and some volunteers," Applegate said.
Ward in the video gives the estimated cost of the project as $125,000. Applegate said the funding is now in place, and work is expected to start at the end of this month and conclude in time for the opening of Guys & Dolls on Oct 7.
The Second Seat Campaign offers more than just the promise of reduced waiting time for a porcelain perch. Depending on the level of contribution, donors will receive recognition that ranges from having their name on a plaque on the bathroom wall to having their name on the bathroom wall, in the programs, in pre-show projections, and on the back of a product of the first seat campaign: a seat in the auditorium.
Comments
Post a Comment