Thank you so much to the Class of 1978 Foundation for allowing me to have such a fulfilling summer supporting the arts in Appalachian Ohio, specifically within River City Players of Middleport, Ohio. Because of the foundation’s generous award, I was able to focus my energy towards this goal, and I was able to make an impact on the group’s community presence.
The most urgent issue for the organization was the lack of a strong social media presence, or really a marketing presence in general. The classic rural smalltown problem is relying on methods that have grown outdated, not even realizing how outdated the methods had become. This same situation occurred in the past in my town, when we continued to rely on the Ohio River for transport, missed the boom of railroads, and fell behind. In a similar way, now, we are falling behind technologically. Posters and signs in stores and post offices used to suffice, before people could get everything delivered to their doorsteps. So, I took the social media accounts under my wing, mainly the Instagram and Facebook pages, to hopefully reach more community members through their screens.
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rivercityplayerstheater/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/river_city_players/
The next task I stepped into was helping out behind-the-scenes for ANNIE KIDS. I ran the projections for the show, while also gathering content for advertising purposes. Below are some reels I created for the kids’ show!
I’m certainly not a professional photographer, but I was aware of the need for professional-quality photos, so I reached out to a local photographer and artist, Katy Cox, who was happy to help capture some of the moments in higher quality that I could use for promotion. We took action shots for ANNIE KIDS, as well as an awesome photoshoot for THE SOUND OF MUSIC. Katy also helped with posters for THE SOUND OF MUSIC.
For promotion, socials are important to reach the most people, but the in-person reminders still remain most effective for truly drawing individuals in. So, for both ANNIE KIDS and THE SOUND OF MUSIC, I placed yard signs across the county, used a large banner near the theatre, and put posters in local stores.
I also sought out ways this summer for RCP to collaborate with various local businesses and organizations. For both ANNIE KIDS and THE SOUND OF MUSIC, I contacted the county farmers’ market and was able to secure booths for promotion. For THE SOUND OF MUSIC, we had the cast come to the market for a pop-up performance to generate excitement around the show.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DNdFrf9A6ns/
For THE SOUND OF MUSIC, I reached out to a local coffee shop, River Roasters, who agreed to collaborate on a drink – the Edelweiss Latte. It was genuinely so delicious, and I created some fun promotional content for both social media pages, making it quite the mutually beneficial deal.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DNboA06AYWd/
Also for THE SOUND OF MUSIC promotion, I contacted a local bar and grill, Court Street, to host a cabaret for cast and community members, and to hopefully boost awareness and hype for the upcoming show. I created promotional content for the event and found performers from the cast as well as some local talent. I even got to perform myself!
https://www.instagram.com/p/DN6WzdOkYe0/
Another need of the organization was some spring cleaning in the building. Theatre buildings, naturally, can get pretty messy. With so many moving parts, all the costumes, set pieces, and props are bound to pile up. So, I worked with two RCP board members, Julie and Sara, to clean out the space over the course of several weeks. I secured a dumpster, and we were able to get a lot of work done, making the space, and the pieces held inside, much more usable.
My last project to leave with RCP was a community survey to receive feedback and to better understand and connect with the surrounding community. I have had it running for a good part of the summer, and it will continue to run so the organization can keep receiving live feedback.
Again, all of my thanks goes to the Class of 1978 Foundation for putting so much trust in me this summer and for allowing me to do this work. It was a fulfilling, full-circle experience for me that would not have been possible without such great support.