WhatsOnStage founder and former managing director Terri Paddock, has launched StageFaves, a web site that connects all things musical theatre.
StageFaves brings together the social media output of over 700 musical theatre performers, musical theatre shows and the genre's fans.
An online resource for musical theatre, visitors can access show information including cast lists with performers' verified Twitter handles, daily rankings, Twitter and Facebook feeds, social media and links by show, performer-centric West End ticketing and personalised fan merchandise for every performer.
This is an opportunity for West End musical theatre performers to raise their profiles by growing their social media followings and expanding their fanbase. The range of shows will increase quickly to cover leading Off-West End and UK touring musicals, whilst new features and functionality will also develop.
Terri Paddock explained, "last year, an Olivier Award-winning musical theatre actor complained to me that she wasn't getting cast because she wasn't active on Twitter. Instead of commiserating, my immediate reaction was: well, get on Twitter! I firmly believe that social media levels the playing field as a marketing and fan engagement tool for performers.
"Then I started thinking about how, as a fan myself, I'm so often frustrated by not being able to find casts, and all their connections, online. By building the Stage Faves platform, I wanted to make it much, much easier for fans to find, champion and support the musical theatre performers they love and discover new ones as well."
StageFaves sits alongside Paddock initiative My Theatre Mates, a portal for independent theatre bloggers, co–founded with journalist and The Stage joint chief critic Mark Shenton.