Case Study: House Seats - Women of Color on Broadway

đź”— Watch on PBS ALL ARTS
Timeline: September 2019 – February 2020
Project Type: Community Arts Programming, Event Production
Services: Strategic Planning, Project Management, Event Marketing
Clients/Partners: WOCoB Inc., WNET/PBS ALL ARTS, The Cooper Union
Producer: Victoria Velazquez

Overview & Objective

House Seats: Women of Color on Broadway was a live concert and televised special produced in partnership with PBS affiliate ALLARTS and presented at The Cooper Union’s historic Great Hall. The event celebrated the artistic legacy and cultural contributions of Black and Brown women in musical theater through media storytelling and tribute performances. Its goals were to deliver a high-quality, accessible arts program aligned with Black History Month, amplify WOCoB’s work via national broadcast, and strengthen ties with established cultural institutions.

Strategy & Execution

Brand Strategy & Community-Building

Victoria developed a multi-platform promotional campaign positioning WOCoB as both a cultural preservationist and community celebrant. The event’s storytelling emphasized legacy, lineage, and liberation—connecting Broadway’s history with contemporary voices. Through media coverage, community outreach, and targeted email campaigns, the team engaged audiences across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Harlem.

Fundraising & Budgeting

Victoria led budgeting and fundraising using a hybrid model combining institutional support and strategic partnerships to meet financial goals. This approach ensured the event remained 100% free and accessible, fully aligned with WOCoB’s mission.

Strategic Partnerships & Institutional Leverage

WOCoB partnered with WNET/PBS ALLARTS, a then-new cultural streaming platform, and The Cooper Union, whose prestigious venue added legitimacy and historical resonance. The program aired on PBS broadcast channels and was made available on-demand, extending its reach from NYC to a national audience.

Campaign Framework: Legacy | Community | Brand

Victoria applied her proprietary Legacy | Community | Brand framework to position the project for institutional success and long-term impact:

Legacy: Reputation | Credibility | Resources

  • Reputation: The Great Hall has hosted historic figures ranging from Abraham Lincoln to Audra McDonald, including the first public meeting of the NAACP in 1909, early gatherings for women’s suffrage, and American labor movements.

  • Credibility: WNET’s ALLARTS series "House Seats" was emerging as a credible PBS program spotlighting the arts. The collaboration gave WOCoB unprecedented mainstream visibility.

  • Resources: Access to The Cooper Union’s production staff, ALL ARTS’ public broadcasting distribution, and WOCoB’s network of Broadway talent created an ideal infrastructure for scale.

Community: Voice | Culture | Engagement

  • Voice: The concert highlighted the voices and stories of women of color in musical theater. WOCoB brought a celebratory, culturally specific tone while PBS and The Great Hall support the historic value.

  • Culture: Grounded in Black history, feminism, and cultural celebration, the event presented musical theater as a vehicle for education and pride.

  • Engagement: The show sold out within hours, with a robust waitlist and three encore performances. Streaming numbers and social shares reflected meaningful, cross-generational engagement.

Brand: Story | Offering | Impact

  • Story: The concert honored living legends like Melba Moore and LaChanze while spotlighting rising stars, drawing a line through generations of performers.

  • Offering: A free public concert and high-quality video production available on PBS and digital platforms.

  • Impact: National exposure for WOCoB, a sold-out show at an iconic venue, and long-term partnerships with legacy institutions.

Campaign Type: Event Marketing Campaign
Role: Campaign-Project Manager, Marketing Lead
Timeline: December 2019 – February 2020

Campaign Goal + Core Elements

Purpose - To build awareness of the House Seats event within NYC’s arts community and increase engagement across key digital platforms—primarily Women of Color on Broadway’s website, Instagram, and Facebook. The campaign aimed to drive attendance, grow the organization’s professional network, and expand its audience base through grassroots outreach, earned media, and immersive storytelling.

Key Campaign Components:

  • Coordinated email marketing across Women of Color on Broadway, Cooper Union, and ALLARTS to drive RSVPs and content engagement.

  • Viral Playbill feature led a wave of press coverage, followed by continued media placements in Harlem- and Brooklyn-based publications.

  • Cross-platform social media collaboration with ALL ARTS, including teaser clips, behind-the-scenes footage, and artist interviews distributed on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and web.

  • College student engagement strategy featuring group promotions, ambassador-led outreach, and classroom-based distribution.

  • Artist-branded promotional assets shared across WOCoB, Cooper Union, and ALLARTS channels to maximize visibility and reach.

Target Audiences:

  • NYC’s local musical theater community

  • Professional arts workers and arts enthusiasts

  • Colleges and arts education centers

  • Local church organizations in New Jersey and New York City

Key Campaign Activities

Digital Content: WOCoB and ALLARTS collaborated to release exclusive digital content, including a filmed interview with LaChanze and a series of performance trailers. A timed content strategy used campaign hashtags, tribute artwork, and Instagram visual storytelling to align with real-time cultural moments (e.g., Black History Month, Broadway debuts, and honors for featured guests). User-generated content, including fan art and artist reposts, sustained digital momentum after the event.

Media & Press: A Playbill feature published in December 2019 went viral and was instrumental in driving RSVPs. Follow-up coverage from Harlem- and Brooklyn-based media outlets reinforced the event’s visibility. Press outreach included interviews with co-founders and featured performers, helping to spotlight the event’s cultural and community impact. Strategic alignment with cultural milestones and trending Broadway news bolstered press interest and helped fuel an eventual sell-out, triggering demand for encore reservations.

Grassroots Outreach: Board members led in-person outreach across local church organizations. Physical flyers were distributed at salons, cultural spaces, and colleges. Featured artists were given custom flyers to post on their own platforms, tapping into their networks. Student ambassadors helped distribute information through college performance clubs and open mic circles in Harlem, Brooklyn, and Manhattan—turning grassroots enthusiasm into measurable awareness and turnout.

Community Engagement: Interactive experiences were prioritized to build community connection. IG Live artist interviews, repost challenges, and fan-driven campaigns (such as Melba Moore tribute art) encouraged online participation. Artists posted exclusive behind-the-scenes rehearsal content, creating a “first-look” feel. Post-event, authentic audience content—including Facebook posts and Instagram stories—amplified the event’s digital life and generated a lasting connection with new followers.

Experiential Touchpoints: ALLARTS filmed key elements of the show including pre-event teasers, which were released ahead of the performance and later broadcast as part of a television premiere in October 2020. Live performances were documented and repurposed as digital content to extend reach. Recap footage, behind-the-scenes photos, and artist meet-and-greets offered exclusive access for both live and online audiences. Email and social media follow-ups invited ongoing engagement with WOCoB and future programming.

Metrics & Results

  • Sold out attendance at The Cooper Union’s Great Hall

  • 8,000+ streaming views across ALL ARTS and local PBS platforms

  • 3 sold-out encore demands

  • Secured national distribution through PBS

  • $65,000 in in-kind production support from institutional partners

  • 100% free admission for attendees

  • Community engagement spanning Harlem, Brooklyn, and Manhattan

  • Strong cross-sector partnership between nonprofit, academic, and public media organizations

Conclusion & Looking Ahead

House Seats: Women of Color on Broadway marked a defining milestone for WOCoB, solidifying its reputation among cultural institutions and NYC audiences. Although the COVID-19 pandemic paused live expansion plans, the event’s success laid the groundwork for digital innovation, including WOCoB’s pivot to visual projects like Summertime, continuing its mission of access and amplification.

This collaboration established WOCoB as a trusted cultural partner for initiatives blending art, education, and advocacy with excellence.