Dear Nurse Ansalong:
We recently started an RHPS cast and have shows and have shows. But, it seems like more than half of them leave after the Time Warp and, besides, they are 12-18 and don't have any spirit. Basically, they don't dress up and sit like zombies. So I'm asking for some ideas on how to really grope their interest into staying. It's a real put-down for our cast; all the work, and we're left with maybe 25 people at the end of the show.
-Patricia

Patricia, you do not have an uncommon problem. I've been to see many casts, and, as the film goes on, the audience seems to slowly dissappear. Usually, the largest audience migration happens at the end of the creation/lab scenes. One way to get more of a response from your audience is to "plant" people to yell out lines. If there is a cast member at the show who isn't performing or isn't on stage (like the Transylvanians following the lab scene), have them go out into the audience and say their lines. This just might bring out some responses from the audience, and, to see someone that was just on stage in the audience, could wake up the "sleeping masses". If you have an MC, then get him to have more interaction with the audience. There are many sites, including this one, that have long lists of pre-show ideas. To see something either surprising or strange might just wake them up too. Depending on what your theatre is like, you might also want to think about how much interaction you have with the audience during the show. If it's possible, you might want to have some action begin or go through the audience. Eddie could enter on his motorcycle down an isle or, during the swimming pool section of the Floor Show, have the performers "swim" out into the audience. The more you allow the audience to feel like they're included in the show, the more of a reaction you'll get. If you are a very young cast, you might want to think about doing special advertisements and posting them in places that future audience members go to. This will help make your cast name more recognizable and bring in an increase in the amount coming to see your show. This being said, always remember that you're performing to put on a show for the audience, whatever the amount or age. Entertain them and they will start to call up their friends to come down and see how amazing a show your cast puts on.

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