Encyclopedia News; November 7

[Gaetan Charlebois]

Hello All

I have been told that one of the problems with the Calendar and other
elements of the Encyclopedia which call for participation by the theatre
companies is that many companies are not on the internet.

I am going to be brutally frank here: a theatre company, amateur, regional
or commercial, which does not use the internet is like a company which does
not use the telephone. It's as simple as that. I think we would all agree
that the future of theatre in the country lies in exposing a new generation
to theatre. A company which does not keep its eye on _this_ bottom line, to
my mind no longer merits funding of any kind. The emerging generation of
theatre-goers is using the internet, often as a primary source of
information. A THEATRE COMPANY WHICH DOES NOT HAVE A PRESENCE ON THE
INTERNET DOES NOT EXIST. Ask yourself why the major houses in the nation -
Stratford, Shaw, Canadian Stage - have poured money, resources and no small
amount of talent into their web sites.  The internet is their FIRST line of
advertising.

I get deeply depressed when I hear a company has no internet presence (not
even e-mail!). Or that a company has a presence but never updates its
information (some theatre sites "announce" seasons starting in October
1997!) or that a company has a web site but never answers its e-mail. Of all
the bills a company pays to communicate with audience, real or potential,
the smallest is probably its internet bill. But it's also the biggest waste
of money if the internet is not used wisely and in this case "wisely" means
answering e-mail from interested people (like the dozens of youngsters who
write me each week). You never know when a school project on Canadian
theatre will turn into a curiousity about plays and players and a hunger for
live theatre.

You also never know when Tourist X from Great Britain who is visiting your
city next week chooses the internet as his/her only form of information
about theatre in your city. If you're not on the net, for that tourist, too,
you do not exist.

I have been using the internet for over four years and managing web sites
for over three. The traffic has grown (for the Encyclopedia, we've seen
traffic go from about 1-200 a week at the beginning, September, 1998, to
3-5000 now) while the price of using the net has plunged (a company can now
get an e-mail address for less than $9 a month and in many urban centres for
nothing - through freenets and local libraries, via Hotmail, Canoe or Yahoo;
a web site can be set up for free at places like Geocities and Xoom or as
part of your internet account with companies like Sympatico or Total Net).

Stats Can has told us that last year about one in two Canadians used the
net. Apple announced that sales for the iMac, their internet-ready home
computer, have soared (putting the company back in the bold-black from its
near-death). The Internet will surely change (as the telephone changes) but
it will not go away. People who think it's a fad are dinosaurs and need to
wake up.  A theatre company guided by someone who has never been on the
internet or who thinks it will go away is a theatre company that doesn't
care about its future.

So if you know a company (or worse, are in a company) that says they are not
on that net and that's why they're not in the Calendar, or why they don't
have a web site, or why they don't get e-mail; tell them the facts - again:
one in two Canadians used the net last year. Where was the company when
those Canadians were looking for them?

End of rant.

All this to say that I have launched another six months into the Calendar
which means you can now register productions to June, 2001.

If you would like a copy of the entire list of profiles, I can send it to
you by e-mail. Also if, for teaching etc., you'd like all the Thea-Tricks
questions and answers since the beginning, that's available too.  (Both at
no charge like all services provided by canadiantheatre.com.)

Don't forget Heavenly Voices for your regional news, job postings or
audition calls. (http://www.canadiantheatre.com/heavenlyvoices.html)

Announce your show!
(http://www.canadiantheatre.com/calendar/calendarguidlines.html) If you want
to see what a typical region's and month's line-up can look like go to
(http://www.canadiantheatre.com/calendar/atoc99.html)

Register your link too!
(http://www.canadiantheatre.com/links/linksguidelines.html)

New Features:
Calendar extended to June, 2001

New Profiles:
Robins, Brenda (Actor) (http://www.canadiantheatre.com/r/robinsb.html)
Hartwell, Peter (Designer) (http://www.canadiantheatre.com/h/hartwellp.html)

Updates:
Reviews (2 Added); Links; Thea-Tricks; Calendar (6 productions added);
Sources; Heavenly Voices; French, D.; "Salt-Water Moon"; Thomson, RH:
Droege, S.; Chan, M.; Whittaker, H.; Designing; "Marsh Hay"; Shaw Festival;
Governor General's Awards; Plummer, C.; One Yellow Rabbit; Lanctot, M.;
Briere, B.; Leblanc, N.; Picard, B.

Gaetan L. Charlebois (Editor, The Encyclopedia of Canadian Theatre on the
WWW) http://www.canadiantheatre.com or
http://cantheatre.canoe.ca
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