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Royal Ballet: Asphodel Meadows / The Two Pigeons / RBS: The Cunning Little Vixen, 2019


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I was beginning to wonder whether poor sales for Meadows/Pigeons ,Vixen/Pigeons and Don Q had something to do with (sorry to utter these words on our balletcoforum)... BREXIT EFFECT, but I see that the latter is starting to fill up.

I would imagine that many people were thinking that the RBS programme would sell out because of student's families buying tickets, but for many schools, half-term is next week, not this week when the programme is on. I wonder how many students are involved and how long ago casting was announced and if there are to be two casts performing? Some of that we will know soon.  

Pigeons and co have been programmed just after Christmas when many people are less inclined to spend; all pieces are unfamiliar titles and many areas of the auditorium have simply been priced quite steeply for a mixed bill. Interesting that all-Ashton bills have sold well in the recent past possibly with the exception of Pigeons.

And the pity is that the quality of Meadows/Pigeons programme has been so high in all regards.

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26 minutes ago, alison said:

Well, I'm getting plenty of ads for Andrea Chenier - it's the only reason I knew it was on!  Plus I have had a lot of 2 Pigs adverts.

 

Good to know - but why haven’t Tosca and Billy Budd been taken out of rotation already?

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1 hour ago, Darlex said:

And the pity is that the quality of Meadows/Pigeons programme has been so high in all regards.

 

Great quality, yes,  and I am not convinced it hasn't sold well. It was virtually full when we went. Currently there are only 25 tickets left for the last performance tomorrow, (Takada and Hay are wonderful in the 2Ps), all but 3 in the Amphi. 

 

It is the RBS/2Ps programme that seems to have fallen a bit flat in  sales, for some reason. Anyway, looking forward very much to tonight's performance.   

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Was it priced the same as the all-company performance?  Also, perhaps the timings aren't ideal for families to come and view their loved ones (I have no idea how many students are actually dancing).  Possibly Saturday matinees might have been a better option?

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35 minutes ago, Richard LH said:

 

 

It is the RBS/2Ps programme that seems to have fallen a bit flat in  sales, for some reason. Anyway, looking forward very much to tonight's performance.   

 

It could be because Two Pigeons is combined with a School performance. 

I don't think any tourist or a corporate&guests is/are interested in an evening out at the ROH to see a school performance, EVEN when combined with a performance danced by Royal Ballet Principals.

As for the rest of us, many have seen 2P combined with Asphodel Meadows. 

Edited by Xandra Newman
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1 hour ago, Lizbie1 said:

At least with posters there’s a lead time involved - no such excuse with digital ads.

 

that's true - though I suppose they might feel that if they've gone to the expense and trouble to make said ads, they are bloomin' well going to bombard people with them!! 

Do they in fact still do posters? Not seen one for ages, apart from the ones outside the ROH itself

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I also think the Royal Ballet Press and the Advertising Office have (seemingly) fallen asleep, they should be doing FAR more to enhance their Principals' profile towards the general public. They are not pro-active at all. The occasional Tweet from the Head of RB Press Mr Ashley Woodfield or an ROH Instagram post here or there is not enough. Most of the Principals are totally unknown to the general public. Stop anyone in the street and ask them to name a RB Principal, bet the only names they can come up with are Darcey Bussell and Carlos Acosta (retired dancers!!!!). Nothing is undertaken so that the RB Principals become better known to the general public (you know the once the ROH is desperate to buy tickets... as opposed to the regulars). 

Edited by Xandra Newman
Typo (sorry I am dyslexic)
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In response to some of the points above:-

 

1. I think  one of the issues with the RBS programme is that they have overegged the interest, whatever the reason and that sales are struggling because there’s a limit of 2 tickets per buyer

 

2. The ROH marketing team needs to get the balance of brand/response advertising and paid vs low cost/no cost (eg PR to promote Various events) right. They also need to consider that just because digital advertising allows them to see the direct relationship between the ads they buy and the punters who arrive at the site, it doesn’t mean that they can neglect offline media channels which often drive the reach needed to fuel incremental conversions. They might drive efficient sales to new audiences the way they work currently, but they won’t grow their volume this way. 

3. Sorry for the marketing jargon

 

 

 

 

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40 minutes ago, Blossom said:

 

1. I think  one of the issues with the RBS programme is that they have overegged the interest, whatever the reason and that sales are struggling because there’s a limit of 2 tickets per buyer

 

As I’ve posted elsewhere, that limit was lifted months ago.  Their mistake has been that they haven’t updated  the website to show that the limit has been lifted. This might well have affected the families of the RBS students as well as Friends of CG and the general public.

Edited by Bluebird
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45 minutes ago, Blossom said:

2. The ROH marketing team needs to get the balance of brand/response advertising and paid vs low cost/no cost (eg PR to promote Various events) right. They also need to consider that just because digital advertising allows them to see the direct relationship between the ads they buy and the punters who arrive at the site, it doesn’t mean that they can neglect offline media channels which often drive the reach needed to fuel incremental conversions. They might drive efficient sales to new audiences the way they work currently, but they won’t grow their volume this way. 

 

EXACTLY, Blossom. I’ve never been in Marketing but have worked in Digital Development, and a lot of the sales pitch is about being able to track results (and thereby impress your bosses).

 

Interestingly, though, a lot of the latest research shows that targeted advertising doesn’t work as well as people hoped, and general brand awareness is what really makes the difference.

Edited by Lizbie1
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I confess to taking advantage of the slow ticket sales for this evening's performance to yesterday upgrade myself from the rv side sc I bought in Friday rush to 2nd row stalls & today grab a stalls seat for my mother too. After the decidedly expensive spring booking 2 weeks ago I'm thinking that it might save time just to have my wages paid directly to the ROH at the moment!

Edited by Dawnstar
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We shall see in due course but, if the majority of the students involved in the new Scarlett piece are from the Upper School, so many of them are from overseas that attendance on the part of their families may not yield the numbers which were first anticipated.

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2 hours ago, Xandra Newman said:

I used to love seeing those RB posters on the Underground. No more :( 

 

Why have they stopped doing them?  I am mystified by it.  I pick up loads of information on all sorts of upcoming exhibitions, new plays, concerts and so on, simply while I am walking through the corridors or standing waiting on a platform.  As Alison said, that squiggle is the only one I have seen for the last few months.  And even then, it really annoys me when it says, "Now open all day."  I feel this childish urge to get out a felt tip pen, scrub out the word Now, and add Always Was instead.

 

I seem to remember there was a real backlash when the V & A had posters saying something like "Great cafe with a museum attached."  A lot of graffiti went on those, along the lines of "bl**dy expensive cafe with free museum....."

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25 minutes ago, Fonty said:

As Alison said, that squiggle is the only one I have seen for the last few months.  And even then, it really annoys me when it says, "Now open all day."  I feel this childish urge to get out a felt tip pen, scrub out the word Now, and add Always Was instead.

 

I keep wanting to get out a fluorescent highlighter so you can actually spot the words "Royal Opera House" - or anything else which they may actually be promoting - without having to get up close and personal with the poster.

 

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39 minutes ago, Rob S said:

I thought the Cunning Little Vixen was great fun although I couldn’t see the projection screen from the Stalls Circle

 

Look forward to seeing it on Saturday (that will be my third Two Pigeons this year!)

 

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5 hours ago, alison said:

I've seen Open Up posters down the tube - you know, the ones that tell you nothing about their subject-matter whatsoever ;) 

And some just feel down right embarrassing. 

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3 hours ago, capybara said:

We shall see in due course but, if the majority of the students involved in the new Scarlett piece are from the Upper School, so many of them are from overseas that attendance on the part of their families may not yield the numbers which were first anticipated.

That explains a lot 

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Gorgeous Two Pigeons tonight: a convincingly annoying then despondent Naghdi and a convincing furious then remorseful Campbell really made the story work. Beautifully danced and perfectly partnered: I might have to dip into my emergency ballet fund and go once more. I don’t think I can get enough of this ballet!

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3 minutes ago, alison said:

Nice to see discussion reverting to the actual content of this bill :) 

I thought I read somewhere that a new thread would be started for the new Vixen/Pigeons bill. Still, I am happy it continues here. Just might need to change the title. 

 

Lizbie1, I feel the same way. Can't get enough of Two Pigeons. Best thing of the season so far. 

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Two Pigeons (sigh)...

Yasmine Naghdi and Alexander Campbell, such a lovely partnership, beautifully danced, great acting from Naghdi in both Acts and in Act II she managed to make my tears roll, she was so moving, so delicate, really touching, I could feel her pain all the way. Stunning debut performance!

I loved Fumi Kaneko as the Gypsy Girl and gorgeously danced too. 

Superb cast and bought a ticket to see this cast again on Saturday. 

Edited by Xandra Newman
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12 minutes ago, Quintus said:

Thoroughly enjoyed both Cunning Little Vixen and Two Pigeons tonight. Fumi was gorgeous and the pigeons' performance impeckable.

Impeckable!!! Great joke!!! I love it!!!

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