Name _______________________________________________ Class Period _________________
Advertising Our Show!
In theater, the producer ALWAYS saves money in order to ADVERTISE the show. Without advertising, no one would even know that there was a show going on! (If you think about it, in the film industry, production companies start hyping up a movie months –
sometimes YEARS – before the movie is even finished!)
Your assignment today will require you to:
1. Think creatively.
2. Work independently and collaboratively to complete tasks.
3. Use the resources you have on hand (your brain, your memory, the classmates at your table).
4. Use resources OUTSIDE of the classroom on your OWN TIME. (Heads up. You may have to do some homework.)
Points Possible:
Taglines: 15 points 5 points for each complete tagline
Original Title: 5 points We’ll vote on the best title for our show! You could win!
Newspaper Ad: 5 points
Poster: 25 points Must include graphics, show date/location, tagline & title (5 pts
each), must be neat and show creativity
Taglines
You’ve just read all about taglines – those nifty little phrases that get an audience in the seats. Given what you know about OUR show, come up with THREE original taglines. Keep in mind that taglines are shortand memorable, and they give the audience clues as to the plot of the show.
1. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Read over the taglines you wrote. circle the number of the tagline that you think works BEST.
I’ll choose at least one of the taglines created by this class to include on the posters/advertisements for our show. Good luck!
Titles
We all know what a title is. Titles can make or break a show. Consider:
“Shaun of the Dead” – Punny. Clever. I think I might know what this movie’s going to be like.
“The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living And Became Mixed-Up Zombies” – A real, honest-to-goodness movie title. Gives away A LITTLE too much detail, in my opinion.
*** OUR SHOW NEEDS A TITLE! ***
Think about the plot, the characters, the mood, and the genre of the show. Then try your hand at writing a good title:
The title of the show should be: __________________________________________________________________
Advertisements
Advertising comes in many forms. In basic terms, an “ad” is any form of communication whose purpose is to inform potential customers about goods and services. In the theater, ads are often put on television, the radio, or in newspapers or magazines to inform potential audience members about a show.
Theater advertisements usually include the dates and times of the show, the cost of tickets, and any other summary information that might draw an audience in. (For example, an ad usually mentions something about the plot, the “stars” of the show and/or the company that is performing.)
Example:
Musical “Shrek” to debut in Seattle
A green, grumpy, wildly popular ogre will sing and dance on a Seattle stage this summer on his way to Broadway.
Shrek, the star of the blockbuster animated movies, will appear in a new musical set to premiere at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre Aug. 14-Sept. 21, before moving to New York in November.
The first such venture by DreamWorks, "Shrek the Musical" could set up a new Broadway rivalry, going toe to toe with Disney musicals drawn from that company's animated films.
The score will be composed by Jeanine Tesori ("Caroline, Or Change"); Pulitzer Prize-honored playwright David Lindsay-Abaire is writing the book and lyrics; and Jason Moore ("Avenue Q") is directing.
Ticket prices and casting are yet to be announced.
Using your knowledge of our show and your creative writing skills, write an advertisement (on the back of this sheet) that includes the following information:
· Dates/Times of our show – June 1-3, time should be YOUR CLASS PERIOD
· Cost of show – Free!
· Title – Use the title you came up with!
· Summary information/cast information – What’s the show about? Who’s in it?
Posters
Movie and theater posters are used to advertise as well. If the advertising team creates a memorable and intriguing poster, more people will be interested in seeing the show… which means more ticket sales… which means MORE MONEY for the producers!
Think of some memorable movie or theater posters that you might have seen. What did they include?
(Theater posters that advertise a show usually provide more information than movie posters.)
Your assignment:
Create a poster that advertises our class’s show. It must include:
1. Relevant graphics (either hand-drawn or computer based)
2. The show dates, times, and location (May 20-22, your class period, auditorium)
3. The tagline you created
4. Any other summary information you feel is relevant
You may create your poster on construction paper or on the back of this sheet. You must work alone (but are allowed to share ideas at your table). What you do not finish in class becomes homework and will be due Monday, May 10.
