Media

Building an audience

The Fugard was renowned for its bar-raising social media and online audience engagement and content creation, which marketed the work staged at the theatre. This strategy aimed to develop new audiences and cater to the existing constituencies by creating easily accessed social media platforms for audiences to communicate and engage with The Fugard programming. Early on in its life, and under the leadership of Daniel Galloway, a significant focus was put on using social media to advertise shows and generate interest in The Fugard cultural complex. At the time, this strategy was the first of its kind.

Another element that set the Fugard apart from competing theatres was the level of the graphic design and posters created by in-house graphic designer James Cooke and video designer and photographer Daniel Rutland Manners, and the highly professional rehearsal and production stills of Jesse Kate Kramer, Daniel Rutland Manners and Claude Bernado. In addition, the Fugard Theatre prided itself on being a trailblazer when it came to advertising its shows and events, with high-end promotional videos produced by the in-house Fugard Media team matching the quality of shows presented to audiences.

Audience engagement was focused not only online but was also evident in how The Fugard Foyer was operated. The atmosphere created under the leadership of Front of House Manager Iris Bolton was unique in the history of South African theatre. The team at The Fugard understood that the theatrical experience began at the door to The Fugard. The ethos of the staff, from Security to management, was to put patrons first and create a welcoming, inclusive and safe space for them to enjoy a show. 

Banners, in the Fugard Foyer, such as the Kinky Boots example above, encouraged audience participation and generated social media traffic.

1 250 000

Audience members over 10 years

165 000

Facebook followers

42 000

Newsletter subscribers

8 500

Instagram followers

Trailers, teasers and electronic press kits (EPK)

West Side Story trailer

West Side Story teaser

Kinky Boots trailer

Happy New Year teaser

Bad Jews Cape Town return season trailer

Bad Jews Johannesburg trailer

The Fugard Bioscope 2017 Season Part 1 trailer

The Fugard Bioscope 2017 Season Part 2 trailer

The Fugard Bioscope trailer

Cabaret teaser

Clybourne Park teaser

Clybourne Park trailer

The Fugard at Home promotional trailers

The Eulogists EPK

The Fugard Theatre online booking explainer

The Fugard Theatre promotional video

Funny Girl teaser

Funny Girl trailer

Hamlet teaser (unpublished)

Hemelruim trailer

District Six – Kanala teaser

In the news

The Father on Morning Live

A Steady Rain on Expresso

The Blue Iris on CueTV

Kinky Boots premiere on Expresso

The Rocky Horror Show on TopBilling

Die Reuk Van Appels on Morning Live

Orpheus in Africa on Expresso

Oleanna on SABC News

Kat and the Kings on Die Burger

Oleanna on Expresso

King Kong on Morning Live

King Kong on CGTN

Desmond Dube, speaking about King Kong on SABC News

Happy New Year on Afternoon Express

District Six – Kanala on Mela

District Six – Kanala on Expresso

Closure of The Fugard Theatre on SABC News

Closure of The Fugard Theatre on SABC News

Closure of The Fugard Theatre on Newzroom Afrika

Cabaret on News24

David Kramer discusses Blood Brothers on SABC News