Developing and Engaging Audiences

By Katherine Charleton

Last semester I was assigned to company manage  THE GOLDEN AGE and NEWFEST 2011. I wanted to take this opportunity to do more than make sure everyone has signed their contracts and collect bios. I have a strong interest in working with people, and as a box office employee and usher, I like to see patrons in the theatre. Naturally, challenging myself to bring a large number of new patrons to an Emerson Stage performance seemed to be the right choice to expand my role as Company Manager.

This idea was realized at an usher meeting in the basement of our very own Cutler-Majestic Theater. My friend Barbara Truscello is on the Theater Committee at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (UMASS Boston chapter). As a committee member, she is always looking for something wonderful for her fellow OLLI members to see and experience in the theatre. We spent the entire summer brainstorming and planning possible events she and Emerson Stage could co-host.

A few weeks ago, we met with Emerson Stage staffers, Julie Hennrikus and Tyler York to discuss our ideas. It went really well! The four of us hammered out the foundations of what I think will be a thrilling event for OLLI members and for Emerson Stage. I’m really excited to start working on this project.

Stay tuned to the Emerson Stage Blog for more information on this upcoming event!

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Katherine Charleton is a senior BA Theatre Studies major in the Performing Arts Department at Emerson College.