HELSINKI FRINGE THEATRE COMPANY Silja Niemi Justus Rothlaender
- Slides: 17
HELSINKI FRINGE THEATRE COMPANY Silja Niemi Justus Rothlaender Eve Sipilä Tiina-Kaisa Vilkki
HELSINKI FRINGE THEATRE COMPANY 1. Helsinki Fringe 2. Audience 3. Current marketing strategies 4. Future mission and concept 5. Strategies 6. References
1. WHAT IS HELSINKI FRINGE THEATRE? • Helsinki Fringe is an international, English-speaking Theatre Group • Founded in 2010 • A bridge between Finnish- and Swedish-speaking theatres • English as third language
1. 1 “FRINGE – THEATRE” • An alternative form of theatre • Accessible for everyone • Unusual, irregular performances • At unconventional places: Pubs, Cellars, Living-rooms, Warehouses…. • A reaction against a cultural mainstream • Different theatre in different places
1. 1 BEING “FRINGE” IN HELSINKI – A MISSION: • To produce British and American plays in their original language on a professional level • Access to English-speaking theatre culture • Collaboration between International and Finnish theatre professionals • To establish an alternative, small-scale theatre in Helsinki
1. 2 ON STAGE: PREVIOUS PLAYS Closer (2011) The Dumb Waiter (2010)
1. 2 ON STAGE: CURRENT PLAY After Miss Julie (2013)
1. 3 BEHIND THE MISSION? • Kris Gummerus • Artistic Director of Helsinki Fringe and Actor • Sebastian Weckmann and Karl Norrbom (‘Luckan’) • Producers of Helsinki Fringe • Connection to ‘Luckan’ and Finnish- Swedish community • Different Finnish, Swedish or British Actors • Audience
2. 1 AUDIENCE • Target audience: urban, young people • Key audience groups 1. Urban people from 20 to 40 years old, who are interested in culture but who are not regular theatre-goers 2. English-speaking audience from all age groups
2. 2 CURRENT AUDIENCE Observations made based on our own experiences: • Not much audience in their newest play After Miss Julie • Mainly friends, family of the actors etc. • Finnish-Swedish people • International people • Other English-speaking theatre groups Target audience not been reached well yet
3. CURRENT MARKETING STRATEGIES Marketing budget around 1000 € Advertising in HBL and Helsinki Times Advertising and ticket sales in Luckan Online presence: Facebook, website, Twitter Posters and flyers in hostels, cafés and (tourist) info centers, i. e. Luckan and Arbis • Previously reviews and interviews in Vasabladet, Borgåbladet and Helsinki Times and YLE • • • No proper marketing strategy
WHERE TO AIM AT? FUTURE?
4. 1 MISSION AND BRAND IMAGE • Focus on the idea of fringe theatre with an international approach • Mission to provide accessible, laid-back theatre to reach the urban young audience • Objective still in providing professional theatre; producing quality plays and offering demanding roles for skilled actors Accessible and special yet high-quality theatre bringing new way for urban people to enjoy theatre
4. 2 CONCEPT • The concept needs reformation to get successful • Developer (Cardon et al. 2009) is needed • Financing has to be planned – investors, crowd-funding or co-operation with companies to raise capital; social capital • Customer community has to be created and established • Value can be co-created by involving the audience (Prahalad and Ramaswamy 2004)
5. 1 STRATEGY • Long-term strategy needed • Goal: to establish a successful fringe theatre in Helsinki • Committed person to manage theatre group • Open communication between production and artists • Audience management strategy • Lower prices more accessible • Attractive plays • Targeted and efficient marketing strategy
5. 2 MARKETING STRATEGY • Use of social media (e. g. Facebook) • Lively, interesting, more informal/personal messages on a more active basis e. g. back-stage pictures, diary from rehearsals • Flyers and posters in selected places • Street/pub theatre • More PR • Blogs, articles in magazines (e. g. Nyt-liite) • Word-of-mouth
6. REFERENCES • Cardon et al. (2009) in Arts in Consumer Culture course slides • Gummerus, Kris (2013) Interview on 8 th February 2013, Helsinki • Haysom, Ian (1996): "Plot Twist: That Upstart Fringe Theatre is Now Prospering: Fifty Years After some Rejected Edinburgh Artists Dreamed Up the Concept, Fringe Theatre has Spread Worldwide -- so there. " The Vancouver Sun: Sep 06 1996. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. • Prahalad, C. K. and Ramaswamy, Venkat (2004 a) 'Co-creating unique value with customers', Strategy & Leadership 32 (3): 4 -9 • Prahalad, C. K. and Ramaswamy, Venkat (2004 b) 'Co-creation Experiences: The Next Practice in Value Creation ', Journal of Interactive Marketing 18 (3): 5 -14 • Weckmann, Sebastian (2013) E-mail interview on 13 th February 2013, Helsinki • "Western theatre. " Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. , 2013. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. <http: //www. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/849217/Western-theatre>. • http: //helsinkifringe. luckan. fi. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. • Video: After Miss Julie: http: //helsinkifringe. luckan. fi/category/productions/, Web. 14 Feb. 2013 • http: //www. edfringe. com/about-us, Web. 14 Feb. 2013. • https: //www. facebook. com/helsinkifringe? fref=ts Web. 14 Feb. 2013.