Butts In The Seats

From the Urban Dictionary...

butts in seats

(also “bums in seats” and “butts in the seats”): spectators who have been drawn into a theatre or other entertainment by a low-brow, mass-appeal production. A reference to the economic demand on entertainment business producers to attract paid attendance.

As a producer I often get asked the question, “How do I get butts in the seats for my show?” A quick google search reveals numerous articles like this one and this one and this one that discuss strategies for doing so.

This is flawed thinking right from the jump.

Your audience is not “butts in the seats.” Your audience consists of people you know and love who will be delighted by your art. That’s who you’re making it for.

Tell them a compelling story as to how much you care about this work and why you’d love to share it with them. Tell it from the heart. Tell it with generosity and empathy for their time. And tell it consistently.

All your marketing (remember, marketing is storytelling) should be focused on that and that alone. If you do your job (you must do it throughout the ENTIRE run) and your production is indeed excellent, they will come and they will be delighted and they will tell their friends.