With the arrival of a few 20/21 season announcements in recent weeks, I’m also starting to make updates and preparations for year two of the site. Here’s a peak into what’s coming!

NEWS

One feature that I felt would be a good idea is adding a News page to the site. The feedback I received from site visitors also came to the same conclusion. While I’m still figuring out how comprehensive I want to be, the News page will have major information and updates regarding new shows, casting, and venue announcements. The newest news will be on the main homepage, and older news can be found by clicking News on the main menu.

ALL SHOWS

This past season, I was uncertain as to how to define a lot of the shows that play across the country. I always want to try and include as many shows as possible, while keeping things very simple and easy-to-use. So, for the 20/21 season, I am changing the All Shows page to be more comprehensive and (hopefully) user-friendly.

The new page is divided into four sections: Musicals, Plays, Holiday Shows, and Miscellaneous Shows. The latter section is going to be a sort of catchall for productions that are in a venue’s season, but can’t be defined under any of the other sections. Examples include shows like Blue Man Group, Riverdance, Stomp, and The Illusionists. Here’s a screen shot of the new layout when you first arrive on the page:

To get to the All Shows page, simply click on 2020-2021 in the main menu and it’ll take directly to the page. Alternatively, when hovering over 2020-2021 in the main menu, click on “All Shows” from the drop-down menu

After arriving on the page, you’ll see buttons associated with the sections. To get to a section, click on the button that interests you. You’ll then be directed to the top part of that section where all of the shows in the section will be listed below it. To get to another section, go to the top of the section you’re in and click on the button to take you to your desired section. You can also click on the arrow on the right-hand side of the page to take you back to the top of the overall page. You can always use your browser’s search feature to find the show you’re looking for.

To view the show’s stops, click Shows beneath the show’s title and it’ll expand to display all of the published stops. Click Shows again and the list will collapse. While I’m still updating things at the moment, you can check out the page here.

INDIVIDUAL SHOWS

Some of the biggest changes happening next year are going to be in the Individual Show pages. One of the biggest changes is that I’m adding is a ticket link, which’ll take you directly to the venue’s page for purchasing tickets. I’m hoping this will make things simpler and remove additional steps to getting to ticketing information.

If the show has been out for more than a season, I will be posting links to the previous seasons I have available on my site. This will be located below the map of the show’s route. This may prove to be useful should you want to try to make predictions as to what may be coming to your local venue. Below the previous season, I’m also going to be adding the show’s website and applicable social media links. Here’s a current example of the layout for next season:

I’m debating about adding in a content advisory section. Personally, I like the idea of knowing if there might be anything in the show that want to be made aware of, such as language and violence, as well as other show-related features, such as strobe lights, moving rear-screen projections, and loud noises (e.g. gunshots). However, I also want to be as non-biased as possible and don’t want to spoil any key elements of the show. So, this feature may be coming or it may not. I’m aware that a few shows already have content advisories (Jersey Boys and Avenue Q), which may help me sway my decision into adding this feature.

OTHER FEATURES

Site-wide features that will go into effect in the 20/21 season include the addition of Canadian stops for the North American tours. I will not be including the Canadian companies of shows (i.e. Hamilton or Dear Evan Hansen).

I will also be formatting the dates into the U.S. standard rather than the current, international style. (I’ve done a lot of genealogical work in the past and the international format is the standard.) This will provide continuity between what you’d see on venue and show websites, and will hopefully remove confusion. The months will still be spelled out, but days and years will be in numbers (e.g. January 21-February 2, 2020).

SUPPORT

Lastly, I want to thank all who have visited the site in the past year or so. (I just passed 4,000 total visitors recently, which is a happy surprise). The site will turn two in July and I appreciate all who have made it a part of their theatre-going experience. For those who don’t know, I run this site as a hobby and have additional day jobs that, combined, keep me pretty busy. I’m trying to find the right balance of work and the site as both are equally enjoyable and extremely gratifying.

I’m currently reconsidering restructuring my Patreon page, but, should you wish to support the site, you’re more than welcome to do so via a donation to my Paypal. Past donors have been given recognition on my site, and also have the opportunity to receive insight into information that I receive. A little goes a long way and all donations go directly into keeping the site alive and thriving. To make a donation via Paypal, click here.

Thank you again for taking the time to visit the site and I look forward to what’s coming up in the future!