Kat Skuback

Their ships are amazing! I recently went on a cruise with them to their renovated private island in Coco Cay. They really do a great job building out experiences to address every interest and this video captured that in almost every way!

Thanks Elaina! You should definitely try to get on a cruise at some point, they’re so much fun! That article is great. I definitely think that Royal Caribbean and Thrillist address a lot of what the article calls out as ways to win over Millennials. I really agree with the article when it says “Millennials want to engage with authentic brand messages and stories that help them better understand their challenges and also get to know who a company is and what they stand for.”

When Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas, Royal Caribbean and several other cruse lines shared that they intended to provide monetary donations towards disaster relief and that they would be sending ships to deliver water, toilet paper, food, flashlights, generators and more to those in need. This type of messaging helps to demonstrate that the brand also cares for people and the communities it serves. This message will sit really well with Millennials, especially.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-ships/hurricane-disaster-relief

Thanks Amanda!

Posting on behalf of Alyssa:

Honestly, the point of a first national tour is really to discern the feasibility of paying back investors over the long term. It spreads theater out of a local, tourist driven market in New York to local communities. From there, the point is to scale back as much of the original production as possible (which is built with specific HUGE stages in mind…the Wilma Theater is the only stage in the city as large as all but 3 Broadway stages; these shows simply can’t be done in exactly their original form due to physical and logistical constraints, even before the financial constraints).

It’s the scaling back that saves money (sometimes even on the Broadway production), brings the show to new audiences, and, ultimately, opens up the licensing path. The licensing is what will keep making money for Hamilton’s investors in the future; I’m talking about the time when we start seeing this as a shortened, high school/college productions all over America, when the high school band starts playing meddlies of Hamilton music in their programs, etc. And I can guarantee kids are clamoring for it already. The timeline on that is likely 10 years out, so they can profit as much as possible while maintaining total control of their brand, the reputation of which drives this future revenue.

Broadway’s historical purpose (in terms of income for investors) was in part was as a feeder of popular music, all the way back to Cole Porter. It stopped being that, but Hamilton’s connection with modern music provides a pathway back to a different engagement with the american musical. And musicals themselves are uniquely American creation.

Every 10 years or so, some Broadway production is THE THING. When I was in high school, it was Wicked. Hamilton is arguable a lot more relevant to the greater cultural and political conversations in America than Wicked ever was. If you want to read a pretty offensive article about how the Kimmel Center decided to select Hamilton:

“The Woman Who Brought Hamilton to Philly Didn’t Initially Love It”
https://www.inquirer.com/arts/hamilton-musical-broadway-kimmel-center-lin–20190824.html

Hamilton needs an audience of advocates. It’s very premise doesn’t seem profitable to a mostly white, male producing circuit; it seems like a risk. But you can tell from the first video of the first performance of the first song at the White House Poetry Jam in 2009 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNFf7nMIGnE) that Lin Manuel was able, through his particular world view, see a unique, juxtaposed, and timely idea for a spectacle that would resonate with millions of people that musicals normally cannot reach.

This contrast of ideas (starchy founding fathers, but rapping, and these powerful figures being played specifically by a non-white cast) is what makes Hamilton intriguing at first sight. It’s a traditional musical in many ways structurally. So the contrast brings you in, maybe you need the lottery to afford it, but in the meantime, here’s snippets of it, a daily trivia, etc. All of this enriches your understanding of the story (which relies a lot on some untaught history) before you arrive.

The case study ignores that Lin Manuel was already a successful Tony and Grammy award-winning composer of In the Heights, another musical that was a “surprise” hit. It’s a surprise because the audience for these shows is far younger and more diverse than for standard Broadway fare. So they made touchpoints for theater that normally wouldn’t exist. (It’s hard to film a rehearsal, there’s LOTS of union rules involved about access, posting, credits, etc. even for social media), and found alternate ways to engage an audience that very rarely sees a character that looks like themselves on the stage.

It’s a rare thing, done impeccably well, created for an audience that’s broader, younger, and more diverse than Broadway is used to seeing. Unless people start picking up that this is the future of theater in America, the idea of an app for an individual production likely won’t work, because there will be too few loyalists to support it with your standard once a decade hit (Hamilton, Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Les Miserables…)

In terms of American theater, colorblind casting is still an uphill battle. (Dispute over Hamilton’s Call for non-white actors https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/03/hamilton-casting/476247/).

Hamilton had to be impeccable to succeed while insisting that the founding fathers be played by people of color. It’s exactly that which makes it a success. It’s an anomaly, but it is pointing out the future of stories we could start telling to reengage a younger more diverse audience than has ever existed. That audience is on social media and, as we discussed, mobile is a primary way we consume social

An app in this context brings focus in a way social media run campaigns could not.

The frenzy, loyalty, and novelty has led to an app, I’m just hoping what Hamilton offers becomes normalized so american theater tells stories that have relevance in our contemporary lives and understanding of who we are and what we could be. That’s the whole point of art in the first place: expression and aspiration.

Totally get where you’re coming from Matt about whether other productions could have used a similar mobile app experience. When you think about some of the most successful Broadway productions, like Phantom of the Opera, The Lion King, or Wicked, none of them had this experience and were still massive hits with the public. I don’t think it would be worth it for any production to have an app with the sole purpose of running a lottery, though it would make it easier to find! Like we’ve learned from Hamilton, the app needs to bring something more to continue and enhance the experience of past, current or future audiences.

No worries at all! I know what you mean about missing the notifications! I had to remind myself to turn mine back on when I came back from vacation recently. That not only was beneficial to myself (for knowing if I won) but also for Hamilton to be able to target push notifications to me as an active listener.

Thanks Karen! 🙂