The UTBA continues to grow and improve thanks to you!
Wow! We’re in the middle of an exciting time at UTBA. Cats and Tarzan at Tuacahn mark our first reviews in southern Utah. We also just finished a whirlwind of 9 reviews in 9 days. And (of course) our web site layout has improved recently, which has made navigating content, leaving comments, and browsing reviews easier.
UTBA is still in its infancy, and—like any proud parent—we’re thrilled to share all of the site’s major milestones with anyone who will pay attention. But UTBA can’t be a baby forever. The site needs to grow and we need donations to fund that growth. Since its beginning, UTBA has been financed by the creators’ personal funds. While this has been helpful, it is not enough money for the site grow with while also paying for the increased site traffic, web hosting costs, and the costs of current services to both theaters and readers. Simply put, if you want UTBA to serve you better, we need donations for the near future. Our current minimum goal is $100 by June 30. To meet that goal, we’re asking our readers to make a donation between $1 and $25.
So that you know what you’ll be paying for, here are a few of our ideas for possible expanded content:
- More interviews of theatre professionals, performers, and other Utah theatre personalities
- Videos generated by UTBA, readers, and theaters
- Full cast and crew listings
- Audition and space rental notices
We also plan on improving the technical aspects of the site. Possible modifications include:
- Accounts for registered readers that would give access to discounts for theatrical events.
- Email subscription lists for Utah theatre news
- More cosmetic and organizational changes to improve our readers’ experience
But the changes won’t just benefit readers and patrons. Some of our ideas for UTBA will also help theaters, arts organizations, publicists, directors and producers:
- Better integration with other arts organizations’ web sites
- Improved press release exposure and distribution
- Easier system for buying advertising space on the UTBA site
Great ideas right? Each of the changes above is going to require some time and programming to ramp up the UTBA to version 2.0. We’ve seen some success in our early fundraising. Our opening push for donations raised $96—not too bad for a web site that isn’t even six months old. But we need more donations to make these ideas a reality. If UTBA has ever helped publicize your production, enticed you to see a play, or helped you stay up to date on theatre in Utah, please make a donation between $1 and $25 to show your appreciation.
We’re still a small site, but we think you can feel the potential we’re bringing to the table.
