The final curtain falls. The wave of applause fades into a warm echo. The ghost light is switched on, casting long shadows across a stage that, just moments before, was bursting with life. The set is struck, costumes are stored, and an unfamiliar silence descends. There's a profound sense of accomplishment, but for the person wearing the marketing hat, there's also a looming question that hangs in the quiet air: Now what?
This is the "Dark Theatre Dilemma." When the run of a show ends, the frantic, daily energy of promotion often grinds to a halt. For weeks, or even months, a theatre’s social media feeds go quiet and its email list gathers dust. The problem is that in today’s hyper-competitive attention economy, silence is deadly. When you stop communicating with your audience, you lose all the precious momentum you’ve built. You are forcing yourself to start your marketing efforts for the next show from a dead stop, essentially re-introducing yourself to an audience whose attention has already drifted elsewhere.
This isn't just a feeling; it's a well-documented business challenge. According to extensive research from the marketing firm Invesp, acquiring a new customer can cost five times more than retaining an existing one. When your theatre goes silent, you're not just taking a break; you're actively making your future marketing efforts more expensive, less efficient, and far more difficult.
The good news is that this "dark" period is not a liability; it's your greatest opportunity to build true, lasting loyalty. It's your chance to deepen the relationship with your patrons beyond the simple transaction of a ticket sale. This article will provide five low-effort, high-impact strategies to bridge the gap between shows, turning your downtime into a powerful engine for community building that pays dividends all season long.
Before we get to the tactics, let’s reframe our thinking. The goal of off-season marketing isn't to sell something you don't have; it's to nurture the relationships you already have. Your patrons are constantly bombarded with an endless buffet of entertainment options—from the latest Netflix binge and a concert downtown to simply the siren song of a quiet night at home. When you go silent, you are politely bowing out of that competition and allowing your audience’s loyalty, attention, and entertainment dollars to drift away.
This quiet period is your chance to transform your organization from a place that sells plays into a community hub that your audience is proud to be a part of. This is how you build a loyal base of true fans who will be eagerly waiting, credit card in hand, for your next season to drop.
1. The Audience-as-Collaborator: Surveys & Polls
The Concept: Actively and genuinely solicit your audience's opinions on everything from future programming and showtimes to the brand of coffee you serve at concessions.
Why It Works: It is the ultimate form of engagement. It taps into a powerful psychological principle: people value things more when they have a hand in creating them. By asking for their input, you make your audience feel valued, heard, and personally invested in the theatre's future success. The data you collect is also marketing gold, helping you choose shows, plan events, and write grant applications with the confidence of knowing you’re reflecting your community’s desires.
The Easy Way:
Email: Use a free tool like Google Forms to create a simple, 5-minute "Help Us Plan Our Next Season!" survey. Ask a mix of fun and strategic questions like:
"What was your favorite show we produced in the last 5 years?"
"On a scale of 1-5, how interested are you in a classic American drama?"
"Would you prefer a classic musical or a contemporary comedy for our summer slot?"
"What's the most important factor when you decide to see a show? (Price, Title, Reviews, Actors)"
"What is one thing we could do to make your experience at our theatre even better?"
Social Media: Use Instagram Story polls and questions for quick, fun, low-stakes interactions. Post two show posters and ask, "Which of these would you rather see on our stage?" or run a poll asking, "7:30 PM or 8:00 PM curtain times?" Be sure to share the results a few days later to close the loop and show you were listening.
Pro Tip: Offer a small incentive for completing the longer survey. Announce that everyone who fills it out will be entered into a drawing to win two free tickets to the opening night of your next show.
2. The "Remember When?" Campaign: Strategic Throwbacks
The Concept: Systematically dig into your digital archives and re-share high-quality photos, short video clips, production stories, and fond memories from past productions.
Why It Works: This tactic is pure nostalgia marketing. It triggers powerful, positive feelings and reminds your audience of the great experiences they've already had in your space. For newer followers who may have missed those shows, it serves as a "greatest hits" reel, building your theatre's reputation and legacy. Best of all, it keeps your feed active with proven, high-quality content that requires no new work to create.
The Easy Way:
Social Media: Implement a consistent weekly feature like #ThrowbackThursday or #FlashbackFriday. Post a stunning production photo from a past hit and in the caption, write something that sparks conversation: "Who remembers this incredible set from our 2019 production of [Show Title]? Our designer, [Designer’s Name], used over 500 books to build these walls! Tell us your favorite memory in the comments!"
Email: Once a month during the off-season, send a dedicated "From the Archives" email. Feature a short, high-energy clip of a beloved musical number or a powerful, well-shot monologue from a past drama. This reminds your subscribers of the quality of your work and the emotional power of your productions.
Pro Tip: When you post a throwback photo, tag the actors, director, and designers from the original production (if they are on the platform). This often encourages them to share the post, dramatically increasing its reach to their own networks.
3. The Slow-Burn Season Reveal
The Concept: Instead of a single, formal "Ta-da!" announcement, turn your season reveal into a multi-week, interactive game for your audience. Tease the upcoming season with cryptic clues, mood boards, riddles, and partial reveals.
Why It Works: It builds massive anticipation and generates organic buzz in a way a simple press release never could. It gives your audience a fun puzzle to solve together, training them to pay close attention to your social media and open every email in search of the next clue. It makes your season announcement an unmissable event, not just a piece of news.
The Easy Way:
Week 1: Post a single graphic with five cryptic emojis, each representing a show in the new season. (e.g., 🕵️♂️ 🌹 👑 👨🔬 🎶). Caption it: "Our new season is coming. Can you guess the shows?"
Week 2: Send an email with a Pinterest-style mood board of images (a fedora, a rainy street, a glass of bourbon) that evoke the feeling of the first show, with the subject line: "A clue for you..."
Week 3-7: Announce one show title per week. Each reveal gets its own dedicated email and social post with photos and a brief, exciting description, building momentum until the full, spectacular lineup is revealed.
Pro Tip: Encourage audience participation at every step. Offer a small prize (like a shout-out on your page or a free drink ticket) for the first person to correctly guess a show from the clues.
4. The Community Spotlight Series
The Concept: Use the downtime to shift the spotlight from the stage to the incredible people who make the theatre run: your volunteers, designers, board members, donors, and even your most loyal subscribers.
Why It Works: It powerfully reinforces the "community" aspect of community theatre. It humanizes your organization, publicly shows appreciation for the unsung heroes who make your work possible, and makes your audience feel more connected to the real people behind the curtain. This builds a deep, resilient sense of shared ownership and pride.
The Easy Way:
Social Media: Post a great photo of a long-time volunteer usher with a short, powerful quote about why they dedicate their time to the theatre.
Email: Create a simple Q&A template and send it to your lighting designer, a key board member, or a "Subscriber of the Month." Share their answers in your next newsletter. Keep it simple:
"How did you first get involved with our theatre?"
"What's a favorite memory you have here?"
"Why do you think live theatre is so important for our community?"
Pro Tip: Ask your spotlighted person to share the post or email with their own friends and family. This is a warm, authentic way to introduce your theatre to new potential audience members.
5. Provide Value Beyond the Stage
The Concept: Share content that is interesting, entertaining, and valuable to your specific audience of theatre lovers, even if it's not directly about selling tickets to your own shows.
Why It Works: It positions your theatre as a trusted, central hub for culture in your community, not just a ticket vendor. It keeps your name appearing in their inbox and social feed in a positive, non-salesy way, building immense goodwill and authority. You become their go-to source for all things theatre.
The Easy Way:
Email: Create a monthly newsletter with a section called "What We're Watching & Reading." Recommend a great movie adaptation of a play on Netflix, or link to a fascinating article about theatre history.
Social Media: Share a link to the Tony Award nominations, asking your followers who they think will win. Create a "Summer Reading List for Theatre Lovers" with links to your favorite scripts. Partner with your local library to co-promote a list of books that tie into the themes of your upcoming season.
A "dark" theatre never has to mean a silent one. This crucial downtime between productions is a golden opportunity to transform your relationship with your audience from purely transactional to truly relational. By keeping the conversation going with meaningful, engaging content, you are not just marketing; you are weaving the fabric of your community. You are ensuring that when you are ready to announce your next show, you’ll be greeted by a warm, engaged, and eager audience.
These are not complex, time-consuming strategies. You can sit down for a single afternoon and map out an entire off-season's worth of content that will keep your audience primed for your next big announcement.
Keeping your audience engaged between shows is the key to building a loyal following that lasts. But when it's finally time to announce that next show, you need a proven plan to turn that warm engagement into a sold-out run.
My book, The Show Must Go On(Line), provides the ultimate 6-week production marketing timeline, taking you from your first announcement to your final curtain call. It's packed with email templates, social media calendars, and a week-by-week guide to ensure your next show opens to a packed house.