In January of 2025, I became head of marketing at Electric City Playhouse, my local non-profit community theater. In this volunteer position that I juggle alongside my other responsibilities on our productions, I create content for posts and manage our social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Since I stepped into the role, the theater has seen a significant increase in actors coming to audition and in the number of tickets sold, with many productions selling out even after we added extra performance dates.
Short-Form Video
In my first year, I was asked to focus on expanding our reach to younger actors and audiences, so I dove into TikTok in order to meet more of them where they are.
Videos about upcoming auditions have been massively successful at bringing more actors in, with over 2/3 of new auditioners for recent productions reporting that they heard about the opportunity through TikTok. Turnout has been more than double previous expectations, and we’ve had to bring in additional volunteers to assist with crowd control. When I attend auditions, others frequently recognize and thank me for giving them the courage to try it too.
To promote productions to audiences, collage-style interview editing has been my favorite way to incorporate the entire cast and help them shine their brightest while keeping the pressure to speak eloquently on camera low.
Click the thumbnails below to view the videos on TikTok!
Graphics
Images are attention-grabbing, and I strive to include one in every non-video post I make. I’ve had the most success pushing ticket sales through the use of photos taken in some of our final rehearsals. With the cast and creative team’s permission, I like to get on stage and take these pictures myself with a cinematic eye for framing.
Additional photo credits: Michael George (Wait Until Dark)