Quality Over Quantity
Every community theatre wants to fill seats, raise money, and grow its audience. Social media should help do all three, but too often feeds get cluttered with endless graphics and rushed posts. Audiences scroll right past the clutter. The good news: a smarter content strategy built on people and stories can set your theatre apart.
Content That Pulls People In
Audiences crave connection. They want to know the performers, the process, and the personalities behind the curtain. Instead of stuffing your feed with posters, try:
- Cast spotlights. Introduce actors with a headshot, role, and one personal detail.
- Behind the scenes. Share rehearsal photos, costume progress, or set builds.
- Teasers. Short clips of a dance, a musical phrase, or a dramatic moment.
- Show run highlights. Backstage snapshots, post-show thank-yous, or cast selfies.
- Committee Spotlights. Set design, costumes, public relations, your volunteer coordinator, producing teams, etc.
- Throwbacks. Helps reconnect audiences who were highly engaged during the production and draw them back into the community.
- National “Days”.
National Best Friends Day? Great opportunity to share photos of best friends from shows past: Sheila and Bobby in A Chorus Line, Jeremy and Michael from Be More Chill, Ariel and Flounder from The Little Mermaid.
- Cast Lists.
Tends to be the most shared content on theatre pages.
Balance the Show and the Mission
Productions are only part of your story. Social media should also support the bigger picture:
- Fundraising. Share donor stories, highlight impact, and include clear calls to give.
- Volunteers and committees. Feature the ushers, painters, and board members who keep the theatre running.
- Events and programs. Promote workshops, auditions, and partnerships with schools or local businesses.
When you mix show promotion with mission-driven content, your feed reflects the full heartbeat of your organization.
Quality Beats Quantity
Posting every day means nothing if the content looks sloppy. A single high-quality photo will earn more engagement than five blurry ones. A candid rehearsal clip with good lighting often works better than a cluttered graphic. Choose clarity, authenticity, and consistency over volume.
Video or Photo
Community theatres should focus on posting quality photos and videos that match the story they want to share. The format should be chosen based on what communicates the message most effectively. Yes, video happens to be popular right now, but it isn't always the best choice. For example, a cast list works best as a clean, well-designed photo. Videos are more effective when they’re intentional, such as teaser clips from the show, behind-the-scenes challenges, or fun, engaging chatter. Photos should be clear, focused, and free of clutter in backgrounds, and every person in the shot should look ready to be featured. A simple test is to ask: would I want this image or video posted of me, and would I stop to engage with it if I saw it while scrolling?
Engage Cast and Creative Teams
Your PR team cannot do it all. Encourage cast and crew to share photos and clips throughout the process. Create a shared folder where everyone can drop material. When content comes from many voices, it feels more alive, and your team has more to work with.
Official Announcements Should Come From You First
Did you just finish casting? A good rule of thumb is to let the cast know they can share their excitement only after the theatre’s official announcement. Major news, whether it’s a cast list or a new initiative, should come from your channels first. This not only makes the information more official but also drives traffic back to your page. A single cast list post can be shared dozens of times, and multiply your reach. But if every cast member posts separately before you do, your theatre may miss out on valuable engagement, followers, and visibility.
Community vs. Broadway
A Broadway show can market for years with a large budget and long-term campaigns, usually focused on sustaining ticket sales for a single production.
Community theatres, on the other hand, juggle multiple shows each year with short runs while also managing fundraising, committees, and community outreach. That makes every post count. Content should not only build buzz before opening and keep energy high during the run, but also highlight audience reactions, thank supporters, and connect back to the theatre’s broader mission.
Where Broadway marketing centers on the show, community theatre marketing must balance the show with the bigger picture of sustaining the organization. Community theatres have a huge opportunity to be a source of pride for the people and communities involved with their shows and initiatives.
Use Graphics Wisely
Design tools like Canva have their place, but they should not overwhelm your feed. Audiences want connection, not a slideshow of busy, overused templates. Graphics are best for sharing ticket details or dates. Beyond that, lean on strong photos and authentic clips that capture the life of your theatre.
Sure, graphics can be helpful to get important information, but remember the litmus test above? Would I click on this? One way to encourage engagement is to post graphics in a series of tiles. Perhaps your first tile is a lifestyle shot or video, and then you swipe to the graphic, which displays all the information. The most important thing to remember is not to get to "Canva-happy".
Build Community
Social media should feel as alive as the shows you put on stage. Focus on real people, authentic stories, and strong visuals. Balance show promotion with fundraising, volunteer recognition, and community outreach. Choose quality over noise. When your feed reflects the heart of your theatre, audiences will not just attend. They will belong.
