Walker International Communications Group

Engaging the Community is Profitable and Smart

How a story of African American history created Funk and Noise on Broadway and around the country

© Copyright Donna Walker-Kuhne

In the previous two articles I have discussed the importance, value and challenges of developing audiences of color for arts and culture. I had the privilege of working on Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk which allowed me to accomplish these goals and produce substantial financial benefits for the producers, The Joseph Papp Public Theater. Noise/Funk was about the history of African Americans beginning with the Middle passage through life in the 90's. The artistic vehicle was tap, music and spoken word. Savion Glover, Zane Mark, Ann Duquesnay and George C. Wolfe were the creative team. As Director of Community Affairs at The Public Theater, my job was to ensure African American audiences would attend this show. I was able to accomplish this to a large extent because the concept of audience development is integrated into our institutional philosophy. Here is how we did it.

We took the product to the people. We took the dancers to the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens with a special focus on Harlem. We performed in schools and the cast talked to kids. We performed at Black Expo, Kwanzaa Festival, The Harlem Renaissance Festival. We demystified the show and made the product accessible to the community so that they would feel comfortable coming to see the show on Broadway.

Two retired schoolteachers came to see the show while it was still running at The Public Theater in 1995 and decided that every black child in Brooklyn must see the show. My department worked with these two wonderful women, Sister A'Aliyah Abdul Karim and the late Elizabeth McKinney on a weekly basis crafting a plan that would allow the cast to go into the schools and identify monies to pay for tickets. In the first three months on Broadway, all the 12 student matinee seats were sold out because of the efforts of these two women.

We knew that Black people did not have a history of paying $75 per ticket for a Broadway show , not because of the price but primarily because of the product. But we also felt that by offering a discount ticket price, our community would be more inclined to experience this production. Therefore, we sold tickets at at 40% less than the single ticket price specifically for the purpose of developing the Black community. This included orchestra and balcony seats.

We empowered several black group sales agents with the ability to sell the show at these reduced rates but also gave them access to the show, where they could meet with the cast,. They were brought into the planning process early on so that were committed to its success. To maintain the interest of our group sales agents and single ticket buyers, we held receptions and "thank you" brunches to acknowledge their efforts. At these affairs, group leaders would mingle and talk thereby providing an environment for additional networking.

In order to be effective at audience development, I believe you need tools, marketing tools that help you define the product. For Noise/Funk, we developed an 8 minute promotional video narrated by Phylicia Rashad that contained footage from television, ads, talk shows and coverage from the Tony awards. Copies of the video were available to anyone who asked so they could be shared with friends, or as a formal presentation. This was another step toward empowering the community.

We distributed flyers, Noise /Funk fans, buttons and study guides throughout the Black community in all five boroughs. We hired a Muslim flyer distribution company who with their fine manners were accepted in all kinds of stores to place our materials. I knew we had saturated the market when I got a call for a ticket order from someone who picked up the flyer at an unemployment office.

We duplicated and expanded these efforts on a 32 city national tour beginning September 1997, engaging black communities around the country. We formed audience development committees in 25 cities which developed promotional activities, group sales and served as consultants to presenters. We created a menu of activities from the company which included mini-performances, workshops, panels, church appearances, study guide presentations, tap, hip-hop, visual arts and poetry contests, post performance discussions, writing, music and acting workshops. The committees worked in partnership with the local presenters and involved national Black organizations such as The Links, Jack and Jill, the NAACP, The Urban League, Blacks in Government, Sororities, fraternities and professional organizations. As a result, the show grossed well over 5 million dollars. At the conclusion of the tour in June, 1998 we had generated a wave of enthusiasm and involvement around the country demonstrating how to engage and empower the black community and the financial benefits of these efforts.

That's the business of art, collaborating with community, creating savvy business and marketing strategies and focused humanistic leadership. By doing this, we can create a new history, one of inclusion and power.