Art as entertainment as income

This unplanned pairing of our boards says more about Centre Stage than any grant narrative or mission statement ever could. (Click image for larger version.)
This unplanned pairing of our boards says more about Centre Stage than any grant narrative or mission statement ever could. (Click image for larger version.)

The box office phones lit up today, a fire ignited by arts writer Ann Hicks’ A2 headline, “Rock ‘n Roll Heaven out of this world.” We’d been stacking fat lighter for over a month prior to opening night – two television appearances, diligent Facebook activity, print and radio ads, YouTube promo, feature articles (one wangled, one routine), outdoor boards, weekly e-blasts, posters and substantial preview audience buzz … not to mention a first-rate rock ‘n roll show. But we needed Ann to strike the match. Which she did.

Rock 'n Roll Heaven promo videoFairway Outdoor, the folks who sell us billboard space for the cost of materials, happened to post two of our shows, one right after the other, to the same frame recently. The one on top is Coal Creek, the winner of our New Play Festival and the one below is Rock ‘n Roll Heaven, our cash cow. This purely random pairing (random because boards are placed on a space-available basis) speaks volumes about our motives and methods. Art as entertainment as income … all three, all the time.