The Wild Party
Kickstarter Cards & Secret Messages
For the Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ second large-scale immersive show, my team ran a successful Kickstarter to raise $27,521 for the project. Along with more traditional rewards offered, we decided to make some fun mailers that would tease the experience to come. I wanted to add an Easter egg quality to the materials, so I came up with the idea of creating phone messages using Google Voice and spraying the cards with perfume. Throughout this campaign, I wanted it to feel as much as possible that our guests were interacting with the main character Queenie herself.
The first card was sent after someone donated to our Kickstarter.
We hand-sprayed each card with perfume to make it feel like it was coming from Queenie herself. I had one of our marketing heads write my message in her handwriting because she has the fanciest script I know!
The second postcard was sent closer to the performance date. Anyone who had the gumption to call the phone number on the card would get a special message (recorded with actress Emily Van Fleet):
“So you actually decided to give ol’ Queenie a ring? Aw, applesauce! You sure know how to make a girl blush. I’ve been carrying a torch for you for some time, and I’m tired of being stuck on a fella I barely get to see. You’re coming to my shindig, right? Every bearcat and big timer in town will be there, but I promise I’ll be all dolled up just for you. Imagining you looking dapper in your glad rags gives me the shivers already. I’ll see you when the gin is flowing, baby.”
During the performance, VIP guests and Kickstarter donors would receive signed cards from the other “guests” (aka actors) with another number to call, which would play this post-show message:
“Is that you, bunny? It’s so good to hear your voice. I’ve been feeling grummy ever since the night ended and I keep getting the screaming meemies every time I think about it. I thought we’d all be on the lam after that caper, but I also don’t quite know what happened. It’s hard to be on the level about any of it. All I know is people like us gotta jazz ‘til we drop, ‘cus people like us don’t know when to stop. Thanks for being such a Blue Serge about all of this, you’re such a good sport when the going gets tough. Let’s ankle sometime soon, clear our heads and make sense of it all. Kisses, your Queenie.”
