What does it take to put on a local production? Lots of things: determination, time, effort, people to help - the list goes on and on. But it really comes down to some basics, and that's what we'll be talking about here over the next week.
So assuming you're willing to tackle the job, what do you need first? That's easy: money. In fact, you'll probably need more money than you might expect. That's because putting on a show - even the most modest local performance - takes quite a bit of money. Shows can cost anywhere from several hundred dollars to upwards of $100,000 - and remember, I'm talking about community theatre productions here. Broadway productions routinuely run into millions of dollars.
So why is it so expensive? Well, you have to pay to rent the hall (depending on how many days you need it) - it can costs several thousand dollars to rent a theatre for two weekends. You need to pay for the right to use almost every play in existence - again, that can run from a few hundred for a tiny show to several thousand for the more recent (and popular) shows.
And that's just the beginning - there are costumes to be made or rented, a set to be built, props to acquire, rehearsal space, printing costs (for posters and programs) and much more.
All this is why the first job any director or producer faces is coming up with a proposed budget for each show. Then you have to figure out where the money is coming from. Then you can start working on the show.
Next: Picking a show
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