Playhouse featured in New York Times story about marketing provocative shows


The New York Times is taking the temperature of regional theaters across the U.S. to see how they're marketing Sex With Strangers, a popular play about a relationship between a female novelist and a younger male blogger.

“Since it had its premiere in 2011 at the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago, Sex With Strangers has become one of the most produced plays in the country,” Erik Piepenburg writes, “helped by strong reviews ... a small cast and a provocative title.”

Piepenburg explains that theaters have taken usually one of two routes to promote it: with either a G-rated illustration or an R-leaning photograph, usually of the two actors. He surveys six regional theaters, including Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, to see which direction their marketing took and what response they got. The Playhouse opened its current Shelterhouse season with the show Sept. 26-Oct. 25.

Read the full New York Times story here.
 
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