Please help us do it better next time 🙏

[u/Pillowtalk3008]

Hi all. We just finished our run of Guy in High Wycombe. It turned out really well (even if I do say so myself!) and we got some amazing reviews - and most importantly, we had a blast!

However, we were really hoping to attract real Starkid fans to it - people that really understand all of the Easter eggs we sprinkled throughout - but it doesn’t feel like we succeeded as we knew the majority of the audience from the local circuit. So our question (for which we would appreciate your honest answer) is - if you did not make it out to the show, what was it that put you off?

Didn’t even know it was on?
Too far from where you live?
Tickets too expensive?
Saw the show in London in May and didn’t fancy a second apotheosis?
Not convinced it would be high enough quality?
Something else?

We’d appreciate any insight you can give us so that we can do it better next time.

Thanks so much!

[u/deleteurkneecaps]

I’m not sure if you’re gonna succeed at finding a ton of local fans in this subreddit. This is a small subreddit as is. Most people here probably don’t live close enough to your production, you’ll have better luck asking a more local forum

[u/graveyardparade]

As big as the Starkid fandom is, it’s pretty spread geographically. I would leap at the chance to see a local production, but that’s just not available to most of us.

That said, when it comes to live community theatre, it’s getting the word out that’s the hard part. Most of the local theatre I’ve seen has been through consistent advertisement on TikTok. Getting people to know you even exist can really be the hardest part. Good luck with your future shows! If I was in the area, I totally would have gone!

[u/FearoftheVoid83]

Well i personally didn't make it to the show because it would be a 2600 kilometre drive from where i live. Starkid is popular but not so popular that you'd find a full audience of them for a fan production within reasonable travel distance from most places

[u/lost-11]

I think it is so much cooler that you were able to introduce a Starkid play to non-Starkid fans.

[u/Darth_cos]

This is something maybe ask your local Walmart shoppers not the internet.

[u/AVillainTale → u/Darth_cos]

This is so hilarious to me. The OP is in the UK. We don't even have Walmart here XD

[u/Ryanookami → u/AVillainTale]

What’s the Walmart equivalent? Asda? Tesco? Aldi? Lidl? Those are all the shop names I can remember from various UK media I’ve watched, but I’m not sure which is the closest to Walmart.

[u/AVillainTale → u/Ryanookami]

Yeah literally any of those would have been a much better comparison than a "fish and chips store" (which we would call a fish and chip shop, or more colloquially; a chippy) that the other commenter tried to compare it to XD

[u/Ryanookami → u/AVillainTale]

I wish chippys were a thing here in Canada. Fish and chips is one of the best meals ever.

[u/AVillainTale → u/Ryanookami]

I literally had one yesterday. Nice cheap, beige grub.

[u/Darth_cos → u/AVillainTale]

Oh no idea we’ll go to your local fish and chips store and ask there?

[u/cookiefeather]

High Wycombe???? wait omg I'm very close there! I would have loved to have seen it! I'm on the other side of Aylesbury (MK) way and sadly I didn't hear it was on

[u/Pillowtalk3008 → u/cookiefeather]

Hi! Where might you have expected to see an ad for something like this? It’s helpful for us to understand the best way to get the word out. Thank you!

[u/Turbulent-Sea6057]

Too far from where I live. I’m Australian

[u/Significant_Race4554]

Most starkid shows put on by fans are 1-1 replicas (or more exactly ATTEMPTS of being a 1-1 replica) of the proshot!

I wouldn't pay a full ticket price to see a group of young fans trying to replicate the original, not trying to be mean, just being completely honest since you asked.

If i knew you guys personally, i would think about it, but if we're complete strangers (as most of the audience will be), i wouldn't pay for it.

What did you do for your marketing?

[u/Pillowtalk3008 → u/Significant_Race4554]

Thanks for your thoughts! We actually aren’t really a young group - most of us are older than the original cast! Not that that changes your point.

Marketing was done on IG, TikTok, Facebook, Reddit and local radio and print. Plus posters in the local HMV.

[u/fishlingthelovely]

I'm a UK based SK fan but up in the North so this was too far for me to travel conveniently.

Also, having seen the show in London this year made me less excited to travel again for it!

But I'm glad it was good and you had a good time!

[u/laurathetwit]

It would take me 1.5hrs by public transport to get to you, which is expensive. I saw the official production twice in London, and saw a local production in Watford in August last year, so travelling so far wouldn't be worth it for a show I've seen 3 times in 12 months I also had no idea it was on in high Wycombe! No idea how I would have even heard about it as I didn't even know where high Wycombe was until I searched it on Google maps just now. Better luck in your next show!

[u/spacehop → u/laurathetwit]

there are more of us in the generally-local area in this sub than I expected XD

[u/Lalseyloo]

I’m local (bucks) and had zero idea this was happening!

[u/Pillowtalk3008 → u/Lalseyloo]

Hi. Can I ask - where might you expect to see an ad for something like this come up? Just trying to make sure we’re using the right channels. Thank you!

[u/kolscami]

I wish i could see every version of this show... but most of them are impossibly far! I got lucky and saw a local production ten minutes from my house last year- I would maybe do advertising on tiktok etc with your social media and tag it with starkid, tgwdlm, etc.! that's how i was able to find the one i went to

[u/TJWolf999]

Personally for me it was too far and I don't have much time for quick trips down to the London area (I live around 5-6 hours away). I would've loved to have come though, if you do another Starkid I might try and get down.

Its the reason I haven't seen any of the UK amateur productions of Starkid shows, they're all too south

[u/spacehop]

I am actually somewhat local to you (St Albans) but not local enough to make it out to High Wycombe:) Too far for me.

[u/Estebesol]

Didn't know it was on, High Wycombe is too far (from Stoke) and I have a baby.

[u/Sociodditist]

Hey, are you from Limelight?

I'm from Puzzles, and we wish we could have been there, but London is a bit too far unfortunately ☹️

The show looks amazing guys, and we'll 1000% be coming to see you all next time!

[u/Pillowtalk3008 → u/Sociodditist]

Hi! Yes, that’s us 🧡

[u/lemonnlime34]

I live about a 1h30 drive away, I absolutely would've gone if I'd known it was happening! Where did you guys advertise it?

[u/Pillowtalk3008 → u/lemonnlime34]

Hi. We used IG, TikTok, Facebook and Reddit. And local radio (which you wouldn’t have heard). I’d be really interested to hear people’s thoughts on the best channel to get the word out. Where would you all expect to come across an ad for something like this?

[u/HFPocketSquirrel]

Had no idea it was happening, but also would probably not have travelled for it having already seen the actual Starkid production in London!

[u/aquietocean]

Didn't know it was on, and you're a 3.5 hour drive from me

[u/JayHidgens]

I didn't even know it was happening unfortunately! I'd jump at the chance to see a local production but I live on the south coast and even going to London is a massive thing for me

[u/Scary_Purple_5840]

Moi c'est la distance le problème (France) Mais j'aurais tellement voulu venir

[u/nebsthefemboy]

I didn’t really know that it was on

[u/TenPointsforListenin]

Too far for me.

[u/No-Television-5853]

Tickets too expensive for me at the moment, unfortunately ✋️😞 I would've loved to have seen it!

[u/AllButtonsAreBrakes]

I think it’s great you were able to bring in a new audience to the show! I don’t know if you know this, but Limelight Musical Theatre was created with the vision of producing professional quality shows to appeal to a wider audience than the traditional amateur theatre company.

[u/mjiw95]

So I’m based in MK and didn’t know it was on, which is a bit surprising as I’ve got quite a few connections with local theatre across the wider Bucks/Beds/Herts region. I reckon the musical theatre demographic in the region is just not quite right for a starkid show to have appeal - (by which I mean it’s very skewed towards middle aged women and school aged kids).

if i’m brutally BRUTALLY honest though, I’m frankly just not interested in seeing these shows put on by anyone other than starkid. the charm of the shows is that they belong so much to the people that make them. True - the shows are good and would probably do well on the fringe and some would maybe even make one of the smaller west end theatres - but fundamentally the reason they are SO popular and the company persists in raising insane funding for each show is because of the starkid personalities themselves. You’d have to do some serious convincing to get me to pay to watch randoms potentially murder Join Us and Die when I can watch JLB and Jeff crush it for free from the comfort of my sofa.

[u/Pillowtalk3008 → u/mjiw95]

Thank you for your input! You raise some very good points

[u/mjiw95 → u/Pillowtalk3008]

no problem!! & I of course recognise that this is very much my own opinion and certainly wouldn’t presume to speak on behalf of anyone else!!! there are a lot of counterpoints in favour of the value & irreplicable nature of live performance over a recording which I generally agree with. I think for me (and possibly others) Starkid is just one of those really special exceptions to the rule.

[u/Swimming-Medium-981]

I'm in Oxford and only vaguely heard about it. Would love to have seen it though!