Long before the lights come up and the actors take the stage at Flat Rock Playhouse, the Playhouse marketing department will have been working towards that climactic moment for months. Indeed, because of the dedication of the staff responsible for promoting FRP, the many brilliant performers who will grace the Leiman Mainstage this season will be greeted by a theater full of enthusiastic patrons.

The responsibility for driving ticket sales and filling the theater’s seats falls primarily to FRP Marketing Director Christy Souther and Digital Media Coordinator Jeb Purcell. They are the creative team behind all the print and digital ads, graphic design, website content, promotional videos, and marketing emails shared by FRP to generate enthusiasm for the current season “on the Rock.“

In short, Christy and Jeb are the people who market the magic that is Flat Rock Playhouse.

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Christy is in her 7th year at the Playhouse and her first as the theatre’s Marketing Director. And she couldn’t be happier about her new responsibilities. “I love the challenge of being the voice promoting the Playhouse.”  She flashes her trademark smile and confirms what is readily apparent to anyone who talks with her about the Playhouse. “I'm having a lot of fun. Flat Rock Playhouse is a special place.”

Prior to joining the Playhouse, Christy spent 15 years working for an advertising agency in Greenville, SC. That experience involved million-dollar clients and the pressure and urgency one might expect when working with large corporate accounts. The transition to the Playhouse and Flat Rock was “eye-opening” but also a welcome change of pace for the dynamic woman who wears her passion for Flat Rock Playhouse on her sleeve. “I go pretty hard. My marketing style can be pretty aggressive,” she admits. “But when you believe in a Playhouse like I do, there’s no other way to operate.”

Christy’s creative partner is Jeb Purcell who arrived at the Playhouse last year after spending five years in Los Angeles working on video production and freelance work. His days at the Playhouse primarily involve coordinating FRP’s social media presence and producing video content. He is also available to assist any Playhouse department that has video needs.

Originally from north Georgia, Jeb jumped at the chance to come back east and return to the mountains he knew in his youth. “I did theater all through school.  It was something I had been wanting to get back into and it just seemed like a great opportunity.”  Jeb came for a visit and he had the reaction so common for visitors to Flat Rock and the surrounding environs. “How could you not love it here? This is a beautiful place.”

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Although only together for a year, it is easy to see that Christy and Jeb make a good team and respect each other’s contributions.  “We bounce ideas off of each other,” says Christy.  “Jeb has a lot of really great marketing ideas - not just for our department, but for the entire place.” Jeb is quick to return the compliment. “I think things have really been hitting their stride since Christie officially took over as Marketing Director.”

Indeed, all the work they have been doing seems to be working just fine. The Music on the Rock concert series that kicked off the 2023 season has been enthusiastically received by sold-out houses. Patrons are clearly excited to be back in the theater after the closures and subsequent COVID protocols of the past three years. And the outlook for the remainder of the season is extremely positive. “Ticket sales are significantly ahead of where we were last year,” says Jeb.

Christy sees the early enthusiasm for FRP’s 2023 season as partly a result of the many restrictions on entertainment options during the pandemic. “People are ready to get back out there. I think people were ready last year, but still a little trepidatious.” 

Jeb agrees.  “We provide a unique entertainment experience - very different from going to the movies or taking your kids to the park again. We’re tapping into that energetic feeling of people wanting to get back out there and enjoy more unique experiences.”

Christy also gives ample credit to the season put together by Producing Artistic Director, Lisa Bryant and her talented staff. “The shows this year are wonderful. Our loyal fans are coming back and they are really excited.”  Jeb points out that the new season is also an opportunity to follow through on plans canceled by the pandemic. “We had planned to do A Chorus Line in 2020. So our fans have been waiting for three years to see us do the show.” Then he adds with a grin, “Actually, some of them have been waiting 30 years – this will be the first production of A Chorus Line at the Playhouse.”

Although Christy and Jeb form the core of the marketing initiatives for FRP, Christy readily admits that everyone in the organization contributes to the efforts to market the theater. “I feel like the creativity between all of us here makes it all come together. We're all just a big team”.

The recipe for success is pretty straightforward in Christy’s mind - keep the message simple and stay in front of people with your marketing.  The simple part boils down to reminding people about the phenomenal quality patrons can count on experiencing when they settle into their seats. “I've said this ad nauseam, but producing theaters like Flat Rock, that actually create everything on property, have almost become a lost art.”  

Given that all the sets, costumes, choreography, musical arrangements, sound, and lighting are created on-site, Christy is very confident in her product.  “Every show you see is going to be absolutely unique and incredibly professional.” 

Jeb concurs and adds to Christy’s description of the Playhouse. “A big part of what brings people in is that it’s all so real. You're not seeing movie stars on a screen.  Our audiences feel connected to every performance.” That sense of connection with the incredibly talented performers on stage is a key selling point for Jeb. “Each show is going to be something really special and really memorable.”

As part of her plan, Christy is working hard to continue to broaden the geographic diversity of FRP audiences. “We have our very loyal patrons here in Henderson County, but we want to bring more visitors from places like Greenville/Spartanburg as well; to show them how wonderful this place is.”

In that regard, so far, so good.  Season ticket sales and sales for individual shows are significantly ahead of last year and the optimism for the 2023 season is almost palpable when you talk to the staff.  Lisa Bryant gives a lot of credit to her Marketing Team.  “Since Christy has taken on the mantle of Marketing Director and Jeb’s boundless creativity has joined the fold, we’ve had very positive results in box office sales and community engagement. The passion and care they each bring to their work are manifesting in all of the best ways to the good of the Playhouse.”

More than just FRP employees, Christy and Jeb are big fans of the theater as well.  When asked which shows they are most excited to see this year, Christy’s eyes light up. “Macbeth. It will be the Playhouse’s first mainstage production of Shakespeare. It’s going to ‘Wow!’ everybody.”  Jeb is excited to see Slowpoke!, an original musical written and scored by FRP’s talented Music Director, Ethan Anderson. “Ethan was an apprentice here over 10 years ago,” says Jeb.  “He’s come up through the Playhouse. That’s exciting to see.”

Christy and Jeb work hard and certainly feel the responsibility for making sure that the world understands the unique nature and exceptional quality of one of the country’s premier regional producing theaters. That said, they are also grateful for the opportunity to work at a place they respect and admire. “When you watch the professionals here transform ideas into something physical and real – it’s amazing,” says Jeb. “I'm a kid in a candy store here.”

For Christy Souther, FRP is home. “Lisa (Bryant) said it best. We get to have fun at work. We get to do what we love and we are part of a big family here.”

On April 21st, when the lights come up on Ring of Fire and theater season officially commences, Flat Rock Playhouse will once again be filled with the energy shared between the performers on stage and the patrons in the seats. For that, we can all give a nod of thanks to the people behind the scenes that help make sure that thousands of happy Playhouse patrons will enjoy another memorable and – memorably successful – year for Flat Rock Playhouse.

Shows, showtimes, and tickets for the 2023 Flat Rock Playhouse Season here.