Pearl Theatre Company
The Pearl Theatre Company was an Off Broadway theatre troupe mounting classic plays and new works rooted in classical themes.
I helped launch a fundraising campaign, promote an original production, and refresh branding for the 30th anniversary season — which included the world premiere of Terrence McNally’s play “And Away We Go”.
I joined The Pearl during its 2012-13 season.
My main responsibilities were copy editing member communications and website content, editing playbill articles, and copywriting.
Cash flow shortfall
A non-profit resident acting company, The Pearl relied heavily on memberships and donations. In the spring of 2013, we faced a cash flow shortfall that threatened not only the continuation of the season, but the company itself.
To help with crisis messaging, I attended strategy sessions with our PR agency, proofread press releases, and edited member communications and appeals for donations.
We postponed the premiere of a Terrence McNally play, scheduled to close out the 29th season. We’d instead use this show to anchor the upcoming 30th anniversary season.
This meant choosing a new, lower budget play to end the current season — and producing and promoting that play in just one month.
Our artistic director decided on two one-act plays by J.M. Barrie. Because these plays were largely unknown, we named the show “This Side of Neverland”, but still couldn’t rely on name recognition to help attract audiences.
The Pearl typically targeted NYC residents and local patrons of the arts when promoting productions.
For this campaign, we also targeted tourists — advertising in nearby boutique hotels, and cross-promoting with local restaurants. And we made a greater effort to appeal to young working artists on social channels.
Original production
Fundraising campaign
Results
“This Side of Neverland” was named a New York Times Critics’ Pick, making tickets so in demand that we extended its run by two weeks.
Thanks to a combination of press, member outreach, and the play’s positive critical and audience reception, our fundraising campaign delivered 160% to goal.
This milestone enabled us to move forward planning the 2013-14 season. But we continued to face financial uncertainty, and the theatre’s future depended on a successful 30th anniversary year.
30th anniversary season
We refreshed The Pearl’s branding and held a photoshoot with the leads of our upcoming shows. The stylized character-driven imagery set this season apart, and influenced a visual and tonal shift in brand identity.
The postponed world premiere of Terrence McNally’s play “And Away We Go” opened to positive reviews.
After my internship ended, I continued to volunteer as a digital marketing & content consultant.
I managed paid search campaigns, optimizing a $10K monthly Google Ad Grant budget, and wrote search ad copy for the 2013-14, 2015-16, and 2016-17 seasons.
I also helped with organic search and content strategy, including an SEO site audit and editorial planning.