Welcome To Whatsonstage.com Off-west End

#1 Whatsonstage.com

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Posted 10 June 2008 - 03:41 PM

In conjunction with the launch of our new microsite, www.whatsonstage.com/offwestend (many thanks to those who gave us feedback during the build stage), we thought we'd start a dedicated forum on the subject of all things Off-West End & Fringe...

To get things going, what do you make of the new site?

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#2 Alexandra

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Posted 10 June 2008 - 03:50 PM

Sorry, don't like it. I don't want to have to go to two different sites for theatre. And despite reading Coveney's blurb about "fringe benefits", I'm not clear what will move and what will be left on the main site. Is the Donmar off-West End? Is the Royal Court fringe? To have to go to one site for a review of Hamlet at the Novello and another for a review of Othello at the Donmar is just silly.

If the main site was getting too full it would have made much more sense to divide musicals and plays.

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#3 Scal

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Posted 10 June 2008 - 06:27 PM

I completely agree with Alexandra. I find it very disappointing and divisive. I didn't realise that this site was "Whatsonwestendstage.com". It just appears to have lumped together all the theatres out of the west end. Big mistake. It feels incredibly snobbish.

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#4 Guest_Mr Fringe_*

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Posted 10 June 2008 - 07:01 PM

I agree...and where is the link on the home page to get you there?
Once again Whatsonstage has made another mistake...there is no reason why the off west end or fringe should not be
part of the the main page, after all isn't the web site called 'What's on Stage' and that should cover all theatre from one home. Take a leaf out of the good theatre websites such as Playbill.com and Theatremania.com, they have got it spot on covering all performances wherever they are being played and give as much coverage to the smaller shows as they do the big ones...rethink needed I feel!

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#5 Guest_FedEd_*

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Posted 11 June 2008 - 10:02 AM

I think it is a great idea. I like the look of the site and think it makes viewing much easier, having everything on one site would have meant shows disappearing down the list as new ones were put up. Whether we like it or not, as great as whatsonstage might be, it has never really focused on smaller off west end shows and now every show gets a look in. Great work. And Mr Fringe, if you don't think whatsonstage.com a good site why are you here?

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#6 Reich

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Posted 20 June 2008 - 12:40 PM

Im a little confused as to why we need a separate section for fringe. What ever the piece is it would still fit into the existing categories i.e. play, stand-up, dance etc …

I’m not criticising just curious

“The staff are really exited too. Everyone’s giving me a little, doing a little that, when I walk past in the corridor, eyebrow raise thing, when usually they look away.”

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#7 Guest_Emma_*

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Posted 21 June 2008 - 02:11 PM

QUOTE(Reich @ Jun 20 2008, 12:40 PM)

I like the idea of a separate site promoting off West End but...

- I think the separate discussion board is a bit pointless and I suspect it won't be used much. I also think it would be wrong to move threads started in the main play or musicals boards to the off-west end board just for the sake of it.

- I think the microsite, however, is a good thing - but it should be far more integrated with the main whatsonstage site if you really want people to use it. eg whenever the main whatsonstage site is running news stories about off-west end theatre (including places like the bush / young vic) they should then lead readers directly to the micro-site. At the moment the link to the off-West End site is sort of lost at the top of the page. Unlike regional sites, it should be just as prominent as the main whatsonstage site, since viewers should be encouraged to read both.

- Also, why not have the off-west end news section on the front page of the whatsonstage main site? Again, this would encourage people to then click through and explore the microsite!

- I also think that whatsonstage should have more subsidised advertising rates for off-west end theatre, rather than making small theatres compete with big commercial producers.
So any ways of integrating the two sites more closely would be better...

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#8 Guest_Guest_*

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Posted 22 June 2008 - 09:44 AM

I'm with the no camp here.

If the board is too big then split musicals and plays - it's the musicals and telly related stuff that is taking up space not plays. Those of us who go to plays don't split into west end and fringe when we make a choice about what to see!

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#9 SimplyTheatre

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Posted 09 July 2008 - 12:30 AM

I think there are pros and cons in each argument.

I don't mind the seperation(maybe even prefer it), but i think the link to it is VERY BADLY placed. It needs to be in a much more prominent place, and maybe there is a need to include stories from it on the main site.
It is a good step though, and in the right direction.

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#10 Backdrifter

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Posted 22 July 2008 - 08:45 AM

QUOTE(Emma @ Jun 21 2008, 03:11 PM)

- I think the separate discussion board is a bit pointless and I suspect it won't be used much.

I suspect you're right. I often started fringe/off-West End threads in the Plays forum, only to see them whither and die after just one or two posts, or even none. I've been left with the impression that very few people on this board see this kind of production, or at least aren't interested in discussing them.

I haven't spent much time on the microsite yet. It's okay, but the front page is very busy and cluttered. Then again, the WOS main site home page is too. A longer news listing on the fringe site would be good.

Turn up the signal... wipe out the noise