27118 - Theatre Promotion and Information (1)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course the student:

• Will acquire knowledge in the field of communication and promotion of theater events and projects
• Will acquire skills in marketing and communication of cultural events
• Will learn the fundamentals of promotion, press office, web and social media communication
• Will be able to work on real case histories

Course contents

The course will delve into the themes related to communication and promotion of performing arts, thanks to a theoretical-operational approach integrated with the analysis of different case histories.

The main topics covered will be:

• Theater and culture marketing
• Communication: rules and models, with reference to the performing arts sector
• “Traditional” communication: advertising, public relations, publishing, Direct Marketing
• The press office: stakeholders, dynamics, activities
• Promotion: what it is, how has it changed over time
• Digital Marketing for culture and performing arts
• The website and its importance in the communication system
• Building a social communication system
• Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest and other social media: how to use them to promote performing arts
• How to communicate theater, today.

Readings/Bibliography

1) Maulini, A., Comunicare la cultura, oggi, Editrice Bibliografica, Milano.

2) Colbert, F., Marketing delle arti e della cultura, Rizzoli Etas, Milano, 2012.

3) Roberto Canziani, Comunicare spettacolo. Teatro, musica, danza, cinema. Tecniche e strategie per l'ufficio stampa, Franco Angeli, Milano, 2005 or, as an alternative to this book, Malcolm Gladwell, Il punto critico. I grandi effetti dei piccoli cambiamenti, BUR Biblioteca Univ. Rizzoli, Milano 2006.

Teaching methods

The course will be based on frontal lessons supported by Power Point presentations and web links. The students will receive a wide and exhaustive sitography, which will be updated during the course and which will give them a state of the art overview of the dynamics of theatrical promotion and communication, in Italy and in other countries.

Assessment methods

Oral examination in Italian language.

Attending students (i.e. those who attended at least 80% of classes) can study just one book for the exam instead of three, as required for non-attending students.

Attending students can choose one of the following books:
- Andrea Maulini, “Comunicare la Cultura, oggi”;
- François Colbert, “Il Marketing della Cultura”.

Furthermore, attending students will have to prepare a written project work – explained during classes – to be sent to the professor one week before the exam.

The oral examination will evaluate the critical and methodological skills acquired by the student in relation to the theatrical promotion and information, while the evaluation of the project will verify the students’ ability to independently apply information acquired during the course.

The organic vision of the topics dealt with, the mastery of a specific language, the originality of reflection as well as the familiarity with the concepts of performing arts promotion and Information will be evaluated with excellent or good grades.

A mostly mechanical or mnemonic knowledge of the material, as well as poor synthesis and analysis skills, a correct but not always appropriate language, uncertain domain of objects, contents and methods of the performing arts promotion and information will be evaluated with more than sufficient grades.

More or less serious shortcomings in training , inappropriate language, poor knowledge of the performing arts promotion and Information will be evaluated barely sufficient or negatively.

Teaching tools

The course will be developed in two interrelated modes: a theoretical part based on classroom lessons and a practical part - with a direct intervention of the students - dedicated to the analysis of real case histories.

Office hours

See the website of Andrea Paolo Maulini