Know your target audience. That's important when marketing a show. "Working," a Broadway in Chicago presentation of a musical based on a book with the same name by the late Pulitzer Prize-winning Chicago author Studs Terkel, certainly considers the working men and women of Chicago a key audience because this is a show, after all, about working people. A broad cross-section of workers, ranging from a housewife to a waitress to a hooker (yes, they work too), raise their voices in compelling song to tell of their lives as everyday workers

So to help attract more of that audience that should feel a natural connection to the theme of the musical, the producers of "Working" have unveiled a promotion aimed directly at that significant group of people who belong to labor unions in Chicago.

Beginning today, workers with a union card will get 20 percent off tickets for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evening performances when ordering at the box office, on the phone or online with the code "union." All those taking advantage of the discount should be prepared to present their union cards when arriving to see the show at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place.

Broadway In Chicago, a presenter of live theatrical fare coming from or -- more often now -- headed to New York's Broadway, has over the last year made a major commitment to reach out to audiences via the latest Internet and mobile communication offerings.

BIC has long had its own Web site, of course. But more recently, it has started connecting with patrons via Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and a dedicated blog. The latest twist, unveiled last week, is a new Broadway In Chicago iPhone app (the first from any theatrical entity in the United States) that provides detailed information and videos about current and upcoming BIC productions, as well as special offers and info about restaurants and parking garages near the Loop theater district.
David D'Angelo of Los Angeles-based LittleBoxCreations.com developed the new app. BIC Vice President and marketing honcho Eileen LaCario says the iPhone app and similar initiatives will help her organization connect with a broader range of theatergoers and enhance their interest in live theater.

"We've got to make live theater as accessible as possible, and things like our new iPhone app help do that," said LaCario. For more info about the new BIC iPhone app, visit www.BroadwayinChicago.com/iPhone.