Our production team was very familiar with The Fantasticks and believed this was an excellent vehicle for our talent network that was expected to have high appeal to our target audience. In retrospect, we realize that our leaders have more of an “inside” perspective on the arts than does our general audience. Many, many times we were approached after the show by audience members saying things like “I can’t believe that I had never seen this show before!” and “This show is so great – I am so glad I finally saw it!” Several times, the audience member would say this with tears in their eyes.
The cast included Cabot Rea and his daughter Cassie Rea in the female lead role.
Cassie returned home from a theatre career based out of NYC to share the stage with her father. This appealed to our audience and added a touching “bucket list” dimension to the show.
NPAC undertook an aggressive attendance promotion targeting high school age students, where a student could attend free with a paying adult. This promotion resulted from a well-received suggestion from Puffin West Foundation and the shared conviction that this show had a message regarding challenge and growth and the transition from idealism to realism that can be particularly meaningful to young people. The promotion was very effective and reached almost 100 high school students, many through their high school theatre program.
The artistic dividends from introducing this classic work to a surprising number of the previously uninitiated. The show’s playfulness leads one to drop their guard before hitting them with a message that resonates with young and old alike. Having this more meaningful impact on individuals is a testament to the project’s success!
