From theatre to public relations

Hello all, my name is Samantha Lanham. I am a freshman at LSU majoring in Mass Communication with a concentration in public relations and a minor in theatre. I joined ImPRint Communications at the start of the semester and have thoroughly enjoyed my experience so far. I have been involved in theatre for ten years and since learning more about PR, I have noticed a few correlations between the two.

You are a part of a cast.

​In theatre, you are always a part of a cast. You play off of the other characters to enhance your performance. In PR, you are a part of a team. You need to utilize the different people with different specialties in your team to further your project.

You audition for your role.

In theatre, you must prepare a monologue and perform in front of the director in order to be cast in the show. Your audition is almost as important as your performance. In PR, you have to pitch ideas and concepts to your client. If you aren’t good at pitching, you will never get the chance to show them your performance.

You wear a costume.

In theatre, depending on who you are playing, you wear a specific costume. The costume reflects who you want the audience to perceive you as. In PR, you dress
nice and classy. You want your client to respect you and see you as a professional.
You memorize your lines.
In theatre, you work day and night memorizing your lines. You want to not be reliant on your script so that you can focus more on your acting. In PR, you need to know about your client and their needs. The more informed you are, the better your final project will be.

You’re sad when the show is over

In theatre, you work for months on a show and eventually you reach closing night. Tears are shed and hugs are given that night. It’s all over but you’re happy with the production you put on. In PR, you may do one project for a client you really like and when you have to leave them, it can be bitter sweet. You’re proud of your work but sad to leave a good client.


Thank you all for reading. I’m excited to one day put my love for PR and my love for theatre together in the professional world. I’m glad I could do that for you today.


Samantha Lanham
[email protected]

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