We just got a press release announcing, “Theaterpod introduces the newest application of rich media for arts marketing”. okay, so. Arts Marketing, whatever. But podcasting theater is a cool idea. click through to read the rest of the story.

NEW YORK, April 5 — The first podcast for theater went online April 5, 2005. It was created by Theaterpod–a partnership of Jonathan Slaff and Marty Glynn–and produced for Kings County Shakespeare Company (KCSC), a Brooklyn-based nonprofit theater troupe. The 15-minute podcast spotlights KCSC’s upcoming production, “Rappacini’s Daughter and Bad Evidence,” two plays by Terry Quinn, which will be presented in a two-part evening by KCSC April 14 to 17, 2005 at the Abingdon Theater Complex in Manhattan.

The podcast can be downloaded from the Kings County Shakespeare Company website, www.kingscountyshakespeare.org. It is produced in the style of a radio program. There are interviews with playwright Terry Quinn and director Deborah Wright Houston, followed by readings of “Rappacini’s Daughter,” first from the original 19th century short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne and then from the modern verse adaptation by Terry Quinn. There is also an excerpt of music from the show, which is composed by Quinn and performed by Sabrina Mess. The second play of the evening, “Bad Evidence,” a modern original play, is also discussed.

Podcasting offers theater producers an opportunity to preview new works, stimulate advance ticket sales, create “buzz” and enhance appreciation of new work.

Listeners can subscribe to Theaterpod and be automatically notified as new podcasts become available.

Adding podcast material to websites is an exciting new tool in arts marketing. Being Internet-based, podcasts are free to download and available worldwide. No special equipment is required to receive these specialized audio broadcasts. A computer user downloads an .mp3 file and can play it through his/her personal computer or save it for later listening in a portable iPod-type device.

A survey released on April 3, 2005 by the Pew Internet and American Life Project showed that twenty-nine percent of U.S. adults who own MP3 players like Apple Computer Inc.’s iPod say they have downloaded podcast programs from the Internet. That means more than six million people are now listening to a form of communication that emerged only last year.

The next production of Theaterpod will be podcasts in both English and Mandarin Chinese on behalf of Yangtze Repertory Theater of America, a nonprofit theater group which is producing a stage adaptation of “Ren Ah, Ren!” (People, Oh People!), a novel of the Chinese Cultural Revolution by Dai HouYing, and two musical concerts. These podcasts will soon be downloadable from the Yangtze Rep website, www.yangtze-rep-theatre.org.

Mr. Slaff and Mr. Glynn created Theaterpod to produce and host podcasts for the theater community worldwide. Their services include audio production, hosting, inclusion in their content “channel” and submission to the top search engines and directories.