Journal of Arts Marketing Issue 10 – July 2003
One of the biggest issues for venues marketing incoming touring shows is that the images and copy don’t reflect the show accurately. So how do you write copy that reflects a funny show? You could simply tell the reader that it’s funny. Chichester Festival Theatre’s season brochure says that The Merchant of Venice is a dark comedy and that the Coffee House is ‘Goldoni’s glittering comedy’. It’s easy, though, to end up with unconvincing clichés like ‘riotously funny’ and ‘hilarious comedy’. Perhaps it’s better not to overclaim, as the Gate’s description of Angels of the Universe sounds much more believable: ‘despite the ultimate air of tragedy the tale ripples with humour’.
Some words are more convincing than others. Arts Council England commissioned research that asked attenders of large-scale drama whether particular words used in copy made a production more or less appealing…
View full article as word document.
