Student Blog: Show Week as a Marketing Intern

Have you ever wondered what show week looks like for a regional Broadway organization? I have gone through this experience not once, but twice this summer as a Social Media & Marketing Intern at Broadway Grand Rapids (BGR), located in Grand Rapids, Michigan! Throughout the summer I have had many responsibilities including managing BGR’s social media accounts, engaging with followers, community outreach, and much more, but the week leading up to opening night of a show is definitely the busiest. Today, I’m going to walk you through what my week looked like leading up to opening night of MJ The Musical, which ran July 9-14 in Grand Rapids!

The main thing us interns were tasked with leading up to opening night was creating engaging, meaningful content that would get people EXCITED about MJ. It’s a newer show and was making its Michigan debut, so we needed to make it a BIG deal. Our first priority was to plan consistent posts encouraging people to buy tickets. Using Facebook Meta, we scheduled a variety of media (tour production photos, trailers, behind the scenes, and more) to go out over the coming weeks, all of it a little bit different so as to keep people interested and involved.

One way we did this was through our MJ glove promotion. We used the iconic sparkly glove that MJ wears in the show in many of the pictures that were posted on our socials. Some of these included BGR board members coming to our office and striking a pose while wearing it, guests at the theater trying it on, and shooting some video and media with our own staff wearing it. This promotion alone added a level of excitement and authenticity to our marketing that made it truly unique. These posts, combined with our fun and energetic MJ-themed TikToks, helped get the word out there about the show, and we even got reposted by the official MJ The Musical account a few times!

Before I knew it, opening night was upon us, and an hour and a half before showtime BGR staff suited up in our matching MJ t-shirts and headed over to the theater to prepare for the crowd. It’s a hectic time in the lobby leading up to when the show starts, but it’s the kind of exhilarating hectic that you actually really enjoy and don’t want to end. In this time, us interns were interviewing guests, providing photo-ops with the MJ glove, helping people to their seats. And basically any other task that was needed. Eventually, the show started, and it was everything I dreamed it would be and more. The cast was phenomenal, the sets were stunning, and the musical numbers had my JAW on the FLOOR. MJ immediately rose up to my top 5 Broadway musicals of all time, and I am counting down the days until I get to see it again. If it is coming to your city, I BEG you to check it out, I promise you will not regret it.

The final thing that happens on show day is the cast party, which takes place at a local restaurant right across the street from the theater. All BGR staff, board members, cast, and other special guests are invited to this event, where you can eat good food and mix and mingle with everybody! I was especially excited for this event because one of my FAVORITE actors was going to be there: MJ himself, Roman Banks. I have been a fan of Roman since he played Howie in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, so seeing him perform live was an incredible experience. I had the pleasure of meeting him at the cast party, and he was truly one of the most humble, down-to-earth people I have ever met. He answered all of my questions and even asked some of his own, making for a perfect end to what was one of the best nights of my summer.

Well, there you have it! An overview of what my role looked like preparing for show week of a Broadway national tour in Grand Rapids. I hope this was entertaining as well as informative!

Peace and love,

Natalie