That is a VERY good question. I wish someone would answer it.
you need to ensure that the the has an appropriate widget area you can add the widget to.
see http://codex.wordpress.org/Widgetizing_Themes for details of how to add widget area ( also known as sidebars)
That codex was not helpful enough to me as it was not clear on where to paste which specific widget code (into my header?), etc… I assume I need more information.
BUT thank you just the same.