Mondays are Dark

Time once again for your Monday reading list. From the traffic, it looks like you like it; the last two weeks it's recieved more hits than The Scene! Thank you for reading, and enjoy!

User Comments
Last week, I posted a link to a story about reasons arts organizations don't want to have a blog, and one of those reasons was "negative comments."
Well, here's the Producer's Perspective's er, perspective:

What about the poor Producer who whines, "But what if my show gets negative reviews?"

To that producer I say, "Produce a show that people like!"

He goes on to say that you must have confidence in what you produce. If you don't, you don't last long.

In an age where word of mouth (and online word of mouth, which I am now officially calling and coining the phrase, "Word of Web"), means more than ever, passionate people who post about your show can mean butts in seats. Yes, they can also spread around the bad germs as well, but if you're producing a show, you've got to go out thinking you're going to get the positive comments, or you shouldn't bother producing the show in the first place.

So toughen up, and set up a place for your patrons to leave comments!

Interesting Approach...
...but not one I'd pursue. Mission Paradox points out that shows aren't the only thing that get word of mouth:

...firing people creates the most powerful type of marketing: viral marketing.

What do people do once they have been fired?

They talk about it.

Well, they're right about that: just look at all the hullabaloo around the Skylight Theatre. There's a lot of it. And it's all entirely negative.

Well, to be fair, the point is exactly that: be careful how you handle employees.

ABBA Back
Palm Beach is buzzing about the return of Mama Mia to South Florida: the Post and the Daily News both have stories this week.

People can't seem to get enough of Mamma Mia! The show has played eight times at South Florida venues, including twice at the Kravis Center, in 2004 and 2006. Mamma Mia! will return Tuesday when it will open for a six-day run at the Kravis.
- PB Daily News

So if you haven't had enough, or somehow haven't seen it, get up to the Kravis Center.

In Good Company
Examiner.com tells us about famous actors from Miami. It's by no means a complete list: for example, they missed Kim Hunter, who grew up in Miami Beach. During Hurricane Andrew, she told me about how she watched the 1928 hurricane roll into Miami.

Meanwhile, in Palm Beach...
The Royal Poinciana Playhouse is still closed.