TheatreAddict.com - Bakersfield Drama Blog

I had a meeting with Matt Munoz of Bakotopia.com on Monday. We talked in detail about (drumroll please) local theatre.

The purpose of this blog is two-fold. First, I want to tease your artistic tastebuds with a bit of what's in the works. To put it simply...a month dedicated to featuring local theatre, with Bakotopia giveaways and promomtions around town at local playhouses. (yeah, cool huh?) Second...I want to use this opportunity to address a topic which is something that I think we really need to work on together to improve the success of the shows we put on. In a word...buzz. Creating a buzz about Bakersfield drama that will explode out into the streets, the media, and the homes of your average everyperson. This is something we can accomplish but we have to work together, get on the same page, and focus. This is part of what I created theatreaddict.com to accomplish, and it's time to get down to businesss. More on that in a paragraph or two...

I met with Matt and attempted to give him the rundown on all of the theaters around town. Who's who, what's what, and where's where. (not to mention when's when but that's just getting confusing). He was surprised to see how many full time theaters there are in this town. When I saw Matt at a performance of "Rowing to America" a few weeks ago, he told me that it was pretty much the first local theatre he'd experienced (aside from a kids show that a relative's child was in). Kind of incredible, no? That someone so immersed in Bakersfield culture had been missing out on the theatrical side of Bakersfield all this time? And Matt's no shut-in either, he's out every weekend playing music, networking etc... Everybody knows Mento Buru and Matt's well known around town. After experiencing his first real local drama and seeing the constant theatre journalism of theatreaddict.com, nl belardes, and others...I'm guessing Matt decided that it was time to delve into this theatre business a little more.

So...this is part one of the blog as mentioned before. I'll be working with Matt to feature local theatre in September on bakotopia.com. Hopefully you'll be seeing (as I said before) promotions, giveaways, bakotopia appearances and local theaters, podcasts, and all kinds of exciting stuff. I'm even hopeful that Matt might bring some of the bakotopia hotness to some of the plays in August. I told him I really think he'd like the History of Rock & Roll (he thought about auditioing when he saw they wanted Richie Valens) and Sam Sleuth and the Fall of the Coffee Baron. These are both shows I wouldn't mind seeing again, and sharing some of Kern County's best talent with bakotopia.com staff members.

There ends part 1. I hope you are as excited as I am. Revel in the excitement, this is good for both of us. All of us. Yes. Wonderful.

Now...on to part 2. As great as that is, the other half of my brain is spinning to realize the opportunities that keep passing us by to realize our full "buzz" potential. I'm sick of seeing great shows that the public never hears about.

I was telling Matt about some of the fun moments and successes that the theatre community has had. There are some shows that are instant sell out hits...like "Cabaret" at the Empty Space..."Rocky Horror" at BCT...and "History of Rock & Roll" at Spotlight. I talked about how the KRAB radio morning show has been very welcoming to theatre. My friend Kevin Lively has been on the show several times talking about shows. Meathead was the voice of Smaug the Dragon in "The Hobbit" at BCT and played Eddie in The Empty Space's "Rocky Horror" mimic cast this year.

Matt Munoz laughed and mentioned how he has never heard about any of this stuff, and how the theatre community seems so separate from the music community...and the rest of Bakersfield for that matter. I laughed in agreement, and mentioned that I supposed it was the same with the music community. Matt's been fighting the same fight with musicians that I'm now fighting with you...trying to get them to join him in promoting the hell out of the music community. To get them to help or allow him to promote THEM. Kind of crazy, don't you think? Why on earth would someone without from free promotion?
I am a theatre person trying to promote the hell out of theatre. I want your help. Why is it so hard to get it?

I suppose...it's because everyone is so busy, partly. Also, people are possesive. Theaters don't want to share their assets (actors, audience, other resources). They are striving for self preservation. But it's exactly that type of reserve that is preventing the entire theatre community, not to mention the entire arts community, from reaching it's full potential. Stop holding so tightly onto your personal success and start helping to throw the entire machine into a glorious orbit.

So...in the coming days, weeks, and months...I want to begin a dialogue with you about the art of creating buzz. I want you to work with me to create buzz in Bakersfield about what is happening on stage. If we play our cards right, all of the theaters can be more successful, shows will be better, and we'll all be happier.

To start with...I want to request your involvement in what I'm doing. I've got blogs going on MySpace, bakersfield.com, bakotopia.com, and theatreaddict.com. I've also got the podcast happening that makes it's way into people's ears every month. I've created the first calendar which allows you to see ALL of the theatre going on.

But these things are not living up to their potential. They are missing something very important. You.

I'm going to take, as an example, the cast of "The History of Rock & Roll." I love you all, so I know you'll forgive me for raking you over the coals.

I took some time to make a podcast which I think is fun and would probably make anyone who listens to it want to go see your show. I posted a comment on the page of every cast member I could find on myspace, and I was a little dissapointed in the response. Now, I'm not looking for praise. Seriously. What I'm looking for is involvement. Feedback. Email me and tell me it sucked. Tell me what you thought could be better. Tell me I should have interviewed you instead. Post a link to the podcast in YOUR blog. Play it for your mom.

Sorry, I don't get it. The only reason I do this is because I want people to see your show. Why don't you help me?

The cast of this show is huge. What would happen if 30 people in the cast wrote short essays (just a paragraph, say) about their experience in the show. I posts 30 blogs on 4 different websites. Maybe...just maybe...there would be a buzz. Maybe a local TV station would think it was fun and show up to do a story. Or one of the many radio stations, newspapers. Or, maybe a few people would see the article(s) SOMEWHERE and come to see the show. Maybe they'd tell their friends.

All I'm saying is...

Be my little theatre bees would you? Buzz, for Shakespeare's sake. Throw me a bone.
You get the idea.

Send me your comments and your love, theatre addicts. Let's do this thing.

-Aaron