Backstage Pass To Broadway Page 14

  KATHARINE HEPBURN & THE THEATRE GUILD

  In 1994, the legendary Theatre Guild gave a party at The Players Club in Gramercy Park to celebrate its 75th year as a theatrical producer. In its heyday, the Guild had produced 228 plays on Broadway including 18 George Bernard Shaw plays, five of which were world premieres, and seven by Eugene O’Neill. It produced PICNIC, SUNRISE AT CAMPOBELLO, THE HOMECOMING and many more. They introduced Rodgers and Hart to Broadway with THE GARRICK GAIETIES, and produced the original production of Gershwin’s PORGY AND BESS, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s OKLAHOMA! and CAROUSEL, Jule Styne’s BELLS ARE RINGING, and Meredith Willson’s THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN. The Theatre Guild had employed every major star from Mary Martin and Helen Hayes to The Lunts.

  Poster celebrating the Theatre Guild’s 75th Anniversary

  (Courtesy of The Theatre Guild)

  Philip Langner and Robert Franz, the co-directors of the Guild, invited recent stars of Theatre Guild productions such as Loretta Swit and Stacy Keach to the anniversary party, as well as legends like Katharine Hepburn who famously resurrected her career in their production of THE PHILADELPHIA STORY. As Hepburn was notoriously anti-social and reclusive, no one expected her to attend the Theatre Guild celebration — but she did. However, Hepburn sent word that she would not be photographed and wished to remain in a side room rather than join the general reception. She requested a stiff scotch be placed in the sitting room where she would greet selected guests.

  I was now in the sticky position of publicizing an event meant to celebrate a venerable theatrical institution while NOT publicizing the attendance of the most famous actress in the land. I decided to level with the press, telling them of Ms. Hepburn’s expected presence but relying on their honor NOT to photograph her if they saw her. To my amazement, they all agreed.

  Hepburn swept into the party and affectionately greeted Philip Langner, who escorted her into the sitting room we had created especially for her. Other actors began making the pilgrimage to meet her. After about 10 minutes, Hepburn became bored in her hide-away, emerged and plunked herself down in the middle of the grand staircase at the Players Club. Of course, she instantly became the focal point for the entire room. Now everyone walked up the steps, knelt awkwardly a step or two below her, and tried to engage her in conversation.

  Hepburn may have shunned photographers, but she had not maintained a career as a top international stage and film star all those years without knowing how to draw attention to herself. Hepburn knew exactly what she had done. She managed to support her friends at the Theatre Guild, remind people of her importance in the theatrical community, and still call the shots about how and when she would be photographed. Not a single photo of her at the Guild party appeared anywhere. That night, Hepburn gave a master class in what I call Fame Maintenance.

  A note to celebrities: Don’t attend the opening of a film or Broadway play unless you are prepared to be photographed. It is childish to show up at a press event and then hide or rush past photographers with a coat over your head. The show or film will be exactly the same the following night, so if you are seeking privacy or are having a bad hair day, wait a day and then go. But if you want to support your friends on their opening night, fluff it up and smile.

  VANESSA REDGRAVE

  In 1976, The Circle in the Square Theatre presented Ibsen’s THE LADY FROM THE SEA, starring the distinguished and controversial English actress Vanessa Redgrave as Ellida opposite Pat Hingle, under the direction of Redgrave’s former husband, Tony Richardson. Redgrave, then a highly-vocal Communist, had recently caused a furor when she made a pro-Palestinian statement while accepting her Academy Award.

  During rehearsals Redgrave tried to sell copies of a Communist propaganda newspaper to fellow actors for 10 cents each. Producer Paul Libin would take out a dollar and say grandly, “My treat — free copies for everyone,” but she insisted everyone pay for their own copy.

  The press was fascinated by Redgrave. I asked if she would do an interview with the theatre editor of the Associated Press. No. How about the Sunday Times? Nope. The Daily News or the New York Post? Not a chance. Finally, my boss, Merle Debuskey, asked me to schedule a “tea” with Miss Redgrave to see if he could change her mind.

  The three of us met at a coffee shop near the theatre before rehearsals. I felt like we were talking to a clenched fist. She was not charmed by Merle. After listening to Merle tip-toe around the problem for a while, I decided to leap in. I asked, “Miss Redgrave, have you been forbidden to speak to the press by either our government or yours?”

  She simply answered, “Yes.”

  I never knew if the conditions for her green card work visa were set by her government or ours, but the bottom line was the same — she was allowed to perform in the US if she kept her mouth shut. And she did.

  Despite the lack of publicity and sluggish ticket sales for the dreary Ibsen drama, Redgrave was luminescent in the play. It was hard for me to reconcile the tense, big-boned, peasant-like woman in the dressing room with the breath-taking beauty on the stage, perched on the artful Scandinavian rocks designed by Rouben Ter-Artunian. The transformation each night was stunning and a testimony to Redgrave’s extraordinary talent.

  Jim Dale, recently honored by Queen Elizabeth for voicing hundreds of different characters on the Harry Potter audio tapes, was superstitious about his success in SCAPINO.

  He felt he needed to wear the exact same costume, without variation, at every performance. In addition to Scapino’s white ice cream suit, Jim insisted on wearing his “lucky shoes,” in which he’d gained stardom in London and now on Broadway. Unfortunately, by the time Jim opened in the comedy at the Circle in the Square Theatre in New York, the shoes were worn out and literally falling off his feet. He refused to get new ones, so before every performance, Jim’s dresser literally strapped the shoes to his feet, using white surgical tape to hold the soles of the shoes to the leather uppers. It didn’t show on stage, and Jim was happy.

  SO WHAT DOES A PRESS AGENT DO?

  If you have read this far, you have some idea of what a theatrical press agent does. You’ve learned some basic rules:

  Be honest with members of the press; never lie to them, and always protect your clients.

  Your most valuable assets are your integrity and credibility, and they are not for sale.

  But our most important role is creating the right expectations for a production with both the press and the general public. If you are expecting apples and get oranges, no one is happy, no matter how good the oranges. So if you are representing an Ibsen drama, don’t promote it as a comedy. And if it’s a slapstick comedy, don’t pretend it has deep undertones or a meaningful message.

  Creating the right expectations can take many forms: an interesting and appropriate description in a press release; selecting the right production photo featuring the right actor to service to the press, or creating an interesting and provocative front-of-house display. Press photos, whether posted in front of the theatre, online or in print, should feature your leading actor or actors, so the audience knows whom to focus on and care about. Large, full stage shots can be interesting and useful, but people want to see eyes and facial expressions in photos. Blurry, out of focus shots of the back of a head should be left to art houses. And using photos of minor characters to promote a play can be confusing and misleading. When servicing photos electronically, they must be at least 300 dpi, which is a measurement of clarity.

  A press agent initially looks at a project and figures out what he or she has to sell and who is the target audience. It might be a family drama or a gay musical. A good play will cross demographics, but you start by trying to reach your key audience. If you are successful and the play is good, the others will, hopefully, follow. If you are handling a children’s show, you obviously want to reach the family audience. You might look up the name of the ‘Kids’ editor at daily and weekly newspapers, magazines, websites, etc. Or you could search for websites and blogs targeting moth
ers who are seeking activities for their children. Or reach out to local schools and offer special group discounts to the PTA. Resource books like Editor and Publisher and Bacon’s Directories are now available on the Internet, but it often comes down to slogging through publications and other media outlets to find the writer or editor who might be most interested in your story.

  Once you have figured out who those media people are, you need to reach out and establish relationships with them, so that they trust your judgment and integrity, and will open your emails and return your calls. It takes time and effort, but it is worth it. I once got a job because a producer asked the Theatre Editor of the New York Times for the names of three theatre press agents whose call he would always take. My name was on that short list, and I got the show. All we have to sell is our reputation, credibility and integrity. That is why you must always tell the truth, or some version of it, to the press.

  Press agents ‘pitch’ interviews to radio, TV, newspapers, magazines, websites etc. We look for a ‘hook’ that will appeal to that particular media outlet. It is our job to find out if an actor has a unique skill or hobby and capitalize on it. For example, if I know an actor loves to cook, I might approach a TV cooking show or a Home Styles editor about a feature. I once noticed an actress used baby oil to remove her elaborate stage make-up so I approached Johnson & Johnson about a feature. Not only did J&J write a nationally syndicated article with dressing room photos of her, but the actress got a lifetime supply of baby oil. A Broadway dancer had injured his leg in the show and was going to physical therapy. We had a TV news crew follow him to PT on and off for several weeks to track his progress, ending with footage of him back in the show. Prior to the national tour of STATE FAIR, a reporter from CBS Sunday Morning attended a press event in New York City. He noticed Susan Haefner, a pretty, talented chorus member with a tiny part, and decided to follow the tour through her eyes. Sunday Morning would send a local CBS affiliate TV crew to various venues around the country and film a few minutes, eventually running a long segment about Susan and STATE FAIR.

  Sometimes a show can offer a unique opportunity for audience members to get involved. We often invited local Mayors, radio disk jockeys or even school principals to appear on stage in a crowd scene in STATE FAIR. Sometimes we ran local radio contests with the winner making an on-stage appearance. They were costumed and made-up and we promoted the appearance of our special guest star in advance. At the end of the performance, they got a special bow. Obviously every one of these guests generated advance publicity as well as additional ticket sales.

  Actor Michael Lee Scott as Uncle Sam on stilts, unveils sign naming West 45th Street “State Fair Way.”

  (From the author’s photo collection)

  As I’ve written already, STATE FAIR lent itself to lots of silly stunts — all designed to generate publicity and build audiences. As the show involved pigs (happily not on stage) we staged a pig fashion show in one city. Anything that smacked of Americana worked to promote this wholesome Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. Here is singer-dancer-actor Michael Lee Scott, dressed as Uncle Sam on stilts, stopping traffic in the heart of the theatre district, as 45th Street was re-named “State Fair Way.”

  A show’s poster or window card, featuring the show’s logo art, is designed to create a strong and lasting impression of the production and, of course, sell tickets. The logo art for the Broadway revival of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE used in ads, on the 14 × 22 inch window cards and large 3-sheet posters, featured a sexy photo by Brigitte Lacombe of the two stars in a romantic pose. It also highlighted Alec Baldwin’s hairy chest, with Jessica Lange’s head thrown back in ecstasy. Lange was clad in a sexy slip she did not wear in the play. As STREETCAR was a play that included a brutal rape, this romantic image did not exactly support the theme of Tennessee Williams’ drama, although I’m sure it sold tickets.

  There are some basic tools used by a press agent:

  News or Press Release — can be clever or quirky or silly but it needs to include the 5 ‘W’s — who, what, when, where and why — plus your contact info at the top. It should not be too long and the release should be transmitted in the body of your email — never as an attachment. Don’t include too many bells and whistles (photos, videos, zooming animation, etc) or it will take too long to open, and editors have notoriously short attention spans. Releases that don’t immediately grab attention can, and will be, immediately deleted. Forget the superlatives (best, unique, once in a lifetime, ground-breaking, prestigious) and keep the adjectives to a minimum. Unless it is a timed announcement, leave off ‘For immediate release.’ EVERYTHING is for immediate release.

  Column items — these are exclusive items you service to specific columnists about your clients. They must be short and clever and plug your clients without beating the columnist over the head. Each columnist has his or her own writing style and it is important to make your item meet their needs. If you can tie in another client (or even a non-client, like a restaurant) it gives the item a wider appeal and a better chance of being used. Never send the same item to two columnists.

  Photo Tip — A photo tip or media alert is sent to photo editors and assignment editors at all media outlets (TV, radio, newspapers, electronic media, etc) a few days in advance of a special and, hopefully, newsworthy event. It is almost an outline, with all the facts in an abbreviated Who, What, When, Where, Why format. A press agent needs the email addresses and/or fax numbers of those key assignment editors to make servicing a photo tip effective and timely. Photo tips are also serviced to the Associated Press Day Book which reaches most free-lance photographers.

  Special Events — You service a photo tip to get reporters, photographers and TV crews to cover your event. It might be at the Tony Awards, a star-studded Broadway opening or it could be a bunch of high school kids performing a song or two at the local train station to promote their annual musical. Whatever the project, the goal is the same - you are trying to raise awareness, generate media coverage and, of course, drive ticket sales. However, the event needs to have a point and some visual moment that the media can capture. A bunch of people standing in a line doesn’t cut it. Someone special or interesting must be there; something needs to happen (like a performance or a presentation of an award) or something important must be announced. If there is no ‘visual’ or no real news, writers could have stayed in their offices and just read a release you sent to them. Create an event that is entertaining and visual and be as clever as possible when sharing it with the press.

  Photos — Good photos make any story more appealing. Photos also make any feature LARGER. You must provide sharp, interesting, well framed photos to the media. A tight shot of one or two people is better than a group shot. When you take the photos, make sure the actors are ‘playing’ an actual moment in the show, not just standing and smiling at the camera. Make sure their eyes are open (and alive) and that no trees or props appear to be growing out of the backs of their heads. Check that collars and ties are straight and, if it is a social event, that no one is holding a glass, a cigarette or a pocketbook. All serviced photos must include a caption with a photographer’s credit as well as identification (left to right) of those shown in the photo. If your project is a ‘small’ show, it is best to service a vertical shot which will fit into a narrow, one column-width space. A horizontal photo might require two columns and the photo editor may not feel a small production is worth that much space. Your goal is to service a photo that will actually get used. Today everyone wants color photos — almost no outlets still use black and white images, but if they do, they can convert color to B&W. You cannot convert black and white to color!

  In addition to these basic tools, here are some rules that guide my conduct with the press, and the public:

  Tell the Truth. I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again! I once handled a show written by and starring black filmmaker and playwright Melvin Van Peebles. The critics universally hated the show yet Melvin was a draw. (One critic
actually called the show “Excrement!”) When I pitched the show to writers and editors, I never said the show was good. I would say, “Come and take a look at Melvin — I think you will find him interesting and entertaining.” I was telling the truth — Melvin was great fun, on stage and off, and the writers knew he would make good copy. Because of the feature articles I generated about Melvin, the show ran for several months.

  Never Guarantee Anything. Any press agent who tells a producer he or she can guarantee the New York Times’ critic will cover their show is full of hot air. None of us controls the New York Times although we wish we did. All we can do is use all our creativity and energy to promote our show and put the best spin on a project. And if they say no, move on and try someone else. No editor likes to be hounded and if you do, they are less likely to return your call or email the next time you are pitching a story.

  Typos are Not Acceptable. Let me say that again. Typos are not acceptable.

  Avoid Mumbo Jumbo. Over the years, I’ve made a list of statements made at marketing or publicity meetings that amused (and distressed) me:

  “We have grounded that market in a significant way.”

  “We are doing outreach to martini bars and cigar bars.”

  “You are planting yourself in the firmament of that billboard...”

  “My calendar suggests....”

  “Let the work speak for itself....”

  So cut the crap and talk straight. What we are doing is not rocket science.

  Work with Grown-ups. I know this is not always possible but it helps if the person calling the shots, the producer or the director, knows what he or she is doing. If they don’t, you need to try to keep the ship upright and moving forward. It’s not always easy, but sometimes it is fun to use all your skills that extend far beyond publicity and marketing. I’ve worked on several shows where the general manager and I virtually produced the show — and successfully too.