At the ripe old age of 59, unencumbered by any acting experience whatsoever, I auditioned and surprisingly secured the role of Roy in Neil Simon's The Odd Couple. What a wonderful experience.

The problem was publicity. I live in the Chicago Metropolitan area which my fellow cast members tell me is one of the most active community theater areas in the country. Yet (with some notable exceptions) it is almost impossible to find out who's doing what, where and when if you depend on local media.

So I have this idea which seems either really good or really absurd depending on my level of sleep deprivation (I support mainframe computer software as my "day job"). I'd be grateful if you tell me what you think.

What I have in mind is teaming up with a drama-literate person (to be named later) to review local community theater productions. I fancy myself doing voice-overs rendering these reviews as a 30-second or one-minute cassette to be made available (free) to local radio stations to meet their FCC Community service requirements.

Does anyone know of anyone doing such a thing, or have done someting similar? Do you think it's worth pusuing? How would you go about it?

It sounds a great idea Brian - Give IT a burl!
We have 2 Community Theatre reviewers here, on 2 separate local radio stations.
1. is on Curtain University Radio &  number 2. Is on the local Australian Broadcast Commission radio station - both are on a every Saturday morning at different times.
1.  is more like a ?What?s on? type.
2. Gives more in depth reviews of local productions each week.
They work well! {City Population is less than 1 million}
Each theatre group supply?s free comps & get a review or plug dependant on the stations  calendar &/or time slot available.  Also both stations give free plugs over the air - during the week leading up to the show.
I think you would have to work up a demo of a current reviewed production & pitch it to the radio stations?
I hope this helps!

Chookas - Joe

In a past life I owned a radio station for ten years.  We were inundated with requests for free air time.  I had a big trash can that I threw it all in.  If I needed something, I reached in to find something.  The issue is more a case of getting your material noticed and used. 

Money talks.  If you can get a sponsor - even if they pay just a fraction of the stations usual rates in return for a "brought to you by _______", the chances of it being used go way up.

Local connection.  Keep it local and recognizable.  Very few people will recognize the name of the leading actors (unless they are known outside the theater) but will recognize that the show is underwritten by "ABC Bank of Hometown."

Work through the big advertisers.  If the media buyers of the stations largest advertisers would like to see more coverage of the theater on the station, the message will get heard.

Relationships are important.  You need to develop a personal contact within the radio station.  Get to know the people there and cultivate them as you would a major donor.

Target your audience.  If your primary audience is senior citizens, don't spend a lot of time on the hard rock stations.  Their high energy formats may not fit the style of your report.

Finally, Time of Day is important.  Work to get your message heard during the prime drive times.  It won't help much if they play your message at 3 am.

Thanks Doug,

Some valuable insights here. Particularly the idea of having a sponsor. Shows how uncommon "common sense" is. And with a local connection.

Cultivating the relationships and building a personal network is my primary objective. Any suggestions on how to make "first contact"?

Valuable stuff. Thanks so much!

Brian