By prof. Robin Nelson

1. Prof Robin Nelson
Professor of Theatre and Intermedial Performance RCSSD (RTD Jan 2015)
Professor Emeritus Theatre and TV Drama MMU (on-going)
Playing Identities; Performing Heritage
Siena 2014-16
Mobiliser Workshop

2. Aim
To explore some key mobiliser tasks:
• ‘to foster audience engagement’ - on
the ground and digital (local/glocal)
• ‘to set up (a kind of) social media
strategy
• ‘to animate the project web platform
by producing, inspiring,
stimulating and editing contributions
on the digital platform’

3. Why might there be interest?
Who might contribute digitally?
Local interest:
- in the issues
- in the group
- in the process

4. might there be wider ‘glocal’ interest?
• similar issues elsewhere
• widespread online communities
• interest in ‘getting involved’ online (issues
and/or process)
• mash-up prize (Euros 3,000)
BUT
need to work harder to generate and sustain
interest

5. strategies for reaching audiences
• direct local contact
• virtual online contact
• establish with actors/directors, ‘co-
construction’ strategies for involvement
in the creative process

6. tactics for local engagement
• contact list of interested
individuals/groups
• set up well-advertised open meetings
• visit groups
• involvement in creative process:
video feedback and/or showings with
post-presentation discussion

7. tactics for virtual engagement
• set up social media links (Facebook,
Twitter - with links to PanSpeech
• advertise mash-up prize
• post process material written and visual
on PanSpeech inviting responses
• mobilise creative thinking about mash-up

8. Task
Each mobiliser to draw up two ‘brainstorm’
charts:
- local audience: who and how to build?
- online audience: who and how to build?
- demographics (age, gender, class, ethnicity)

9. Documentation
• visual material (photographs, video
clips) needs to be captured.
• Who will do this and when?
• Visuals, and other documents, need to
be uploaded on Pan Speech and
linked to Facebook, Twitter
• such materials will be the basis for
mash-ups

10. moments of process
• don’t aim to capture everything
• select - or even construct - interesting
moments
• the aim is for ‘teasers’ to catch the
attention

11. co-construction process
If the project allows for co-construction:
• material which set quests (as in
gaming);
• or questions for people to address
• schedule regular uploads with pre-set
dates for engagement

12. Task
Think about:
• your group; its project; available
technical skills and facilities.
• ‘brainstorm’ possible opportunities for
‘co-construction’

13. ‘marketing’ video
• worth considering making a short video to
post on YouTube
• crucial difference between an audience
online and audience in a cinema –
• can click away whenever they like.
• YouTube gives users pretty good stats on
audience retention.
•providing descriptive titles, descriptions and
tags is essential to optimise reach

14. Recent example from Headlong
- with critique
• title could be more descriptive – how about ‘Falling Headlong’
• link to further information. In this case Headlong have come
close – but needs to have the http:// before it to be
clickable
• description is weak. Give a paragraph on who/what Headlong
Theatre is. Tell me the names of the plays, where they’re
touring to and when then link to further information.
• tags are a good start but give me a few more – start with
‘theatre’ and go from there
• Use YouTubeannotations - quick and easy to insert and could
mean that the URL at the end of the video is clickable.
• put a discreet box around each actor linking to info about the
respective production page on the Headlong website.

15. Task
• imagine what kind of ‘marketing’ video
might suit your project
• sketch some ideas (possibly in the form
of a story-board)

16. Live Streaming
• to give con-constructors access to
material produced by actors/directors
and get immediate feedback
• perhaps to afford access to Creole
Performance Cycle for those not
able to be in Siena 2016

17. Live Streaming Platforms
• now possible to stream from a cell
phone
• platforms such as YouTubeLive;
Pandora; TwitCasting; Veetle;
Bambusa; LiveStream