Framing the Moment

By: Sophie Pallissard

Early this year, my director approached me with the idea to apply for The Broadway League’s Study A-Broadway program. Shout out to my director, Theresa Dickerson, who spearheaded this program’s creation. The program was developed by the Road Marketing Committee to allow employees from League Member performing arts centers (PACs) to learn from each other through in-person observation. As a creative professional constantly looking for new ways to connect and collaborate, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

I was matched with Allied Marketing, much to my excitement as I had already emailed many of the reps from previous and current touring Broadway shows. When asked whether I’d like to experience new production footage or photoshoot and social media content, I opted for the latter. That’s how I found myself at The 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle, shadowing the photoshoot of the SUFFS National tour launch.

Throughout the day, I experienced what makes theatrical marketing feel authentic. I had the pleasure of meeting Caroline from Think Tank (a marketing, advertising, and social media agency rooted in storytelling). Caroline shared with me the list of social questions which typically starts as a collaborative process to pick a mix of informative and fun questions. One of my favorite questions, aside from “what is your favorite giggle juice?”, was “what is your message to the next generation — all the ‘loud little girls like me’ who may be touched by this show?”. 

“To all the ‘loud little girls like me’, keep being loud. Fight for what you think is important. And keep marching,” answered one of the actors. As I sat in on the interviews, each cast member providing their heart-felt honesty, I couldn’t help but feel empowered and touched. And even more excited to have SUFFS head to my own venue.

Bouncing back and forth between the social interviews and the on-stage photoshoots, I witnessed the legend herself, Joan Marcus, hard at work. Marcus is one of the preeminent theatrical photographers working in the U.S. today. I could see Marcus climbing two different ladders calling out to the techs to tighten in the lighting for the shot. Interestingly, some production photos are staged for what is going to look best for marketing. So, you might see a different version of blocking during the actual musical number. 

Study A-Broadway gave me not only a behind-the-scenes look, but it also reminded me how essential collaboration is to success. Although sad to return to the heat, I was grateful for the experience to connect with more marketing professionals and have a renewed sense of pride that behind every great show, from the marketing to the performance, is a passionate bunch of individuals.