The Program-Bio Debate

Ah, the tempting idea of a bio-less program. (Not.)

Without bios in the program, what is left? There’s a tiny scene breakdown with the characters listed in order of appearance… and, well, advertisements. What is the point having the program then, if there aren’t any snippets about the students who made the show work, or even any crew shots (after all, the individual shots are just too dark)? If we continue to do this, then no one will really keep or look through their programs past the first page. So, no ads are noticed. This makes the ads look unattractive to businesses who have realized that no one looks at the programs because there isn’t any reason to have one.

Come this time next year if we do this, it’s guaranteed that there will be no program.

Putting them next to headshots is not a good idea. After all, if your picture is way at the top, who can possibly see that? Are we going to require our audience to bring their own step-stool?!

And besides, the bios have to be typed up for that anyway. So it’s not that much harder at all to put them in the program. It’s not like it’s any less effort.

So, we’re down to the excuse of being green by doing this. Well, okay, but maybe instead of going to the extreme of leaving them out altogether, try modifying the ways that we already know work.

Click on the picture below to open a larger version of how we can fit just about two pages of bios on one. The old way of doing things is on the left, the proposed, new way on the right. (Program content from Godspell.)

I don’t think that there’s any reason why we can’t put bios in the program. Oh, right, who will type them all? Hello! I’m on stage for about 3 minutes, people!

The program has always included bios. Why does that need to change now?