“SOMEWHERE IN THE CROWD THERE’S YOU!”

Broadway's Smash Hit Musical MAMMA MIA! Launches Interactive Sing-Along Contest!

Sing your way to 10th Anniversary Party in New York City!

Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus' smash hit musical MAMMA MIA!, now celebrating 10 years at Winter Garden Theatre, has launched an interactive Sing-Along video contest and opportunity for fans to sing their way to Broadway to celebrate MAMMA MIA!'s landmark anninversary with the stars.

The 10th Anniversary Sing-Along is an online celebration that captures the "Dancing in the aisles" experience of the smash hit musical while offering a chance for MAMMA MIA!'s fans to unleash their innner "Dancing Queen" by singing MAMMA MIA! songs with leaving their own home!

Contestants may enter by submitting a video of themselves singing a selection from the ABBA hits Mamma Mia!, Dancing Queen or Take a Chance on Me while using a computer webcam, or by uploading the video directly to the website.

Fans may vote for each other or their own video, and the top ten entries will be entered for a chance to win the Grand Prize. Get your friends to vote for you by sharing your entry through Facebook, Twitter and email to increase your chance to win.

On lucky Grand Prize winner will receive two tickets to Broadway's 10th Anniversary performance at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway on October 18, 2011, party passes to meet MAMMA MIA!'s stars at the post show celebration, reoundtrip airfare for two to New York City and hotel accommodations at The Roger Smith Hotel and dinner for two at Brasserie 8 1/2.

On the tenth of each month from May through August, one video submission will be selected at random to win Official MAMMA MIA! merchandise.

Seen by over 45 million people around the world, Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus' global smash hit musical MAMMA MIA!, is celebrating 4,000 performances in its tenth smash hit year at Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre and remains among Broadway's top selling musicals. The current North American Tour has played over 3,600 performances in over 135 cities with 145 repeat visits. The original West End production of MAMMA MIA! is now in its twelth year and has celebrated over 5,000 performances in London and the international tour has visited more than 50 foreign cities and been seen by 3.7 million people. The blockbuster feature film adaptation of MAMMA MIA!, produced by Judy Craymer and Gary Goetzman, is the most successful movie musical of all time grossing $600 million worldwide.

With a worldwide gross of over $2 billion, MAMMA MIA! is acclaimed by the Associated Press as "quite simply, a phenomenon."

Inspired by the story-telling magic of ABBA's timeless songs, writer Catherine Johnson's sunny, funny tale of family and friendship unfolds on a tiny Greek island. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter's quest to discover the identity of her father brings 3 men from her mother's past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago. Songs include "Dancing Queen"; "The Winner Takes It All" and "Take A Chance on Me" are all featured in this feel-good night of fun and laughter.

MAMMA MIA! returns to the Straz Center, July 12-17. Click HERE for tickets!

GODSPELL photo contest winner

And our winner of tickets for tonight's opening night performance of GODSPELL is... Monica. Thanks to everyone who entered. Here's the winning photo and a little explanation.

"This is me in a production of Godspell at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center! I was taking classes with the Tampa Academy of Performing Arts in June of 1989, and this was our summer production. Here is the scene where Jesus separates the sheet from the goats. I was one of the unfortunate goats!!!!!!"

Pet Shop Boys Haiku Contest is ON LIKE DONKEY KONG!

That's right - we're giving away 2 tix to Sept. 10 Pet Shop Boys concert at TBPAC. Here's how to play:

Twitter - post your 5/7/5 with #petshopboys or direct it to @TBPAC http://twitter.com/tbpac

Facebook - the contest is in full gear in the comments under the contest status update. Just visit http://www.facebook.com/tbpac

MySpace - same as facebook. http://www.facebook.com/tbpac

And now here on the blog - feel free to post your most inspired haiku. We'll announce the winner 09/09/09. Woo-hoo!

- Kari "I've got the brains" G.

Make our Forever Plaid cast forever part of the DVD!

On July 9th 2009, the Forever Plaid 20th Anniversary Video will be played at select theaters across the country. For the Tampa Bay area, it will only be shown at the Citrus Park Mall.

The "Bleeding Love Plaid's" of Tampa Bay's Performing Arts Center have entered our music video of the hit Leona Lewis tune "Bleeding Love" public vote!

We are seeking your support in hopes of becoming the top winner, whose performance will be shown at the Forever Plaid 20th Anniversary Special event on Thursday, July 9th, an event broadcast nationwide to 375 movie theaters. In addition, the winning group will be immortalized on the Forever Plaid DVD set for release this fall. Voting for the online video contest begins Monday, June 1st at http://ForeverPlaid.Fathomevents.com and ends Wednesday June 24th.

Here is the direct link to check it out and cast your vote: http://foreverplaid.fathomevents.com/video.php?id=5

We thank you all in advance for your time and votes! (Feel free to vote as often as possible!)

Shboom,

Frankie, Sparky, Jinks, and Sumdge

Win tickets to RESPECT!

Send the text RESPECT to short code 24453 for your chance to win a pair of opening weekend tickets (June 19-21) to see RESPECT: A Musical Journey of Women in the Jaeb Theater.

From "Someone To Watch Over Me" to "I Will Survive," RESPECT is the journey of women, told through Top-40 music. From the codependence of "I Will Follow Him" to the anger of "These Boots Are Made for Walking," to the cynicism of "What's Love Got To Do With It," and finally to the strength of "Hero." Combining excerpts of 60 songs with women's own stories about finding dreams, lost love, relationship issues, entering the workforce, gaining independence, and more, this show is "exhilarating!" It's more than just a story worth telling, it's a must-see and must-hear.

Free stuff is awesome! Win tickets and a CD!

Text PATTY to 24453 for a chance to win 2 tix to the Patty Larkin Club Jaeb show on 5/18 plus her CD "Watch the Sky" - this is an album she plays every single instrument on: vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, baritone guitar, lap steel, national steel, bass, banjo, bazouki, loops, toy organ and door chimes.

She was a huge hit last season during the Club Jaeb series and we hope she has the same kind of turnout this year!

Here's Patty singing Wolf at the Door at a live show (the video isn't great, but the audio is good)



And here's a totally acapella/scat/hip-hop number from a concert in 2007.

Win tickets to the opening night of RENT!

Text RENT to TBPAC (82722) before each performance of Spring Awakening (Dec. 30, 2008 at 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 31, 2008 at 7:30 p.m.; Jan 1, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.; Jan. 2, 2009 at 8 p.m.; Jan. 3, 2009 at 2 p.m.; Jan. 3, 2009 at 8 p.m.; Jan. 4, 2009 at 2 p.m. and Jan. 4, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.) for your chance to win a pair of opening night tickets to see RENT on July 7, 2009. A winner will be chosen at random during every performance of Spring Awakening, notified by text message and given further instructions on how to claim the prize.

Standard text-messaging rates from your carrier apply. Only one entry per device. Entries will be received daily up until the scheduled show time. Saturday and Sunday will each have two contests with one ending with the matinee performance and the other ending at the evening performance.

For complete contest rules, click here.

TBPAC's SMS technology is provided by our friends at Agile Communications.

Win tix to Rocky Horror on 10/9!

Text ROCKY to TBPAC (82722) for your chance to win a 4-pack of tickets to see the 7:30pm showing of The Rocky Horror Show THIS Thursday (10/9).

A lucky winner will be drawn at random at or around 5pm on Wed., Oct. 8. The winner will be contacted by text message. Standard text-messaging fees from your wireless provider apply.

TBPAC's texting service is provided by Agile Communications.

You could be a winner

We've been promoting our SMS service (provided by the good folks at Agile Communications) for some time now.

We're learning how all of this applies to our patrons still, to be sure, but just as I said in today's previous post - we're trying all these things out because we want to make sure we can provide people the information they want in the format they want to get it in.

We're also doing weekly contest via our eCenter newsletter. Even if you don't need a TBPAC schedule on your phone, or you've been coming here for so long you have everything memorized - you can enter to win contests for goody bags, special commemorative items from shows and even tickets!

We've given away a Spring Awakening gift pack, Chris Rock tickets, a fun Chitty Chitty Bang Bang light up pendant, an Avenue Q gift pack - and we have a lot more planned. All you have to do to enter to win is sign up for eCenter, then follow the instructions once you get the email (which right now is bi-weekly due to a lighter summer schedule).

What are you waiting for?

Too much free stuff!

There is still time to win the Avenue Q hand puppet eyeballs and Original Broadway Cast Recording. Text AVEQ to TBPAC (82722) NOW for your chance to win!

We also have a pair of Chris Rock tickets being given away - send the text ROCK to TBPAC (82722) for your chance to score those.

Between this blog, our SMS service and our eCenter newsletter - we hope to be making you happy with free swag at least once a week! Free! Woo hoo!

SUBSCRIBE TO THIS FEED

Win Chris Rock tickets!

Win a pair of tickets to see Chris Rock by sending the text message ROCK to TBPAC (82722). Contest ends on or around May 26, 2008. A random entry will be drawn and notified by May 30, 2008, via text message.

For those not in the know, we have a whole list of commands available for your convenience. Just send any of these text messages below to TBPAC (82722) to take advantage:

INFO - gets you our hours, phone numbers, web address, how to get here etc. Handy as a resource when you're on the go!
EVENTS - tells you what is on the stages here at TBPAC any given week. Sweet!
SAVE - adds you to the list to get hot deals when they are announced.
HELP - sends you a list of available commands.
STOP - makes us quit with the text messages to you.

Good luck!

SUBSCRIBE TO THIS FEED

A nice note from a WTSP contest winner

Angela Lakin got this note and photos in the mail this weekend after a winner of a WTSP contest sent a photo (click it for a larger version) and a thank-you for the tickets to the show:

Edna entered her husband Al into the WTSP "Be treated like a king or queen" Lion King contest. They got tickets to the show and a two night package with dinner at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Here was the winning entry:

"I have just finished up a year of chemo and radiation and my lymphoma is in remission and my husband has taken such good care of me, he is my king and I would love to treat him to this treat we love Broadway and the Casino it would be perfect thank you"

SUBSCRIBE TO THIS FEED

FREE Passing Strange CD carrier

I have a FREE Passing Strange CD carrier to give away to a randomly drawn commenter who tells me what the best thing they've seen here at TBPAC this year. It can just be the show name, or feel free to share your thoughts on why you thought the show was so great. Any genre, any hall.

Deadline to enter is tomorrow, May 8, at 4pm.

SUBSCRIBE TO THIS FEED

Free stuff! Turtle Island String Quartet!

At 5pm today, I will choose 4 comments at random from this post and give those lucky people a free pair of tickets to see Turtle Island String Quartet on Sat., April 26 in Ferguson Hall PLUS their 2008 Grammy Award-winning album The Legacy of John Coltrane.

You can't win it if you're not in it - get to commentin'!

CALL TO ARTISTS - 2008 Best of Tampa Bay Art

The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center is looking for local Tampa artists to create a vibrant and colorful one of a kind piece of art for the 2008 Best of Tampa Bay Auction.

The Best of Tampa Bay includes over 50 area restaurants, 5 local bands, libations and attendance of over 1700 people. Each piece of artwork will be auctioned off that evening and all proceeds from the auction will benefit the programs of TBPAC. The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center presented 909 performances last year and had a $98 million dollar economic impact on the Tampa Bay region.

Medium: Choose from one of the three categories – Ceramic, Glass or Textile

• Ceramic - plates, platters, bowls
• Glass - wine bottles, wine glasses, decanters
• Textile - aprons, chef hats, dish towels, pot holders

Artists to provide all materials except, upon request, TBPAC will provide one blank canvas apron per artist. Call 813.222.1275.

Requested themes:

• Food, wine, & chefs
• Theme of Best of Tampa Bay is the musical Jersey Boys & the 60’s
• Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center
• The Performing Arts- Broadway, Ballet, Cabaret, Opera, Music, Comedy
• Patel Conservatory- Performing Arts Students

If you want more information about TBPAC and more ideas of what to create you can check out our website at www.tbpac.org

* Please note: we will not accept art with mature content

A panel of local celebrity judges will choose the Best in Show of each category. TBPAC will place the winning images on a poster, TBPAC website, in CenterStage, the quarterly magazine and other marketing tools.

Artist Benefits:

• Opportunity to have your work displayed and auctioned at the Best of Tampa Bay on April 18
• Opportunity to be present to meet the public
• Entrance into the Best of Tampa Bay- an $80 value
• Biography and description of art work displayed at the event
• Recognition in the Best of Tampa Bay Program
• Recognition in CenterStage, TBPAC’s quarterly magazine distributed to over 5,000 members
• Chance to have your artwork on a Best of Tampa Bay poster

Deadlines:

• Commitment form due: Monday, March 3, 2008
• Final artwork submission & biography/description form due: Friday, March 28, 2008

For more information or to request an apron please contact Joanna Osborn at 813.222.1275 or email joanna.osborn@tbpac.org.

Thank you for your support of our efforts on behalf of Best of Tampa Bay and the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center!

Are you using our text-messaging service?

If you're not using our new SMS/texting service, you're missing out.

First, we're only providing the information YOU request. If you text INFO to the numbers 82722 (Hey, that spells TBPAC!), you'll get all of our vital information: ticket office numbers, hours or operation, our web address, how to get here, admin phone numbers and more. Save it on your phone for when you're not near a computer or phone book.

We also have a weekly events message. Simply send the message EVENTS to TBPAC (that's 82722) and you'll get back a message of all the shows here at TBPAC over the next week or so.

We promise we won't send you a text message every single time something comes up. We believe in only getting people the info they want, when they want it and how they want it.

Another benefit is that users of our list will from time to time get special offers or even FREE tickets. We launched this service with a pair of tickets going to a winner in a random drawing. That winner got a free pair of tickets to see the opening night performance of Avenue Q. We also held a contest two weeks back where the first 10 responders won a pair of tickets to the opening night performance of The Drowsy Chaperone. Sweet!

Check the service out, pass it on to your friends.

Have you used the service? Have an idea on how we can better use this technology? Leave a comment and tell us what you think!

Photo op! Here's an Avenue Q tip for you!

TBPAC wants you to come down to see how we look after 20 years – then take a picture of it! The winner will get a pair of tickets to the opening night of Avenue Q.

Bring your gear down to TBPAC anytime between Dec. 10 and March 7 and take photos of the whole building, a detail or anything in between and submit it to our photography contest. We’re hoping to find a variety of entries – from the classical to the avant-garde. Want inside access to a backstage area? Check our website for scheduled backstage tours. As long as you stay with your group in the designated areas, you can take pictures of the inside of the halls or the backstage areas. Keep in mind – as always we do not allow anyone to take photographs inside the theater during any performance.

Photos should be high resolution (300 dpi) and submitted to us on CD mailed to:

TBPAC Photo Contest
1010 NWC MacInnes Pl.
Tampa, FL 33602

One winner will be chosen by a panel of three impartial judges and will receive a pair of opening night tickets (April 1, 2008) to the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Avenue Q in Carol Morsani Hall (Intended for mature audiences).

TBPAC retains the right to use any entered photographs for, but not excluded to, publicity releases, marketing materials and web site displays. Every attempt will be made to credit the original photographer, but it is not guaranteed. All entered photographs will be made available in an online gallery accessible through the TBPAC website and blog after the contest has concluded. None of the photos will be returned.

The fine print:

Prize to be redeemed at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center at 1010 N. W.C. MacInnes Place, Tampa, FL 33602. No purchase necessary. Participants and winner(s) must be legal U.S. residents, at least 18 years old and residents of Florida. Employees of the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, their subsidiaries and affiliated companies, participating sponsors and their advertising agencies and members of their immediate family are not eligible to participate. Not valid where prohibited by law. Contest begins on or around Dec. 10, 2007, at noon. Deadline for submissions is noon on or around March 7, 2008. Winner will be chosen by a panel of three impartial professional judges on or around 48 hours from the deadline. Prize will be awarded on or around March 14, 2008. Decision of the judges is final. The winner will be notified by telephone and/or e-mail. Odds of winning vary greatly depending on number of entrants. The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center assumes no liability or responsibility for any prize once it is awarded, or any damage, loss or liability arising from the award, acceptance or use of the prize, and Contest winner agrees to release and hold harmless the Released Parties against any and all claims of liability arising directly or indirectly from the Contest or the prizes and the use of such Contest winner's name, voice and photo. The Released Parties assume no liability for lost, illegible, incomplete, misdirected or late entries or prize claims, or for typographical or other errors in the offer or administration of this Contest including, without limitation, errors in the printing of the offer and official rules, selection, notification and announcement of the winner, or distribution of prizes. The Contest is subject to applicable federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations, and is void where prohibited or otherwise restricted. The prizes offered in this contest have no cash value and may not be returned for cash. Seats are good for the opening night show of Avenue Q only, and may not be renewed or exchanged. By entering a photograph into the contest, participants give TBPAC full authorization to use, reprint or distribute the work at TBPAC’s discretion with or without proper credit to the photographer.

TBPAC: Get a weekly schedule on your cell phone!

This is a more of a plain-speak entry on the new SMS (text-messaging) service we're offering to people. I'd previously posted at the launch and how you could enter to win tickets to Avenue Q, but I wanted to appeal a bit more directly as to why exactly I think this is a cool thing.

We're an industry leader in a lot of ways when it comes to new technology. We've been one of the first or the very first in so many online endeavors and endeavors that just generally use technology. I very clearly remember when I was told the web was a fad, and when I was told no one would ever buy tickets online and so on and so forth. We're also talking about an industry that didn't believe radio or TV would last, either.

First thing's first - we don't want to bug you with a bazillion text messages about every single little thing going on here, we're not going to sell/share your number and by and large the whole idea here is to just send you want YOU ask for.

When I brainstormed on how exactly this whole SMS thing could really benefit a general customer, I of course put myself into a consumer's shoes. The first two ideas I had are now in place.

INFO is the first command we agreed on. If you text INFO to the phone number 82722 (It's a short code which spells TBPAC - sweet!), you will get back a text message that gives you the most critical information people are usually looking for. Where we are off the interstate, our Ticket Office and admin phone numbers, the hours of the ticket windows, our web address, all the critical info for the Patel Conservatory. This is a handy thing to actually save on your phone if you make a habit of coming here. It's a handy quick-reference.

The second idea was for essentially an events line. Just like you might check a website or phone line for what's going on, you can also text EVENTS to the phone number 82722 and you will get back a listing of the shows going on that week. I think this is another super-handy tool. Say you're sitting around right after work on a Friday night with a few friends having drinks looking for something to do. Viola!

We don't charge you to use any of these services, though your phone provider might - depending on how your plan is set up (for instance, I don't have a texting package on my phone, so I pay a few cents for every message I send and receive). Hey, and don't forget you'll be entered to win a pair of tickets to the opening night of Avenue Q for every time you use the service between now and Dec. 28.

Down the line, we hope to be able to use this service to offer last-minute deals, possibly for promotions in the lobby before a show where we may offer a backstage pass or a meet and greet or something. There really is a lot of potential here. Now the trick is to get people using it and make sure it's something useful and not a nuisance.

In today's world, even the arts has to stay on the cutting-edge and make an effort to get information to people in the way they want it.

TBPAC launces SMS/texting service (win tickets to Avenue Q!)

We're officially launching an SMS/text-messaging service as one more way patrons can stay up to date with what's going on at TBPAC.

We've officially nabbed up the short code TBPAC (82722) and have entered a partnership with Agile Communications, who are providing the texting software and system.

We hope to primarily offer this on an in-bound basis, meaning we want people to text us when they want information.

The first two commands we've created are INFO and EVENTS. If you text INFO to TBPAC (82722) you will be sent back a text message that has all of TBPAC's critical phone numbers: the ticket office, admin, catering, group sales. You'll also get the street address for the building, the exit information from the interstate, hours of ticket office windows. All that good stuff. It's a handy reference to keep in your phone, and a very convenient way to get it if you're out and about.

If you text EVENTS to TBPAC (82722), you will be sent back a message giving you all the shows that are playing that week at TBPAC. This message updates weekly. Again, we think that's pretty handy.

The command HELP gives you a list of commands, and STOP of course removes you from getting future messages from us.

For the time being we're not planning on sending unsolicited advertisements. We'd rather just get people what they want, not what we want them to get. There's a lot of potentially exciting things we can do with a system like this including discounts, offering meet and greet contests at a show in the lobby, sending out urgent traffic advisories or closures etc.

So, we get started officially today. For every time that you text either INFO or EVENTS to TBPAC (82722) between now and Dec. 28, you will be entered to win the pair of opening night tickets to see Avenue Q here at TBPAC. Winners will be drawn at random. No purchase necessary. Your fee structure from your wireless provider may vary, but if you are charged to send or receive texts, this would be no different.

No trick, just treats

The first five people to comment on this post will be the proud winners of a pair of tickets each to see tonight's 7:30pm performance of Jewtopia in the Jaeb Theater.



Can't come to tonight's 7:30 show? Don't leave a comment!

Wearing a costume today? Let us know what it is in your comment!