THR 2011 Introduction to Theatre
Department of Theatre and Dance
markngma@appstate.edu
The
Producer's Choices
-It took 3 people to put Phantom of the Opera together
-400 theatre people and $8.5 million
The
Theatrical Catalyst
Seminal Choices
-producer
-impresarios
-social, artistic, educational missionaries
-global arts managers
The
History of Producing
-two models have predominated
-subsidized service
-commercial enterprise
Theatre
with a Mission
Producing as a Service
-Greek
-archon
-choregus
-state
-Middle Ages
-churches
-Renaissance
-Comedie Francaise
-United States
-Federal Theatre Project /Works Project Administration
-until the 1950's theatres weren't subsidized
-African National Theatre
Artistic
Missionaries
-Naturalism and symbolism
-independent theatres developed
Theatre
for Profit
-16th century
-Hotel de Bourgone-Paris
-The Red Lion- London
-some actors were joint owners
-at other theatres one powerful theatre owner
-Philip Henslowe
-profitable and audience appeal
-business organizational principles
-location as important as the plays chosen
-understanding the personalities of theatre artists Christopher Rich
The
Actor-Manager System
-David Garrick
-David Douglas
-Southwark
The
Birth of Show Business
-Theatrical Syndicate
-Sarah Bernhardt
-Shubert Theatre Corporation
Modern
Producing
-plays, personnel, theatre building and the audience
- profit making
- not-for profit
The
Art and Business of Commercial Producing
Who
They Are: Profiles of Theatrical High Rollers
-Morton Gottlieb
-most producers have worked at a wide variety of theatre jobs and have
worked their way up
-Florenz Ziegfeld
-Kermit Bloomgarden
-recognized musical comedies and serious dramas
-David Merrick
-Harold Prince
-changed the face of the American musical
-Cameron Mackintosh
Choosing
Plays
-Finding the Right Property (play)
-subsidiary rights
-play readers
-commission
-recognizing whether or not something will be successful -proven properties
lessen risks
-import business
-revival
-touring productions
-safest bets
-Stuart Ostrow
-M Butterfly
-LaBete
Choosing
a Theatre
-producers chose the theatre
-theatre owners
-do not rent shop spaces
-NYC
-Shubert Organization
-Nederlander
-Jujamcyn
-Rocco Landesmen
Theatre
Districts
-location
-want to attract large audiences
-metropolitan cities
-civic centers
-Broadway (Great White Way)
-all seat more than 499
-highest production costs in the world
-safe musicals, light comedies
-expensive, commercial
-it is remote
-same architecture, same type of stage, same types of plays
-Off-Broadway
-seating capacity of 499 or less
-alternative theatrical -cheaper, smaller, outside of the city
-classics, experimental
-Off-Off Broadway -
-small independent groups
-inexpensive, "site specific" spaces, lofts, churches, basements, gyms
-variety of show types
-alternative for regional theatres
-classics, contemporary, experimental
-Cabaret or Dinner Theatres
-The Road
-attendance
-tours bring in 2/3 of the gross profits from 1994
-Global Markets
Choosing the Artists
Choosing
Actors
What
it Costs: Financial Choices and Strategies of the Commercial Producer
-production costs are raising higher than inflation
Why does it cost so much?
1. theatre is people intensive
2. little control over cost
-most plays that are optioned never get produced -The Limited Partnership
Agreement -general partners
-limited partners
-"The Risk to Investors"
-hit shows can multiply a faster and higher proportion of return than any
other business
-today
-Miss Saigon $10 million-recouped its investment in 39 weeks
-Les Miserables $4 million in 24 weeks, returned 5 times the investment
-Cats- 50 times the investment 4,900%
-Oklahoma- $1,000 in 1943, $2.5 million in 1994 (249,900%)
-megaflops - Shogun $10 million
-Carrie $7.5 million
-Annie $8 million
-no assets to liquidate
The Art and Business of Not-For-Profit Producing
Eva Le Gallienne
-Civic Repertory Theatre
-1950-theatres that are not for profit are now an essential component
of the theatre
-magnet schools, college and university, community theatres, professional
theatres
The Not for Profit Theatre Profile
-Organizational Identity
Mission Statements
-La Jolla Playhouse
-The Living Stage
-unified season vs diverse
Subsided Financing
-National Endowment for the Arts
Owning theatre
-found spaces
-can build new facilities
-university theatre
-children's theatre
-community theatres
Lower Operating Costs
The Divided Responsibilities of Producing
-Triangle of Governance
-Board of Trustees -oversee the operation of the theatre
-advocates
-hire professionals to run the company
-The Artistic Director -chooses season's plays
-selects the personnel
-approves artistic choices
-usually directs one or more plays in a season
-Managing Director -also called producing director
-supervises staff administration
-facilities management
-contracts
-ticket sales
-fund raising
-audience development
-success is measured in results not process
-Producer job is divided
The Decentralization of American Theatre
-professional theatres are now in every state and in Washington DC
Not-For-Profit Theatre in the Big Apple
- more than 50 not for profit theatre organizations in NYC
-alternative to commercial theatre events
-many sizes, missions and places
-The New York Shakespeare Festival
-largest not for profit professional theatre in US
-Joseph Papp -Public Theatre
-6 theatre complex
-George Wolfe
-other not for profit theaters
-unions
-Off-Off-Broadway
-originally produced radical works
-showcase new talent
-100 seats or less
-small budgets and minimal production elements
-actors
-special interest groups
The Regional Theatre Movement
-Founding Mothers
The Cost of Regional Theatre Play Production
-$3 million-$7 million
-average cost of non musical is $300,000
The Piano Lesson
-profit sharing
-season subscriptions
-permanent summer festivals
-classics and experimental, contemporary
-social, civic and artistic responsibilities
-less safe more culturally diverse
-repertory
-outdoor dramas
The Passion for Playmakers
-primary responsibility is to the theatre artists
-give voice to imaginations of the other artists
The Producer at Work
Role of Resident Theatres has changed
-chief suppliers of serious dramas
-give more experience for the actor
-educate an audience
-more risky entertainments
-academic/educational theatres
Choices