A: Social Media is a great way to raise awareness of your show and reach out to your audience directly. Having said this, it can occasionally have a negative effect on a show if it’s not “policed” correctly. The lines are slightly blurred, so technically there isn’t a policy in place but you should have your own policy to clarify what company members can and cannot post. In most cases you won’t need to worry about it because you’ll be employing a marketing agency to supply your production with a social media campaign.
When assembling your company you should be aware how active your company members are on social media and always keep an eye on what they are posting. You can easily set up Google Alerts which can track when your production is mentioned online. You can search via twitter or Facebook the name of your show to track any activity.
You are not allowed to put pressure on your company to actively promote the show but most cases the company will personally want to promote the show they are in – which is great for you as a producer! Say you cast Justin Bieber in your musical and he wants to post a ticket link himself to “come and see him” – this is ok. However, if he wants to post a photo of Emma Stone (who he’s starring opposite) backstage without her permission – this is not ok. If you’re ever feeling on edge over posting something, it’s always best to urge on the side of caution! #NeverAssume #BieberAndStoneForPhantom