by Matthew LaChiusa
In April I sent out an email to Toni Ruberto regarding the non-existent coverage of the Arts, in specific, the Buffalo Theater scene. I wanted to find out why the paper has completely abandoned coverage and offer several suggestions that could be minimum effort on the paper.
I got the typical response of we have a small section, organizations don’t send things in, blah blah blah. Bottom line is that the paper’s owner doesn’t see the value in covering the Arts.
You see, since Artvoice went digital and the Buffalo News stopped coverage, there are no longer any sources that provide previews, reviews, event listings for theater, live music events, galleries and all other forms of Arts in Buffalo. The void is so large that we have a young generation that’s unaware of the cultural happenings in the town unless they use social media. Simply put, the Arts are not being recognized, and in turn, are not seeing a new generation of patrons.
Now is the time for the Arts to be given that forum, so I turn to the pioneer, the innovator, the founder of one of the most cherished sources of all things Arts.
These are my suggestions that I sent to Toni Ruberto in hopes of generating this much needed coverage:
Full to half “page” of theater listings. Theaters submit a three-to-four sentence synopsis of the production including dates, times, ticket information and contact number. Production pictures to be provided by company. Find a sponsor to cover this page, i.e. M & T presents the “On the Boards” recap.
• With this small paragraph list a QR code that directs people to reviews written by bloggers, online theater critics, Facebook reviews by audience members, and other social media sources. This QR code and redirected landing spot will be provided by theater and is solely the responsibility of the company to maintain this redirect
• Bi-weekly feature articles that focus on the theater’s relationship to the community and businesses surrounding them. This articles can list the restaurants, shopping experiences, historical significance of the neighborhood, community involvement in the theater, and way in which the theater generates an economic engine for these businesses. Again, lean on theaters to submit these pro- business & Arts features.
• Media source co-sponsors live Q & A sessions following performances, community dialogue series with guest speakers, interviews with local dramatic artists, and on-site podcasts. These programs will be organized by companies. The programs should be recorded and then submitted to the media source for online playback. During “commercial breaks”, the media source can implement sponsorship from the paper or other sponsors and advertisers as a means of generating income
• If hiring reviewers (or utilizing free lance writers), the new writers should be fresh to the Buffalo theater scene. There is a need to have a younger perspective on what Buffalo theater is presenting on stage instead of the aging theater critic that compares Broadway or Professional theater experiences to what is presented on Buffalo’s stages
The idea is that use citizen journalist and the theater themselves to do most of the heavy listing. You simply provide the platform.
We need something, and something fast. The current friends & Facebook means of generating audiences is failing. I truly hope you take this under consideration.
Best
Matthew LaChiusa
American Repertory Theater of WNY
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