April 11, 2008

New director at Downstage

Steve Thomas    posted 1 Apr 2008, 07:35 AM / edited 1 Apr 2008, 07:48 AM

But for the date, I was convinced that Sam Neill was the candidate…good try John!  I claim first to spring this jape.  Competitive bastard!

John Smythe      posted 1 Apr 2008, 07:53 AM / edited 3 Apr 2008, 12:55 PM

My gob is totally smacked.  I’ll need a moment to digest this news.

Nic Farra              posted 1 Apr 2008, 08:56 AM

What’s the date today?

Avril Tahi McGuire           posted 1 Apr 2008, 09:32 AM

Oh please, this is serious! The marketing tail wags the creative dog. Does CNZ back this?

Charlotte Larsen               posted 1 Apr 2008, 10:10 AM

March 31st still, if you happen to live in the Cook Islands…

Tory Longforde posted 1 Apr 2008, 10:12 AM / edited 1 Apr 2008, 10:13 AM

Amazing news about Sam Neill!! Wow how wonderful for Downstage. I have a memory of a play directed by Sam at Downstage in the 70s. The set included a likeness of Marilyn Monroe painted by Tom Scott. And now ‘Marilyn’ is strutting the same stage as this news is announced – how spooky is that?

Madeleine Hyland            posted 1 Apr 2008, 10:42 AM

Oh please is it just a cruel joke? I am that gullible…no it must be…but I think it’s a super idea. Imagine how much it would raise the profile of theatre all over the country…

Richard Grevers                posted 1 Apr 2008, 11:14 AM

Today is a really bad day to launch anything genuine. Well crafted “press release” though!

John Smythe      posted 1 Apr 2008, 12:07 PM

You will note Steve Thomas was “first to spring this jape” at 07:48 am, so to keep it alive I had to disappear his post for a bit. Thanks for playing along!

Zia Lopez             posted 1 Apr 2008, 12:43 PM

It’s a pity that Sam Neill’s vision for Downstage is as mythical as his appointment.

Aaron Alexander              posted 1 Apr 2008, 01:34 PM / edited 2 Apr 2008, 04:41 PM

Where did that box I was keeping all my soap in get to…?

e. v         posted 1 Apr 2008, 02:21 PM / edited 2 Apr 2008, 04:41 PM       

I  “LOL’d” at about 1am this morning…I was not fooled! Sorely tempted to let the cat out of the bag but wanted to see how people reacted (though seems John censored a little for fun)

 Would’ve been great if it was true 🙂

John Smythe      posted 3 Apr 2008, 01:11 PM / edited 3 Apr 2008, 02:50 PM

For the record, satirising the cult of celebrity was the point behind this April Fools Day jape. I mean to cast no judgement on the talent and integrity of the celebrities mentioned. Nevertheless, as a general statement, I do claim that too often the marketing imperative drives the creative decision. As always it is the quality of the product itself that has enduring value. Meanwhile someone has to take the risk of giving visibility and resources to the relatively low-profile talents that can deliver that quality – and the marketers need to work out how to achieve public awareness without demanding the easy way out.

Angela Green     posted 3 Apr 2008, 05:44 PM

Tee hee, the best thing is this ‘news’ made it to page 13 in The Wellingtonian!

Brianne Kerr       posted 4 Apr 2008, 05:03 PM

The Wellingtonian mistake was my fault.

I believed the ‘News’ on Theatreview and in my giddy excitement emailed all my friends with the fabulous news.

I’m an idiot.

Unfortunately one of my friends is from the Wellingtonian.

I have apologised to the Wellingtonian for this and feel pretty stink for causing them to doubt any future emails that come from me.

I’m an idiot.

Mea culpa.

Sorry.

Bri

John Smythe      posted 4 Apr 2008, 09:54 PM

What can I say? The most reliable publicist in Wellington from now on will be Brianne Kerr because never again will she not check her sources, the story and THE DATE. When people emailed to ask, “Is it true?” or “Tell me it’s not true!”, I simply replied, “What’s the date?” Result: chuckles all round.

When the editor of The Wellingtonian rang today to voice his displeasure, I made it clear – apart from the obvious points about the nature of the April Fools Day game – that the website was available for him to have his say. He may or may not. The wording on their correction next week will be interesting.

In the wake of our chat I need to make it absolutely clear that Downstage Theatre played no part in this jape. If anyone wants retribution, please don’t take it out on them, or the wonderfully dedicated Bri. Boycott Theatreview if you must have revenge.

ellen walsh          posted 5 Apr 2008, 01:21 AM    

Bri, you’re great! and I haven’t even known you that long. Keep doing what you do so well! 🙂

(and to the Wellingtonian editor, should your staff not have done a bit of fact checking themselves? Just saying..)

Grant Buist         posted 5 Apr 2008, 05:38 AM

Poor, poor Wellingtonian. National humiliation from The Herald, no less. There are some weeks that Jitterati just writes itself.

John Smythe      posted 5 Apr 2008, 09:49 AM / edited 5 Apr 2008, 09:52 AM

Here’s what Grant refers to: Theatre of the Absurd – Guy Somerset’s take on it.

Aaron Alexander              posted 5 Apr 2008, 09:56 AM / edited 5 Apr 2008, 10:00 AM

Anyone working on a newspaper or other news publication surely has to take extra care dealing with stories that come in on April 1. Surely that should be something The Wellingtonian’s editorial staff should pay special attention to:

“So, guys, before we start the presses, seeing as it’s this time of year, is there anything we’re printing that could be an April Fool’s prank? Anything that seems a little too strange or fantastic to be true? A big story based on little more than an email from one of your mates, maybe? Anything at all? Because it wouldn’t take long to check the facts with the organisations involved…a quick phone call would do it…No? Nothing? OK, let’s print.”

Brianne has nothing to apologise for. Nor does Theatreview.

WellyWatch        posted 8 Apr 2008, 03:44 PM

Today’s Dominion Post picks up the Sam Neill/ Downstage/ April Fool story in the Diary column (leader page) but doesn’t name The Wellingtonian as the publication that ran the story “as the real McCoy”. (Presumably because both papers are in the Fairfax stable – the flipside of only mentioning themselves when reporting who won various media awards? Is that sad or what?)

Grant Buist seems to have hinted this week’s ‘Jitterati’ in the Capital Times will capitalise on it – that’s out on Wednesday. Then The Wellingtonian, out on Thursday, will have to save its face somehow. Not bad legs for a 1 April gag. Well done.

Grant Buist         posted 9 Apr 2008, 02:26 AM

Woohoo! Thank you Diary column, I’m in topical paradise!

Aaron Alexander              posted 10 Apr 2008, 08:51 AM / edited 10 Apr 2008, 08:57 AM

Hmmm…seems The Wellingtonian has a new definition of the word ‘legitimate’ .

Michael Wray    posted 10 Apr 2008, 05:43 PM

The Wellingtonian have redefined the phrase “press release” too. John’s story said “yet to be officially announced” and “reliable sources suggest” so describing the story as a press release – let alone a legitimate press release – is funnier than them falling for the fool.

Didn’t they think that a “legitimate press release” would have to come from Downstage itself? It doesn’t matter that it was an April Fool; one would expect a newspaper to confirm any story with a source before publishing it. It would have taken them two minutes to phone Downstage to check.

Poor Bri 🙂

John Smythe      posted 10 Apr 2008, 06:24 PM

For the record, The Wellingtonian of April 10, 2008, contains the following (on page 10):

CORRECTION

AN ARTICLE in last week’s Wellingtonian stated that actor Sam Neill would be taking up the role as Downstage’s artistic director. This is incorrect. The information was sourced through a legitimate press release, which later proved to be an April Fool’s joke. The error is regretted.

I have now sent the editor (at editor@thewellingtonian.co.nz) the following letter:

Correcting your correction

In the interests of historical accuracy may I correct your ‘Correction’ (April 10) regarding the story you ran about Sam Neill becoming Artistic Director of Downstage. To say ‘The information was sourced through a legitimate press release’ is incorrect.

A freelance publicist, momentarily taken in, sent the following message to her friends on Tuesday, April 01, 2008 at 8:24 am: ‘Subject: Sam Neil to Head Downstage | Follow the link to theatreview . . . https://www.theatreview.org.nz/news/news.php?id=155 | xx Bri’. This communication was in no way formatted as a press release and the ‘To’ list was not media, although one friend happened to work for the Wellingtonian.

Nor was the ‘Breaking News’ on theatreview.org.nz presented as an official announcement (although many classic April Fool’s jokes attempt just that). It included the phrases “While yet to be officially announced, reliable sources suggest …” and “The word is that …”, and went on to satirically suggest that Sam would be ‘bringing his knowledge of the craft of wine-making to the theatrical process, aiming to turn what might otherwise have been a “quaffable plonk” into a highly valued vintage.’

It was your choice entirely not to phone Downstage for confirmation before running the story.

John Smythe

Editor

theatreview.org.nz

Aaron Alexander              posted 11 Apr 2008, 08:49 AM / edited 11 Apr 2008, 10:57 AM

The mature thing to do would have been put their hands up and say ‘We Were Fooled!’, and have a chuckle about it, which no doubt their readers would have enjoyed. Instead the editor has chosen to bury a spiteful little correction that contains regret, but no apology, and infers that someone has made a conscious effort to discredit their august publication.

FAIL, Wellingtonian. no sense of humour, and an inflated sense of importance. Must be a Fairfax thing…