As the new academic year begins, orientation season presents an opportunity for clubs, programs, and groups to welcome and recruit new members. For your theatre department, it’s an opportunity to build connections, foster belonging, and showcase offerings. Orientation season is crucial: it helps scout new talent, grow your numbers, diversify your community, and try new marketing strategies at once.
This season is the time to harness the power of marketing and recruiting. On The Stage offers strategic and easy-to-enact ways to turn your school’s orientation season into a marketing launchpad.
Your orientation audience will look a bit different depending on the type of program you’re running – especially as it relates to the ages of the students you want to recruit. That said, gaining a better understanding of your orientation audiences before orientation season begins will help you make the most of your recruitment and marketing efforts. A few key things to consider include:
If you’re working for a K-12 institution – especially with younger kids – parents and other guardians are often the ones making major decisions about extracurricular activities or classes. In that sense, your marketing efforts will be best served focusing on theatre’s many holistic benefits, from increased confidence to a strong focus on collaboration, creativity, and leadership. (Not to mention the academic benefits of theatre!)
These talking points will resonate strongly with parents looking to enrich their kids’ lives with a dynamic extracurricular or class. Additionally, touting your theatre program as a safe space for kids of all ages and walks of life will appeal to just about anyone.
Perhaps this one is an obvious talking point about orientation audiences … but it bears repeating and bears reflection when coming up with marketing strategies. No matter a student’s age, home life, or other outside interests, they are eager to find a place to belong. Theatre programs can market themselves as a welcoming community that fosters connection, belonging, and fun – free of cliques, intense competition, or lofty academic requirements. In short, the majority of new students entering your academic landscape are unsure and nervous, so understanding that you can be a safe space for them during orientation will help you break the ice.
If you are running a theatre program at a college, university, or particularly developed high school, orientation fairs and activity expos are bustling – and sometimes, a stagnant booth or quick chat with a flyer isn’t enough to garner attention.
Instead, theatre programs like yours can utilize short performances and interactive workshops during orientation season to draw attention and make connections. Additionally, with older students, peer-to-peer influence may be more powerful than teacher/adult influence, meaning that established theatre members should be involved with orientation to help build a stronger overall reputation and establish trust.
Most orientation audiences – whether they be students or parents of students – are typically inundated with clubs, activities, and program pitches in a short period of time. These folks are, thus, overwhelmed, overstimulated, and looking for simple, concise pitches.
That said, theatre programs like yours need to stand out with strong visuals (like costumes and props), as well as memorable messaging that doesn’t exhaust your audiences. Thinking of a snappy hook to your program, like “ Find your voice on stage,” will also help keep your program recognizable among the dozens of other options.
Another reason why orientation season is so important? It’s one of the few times students and families are actively seeking information from you, looking for community, and feeling open to new opportunities. In short, this is the time to seize that interest, showcase your value, and build awareness before the school year begins or major extracurricular activities have been set in stone. Here are just a few ways to maximize your impact and be truly present at orientation events:
Setting up a table at orientation fairs or school events is a tried-and-true way to connect with students and parents and give interested folks a glimpse into your program and its offerings. However, the last thing you want to do is just hand out boring flyers and sit quietly. Make sure you’re making your table interactive and inviting with costume and prop displays, ongoing improv games, short performances, or a looped highlight reel of past productions playing in the background. Don’t forget about the importance of clear signage, as well as QR codes for quick sign-ups. If you really want to draw attention, consider offering merchandise giveaways or other small prizes via interactive games or activities.
Collaboration is a powerful tool in an oversaturated orientation environment. Consider teaming up with like-minded groups – like the dance team, music ensembles, or student leadership groups – to co-host orientation events. Cross-promoting each other’s programs not only expands your potential student reach, but proves that your theatre is not an island unto itself; it’s woven into the broader culture of your school.
For K-12 programs, orientation can also be a way to convince parents that theatre clubs or after-school programs are worth the investment. Offering orientation-only discounts or promo codes for club fees, season tickets, or family subscriptions can encourage immediate commitment to the cause. If you don’t have the budget for sweeping discounts, even smaller incentives like “first show free” tickets showcase that you value families and want their support.
It doesn’t matter if you make a lot of connections at orientation if you walk away without any phone numbers or email leads. Indeed, being present at orientation events is not just about being visible and engaging; it’s also about following up, fostering those connections, and remaining determined to recruit. Make sure you’re using sign-up sheets, digital forms, QR codes, and other methods to gather emails, phone numbers, and names. And once that information is gathered, ensure it’s stored digitally for easy access. Orientation is, after all, just the first touchpoint in the process.
Your marketing campaign during orientation should be a balance of fun and informative, drawing in both the students and the parents. For example, you should be touting the friendship and creativity involved, as well as the skill-building, confidence/leadership development, and academic alignment facets. Creating a dual-focus approach ensures you connect with every orientation audience member.
Orientation day (or week) is great – and you’ll be able to make strong connections in-person with a lot of folks. That said, those efforts should not be your only marketing strategies to recruit during orientation season. You can also utilize email campaigns, social media teasers, QR codes, and flyers around school, as well as weekly newsletters to reach your full potential – and target students and parents who weren’t able to make it to orientation.
The best marketing tool you have in your arsenal? The students who already love your program. That said, use them! As mentioned, peer-to-peer influence is powerful, whether it’s fourth graders chattering away on the playground or collegiate sophomores discussing clubs in the library. Featuring passionate student ambassadors in your campaign adds a true authenticity to your marketing efforts and helps prospective participants put an approachable face to your program.
Orientation season is more than a welcome event; it’s a strategic opportunity to launch your theatre program’s marketing efforts for the school year. The strategies you use during this time set the tone for your program, whether connecting with K-12 parents or college students.
Managing all these moving parts can feel daunting – but On The Stage can help. From intuitive marketing tools to streamlined box office solutions, OTS helps theatre programs of all sizes maximize their visibility and recruit more students – during orientation season and long after.
If you’re looking for a place to start, download the Unlocking Success: A Marketing Timeline for the Performing Arts eBook. This guide is packed with easy-to-follow steps based on proven success to help you level up your marketing and grow your organization. After, book a personalized demo with OTS to strengthen your theatre program for years to come.