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November 24, 2008
Mass Is Class: The Public Theater and Crowd Surfing
I had a cocktail party at my home last Thursday for the Public Theater, a New York City institution founded by a son of immigrants and dedicated to the proposition that culture should be available to all. Joseph Papp, who grew up in the Yiddish-speaking enclave of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, taught himself English by reading Shakespeare. This proved the inspiration for his commitment to offering Shakespeare in the Park free to all who would come (first in Central Park, then in the outer boroughs).
Noted actor, Sam Waterston, who met his wife while performing at the Public in the early 70s, then was in a production thirty years later of Much Ado About Nothing with his daughter, brilliantly recited a passage from The Tempest, which was the highlight of my party. Prospero, having outmaneuvered his evil brother and regained his dukedom, married off his eligible daughter and restored order from comedic chaos, says:
Now my charms are all o’erthrown,
And what strength I have’s mine own,
Which is most faint: now, ‘tis true,
I must be here confined by you,
Or sent to Naples. Let me not,
Since I have my dukedom got
And pardon’d the deceiver, dwell
In this bare island by your spell;
But release me from my bands
With the help of your good hands:
Gentle breath of yours my sails
Must fill, or else my project fails,
Which was to please.
Waterston suggested that Shakespeare’s subtle appeal for applause and cheers be adapted for today’s difficult economic climate, sure to pressure non-profits accustomed to generous support from corporations and government. He asked that each of us “help with our good hands” to keep the mission of the Public Theater alive, to enable future generations of Joe Papps to emerge from the immigrant community to add to the vitality of our culture.
So how does this relate to Crowd-Surfing, the excellent new book by David Brain (disclosure: president of Edelman Europe) and Martin Thomas, on the new age of consumer empowerment? Consider this single statistic from the recently completed Obama for President Campaign. Three million donors made a total of 6.5 million donations on-line adding up to more than $500 million in funds raised. Of those donations, 6 million were in increments of $100 or less. His email list has 13 million addresses. A million people signed up for the text-messaging program. Two million profiles were created on MyBarackObama.com, his social network, plus 5 million supporters in other venues such as Facebook and MySpace.
The theory of fund-raising can now be turned on its head. The mass is the new class. Contrary to usual techniques of relying on the top five percent of donors to deliver half of the funds, we need to tap into the rich, new vein of socially committed and connected people. As Brain and Thomas see it, “The crowd is, in effect, our new family, and sporting events, political rallies and rock concerts provide the platforms for the crowd to congregate and the sense of community that we all need. For many people, this sense of community is reinforced through the brands that they choose to align themselves with.” The authors go on to create a pathway to participation, from “being interesting” to “giving the crowd a piece of the action.”
Those of us in the PR business need to volunteer our services to non-profits, helping them to emulate the genius of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty (disclosure: Edelman client) by opening them up to a more participative presence on the web. I cannot wait for the Public Theater to become the aggregator of all amateur productions of Shakespeare, with comments from directors Barry Edelstein and Oskar Eustis about how they might have done it differently. And in return, we will be able to attract a new base of donors, whose voices will have been heard as control gives way to credibility. Philanthropy can no longer be limited to the rich and powerful—we have to enable the mass community to play.
Try this theory out for yourself. Please donate to the Public Theater by emailing the Shakespeare Initiative's Director, Barry Edelstein at bedelstein@publictheater.org. I will personally match the first $12,500 contributed.
Thank you for your support of the Public Theater.
Posted by Edelman at November 24, 2008 9:08 AM
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Comments
Thought you might be interested to read this post on today's New York Times Politics Blog:
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/24/study-obamas-small-donors-really-werent/
While Obama's fund raising was strong in its depth and reach, this analysis debunks some of the thinking.
Posted by: Mark at November 24, 2008 9:46 PM
Mark,
Hugely interesting. Thanks for this. Am now reeducated. But still believe in need to ask the broader community to donate.
Richard
Posted by: Richard Edelman at November 25, 2008 4:51 PM
Richard,
Agree 100% on getting the broader community involved in the political process. While I am a practicing Republican – I also have a renewed sense of hope with Obama’s election and the way he is confidently and methodically handling the transition of power.
I am a fan of your blog and also a fan of Steve Rubel’s blog and tweets – met him at an Bulldog Reporter PR agency summit in NYC.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family . . .
Mark
Posted by: Mark Eber at November 25, 2008 4:55 PM
We've been to several free readings at the Public this season and saw Mike Daisey's "If You see Something Say Something" at Joe's Pub. The Public is a great insitution that has not lost sight of its mission to showcase experimental theatre and to support new theatre artists. They present free and low cost theatre for the masses all year long. We are enthusiastic supporters. Waterston played Polonius in Hamlet, free Shakespeare in the Park by the Public last summer. What a thrill to have him perform in your home!
Mark Rose
Posted by: Mark Rose at December 9, 2008 9:40 AM