The big secret about local theatre is that it costs a lot of money to put on shows. A great example is the Backstage Players’ production of “Disney’s High School Musical,” which takes the stage at the Paramount Arts Center later this week.
According to a recent story, the show is the group’s most expensive yet, with a budget of $36,000!
Yep, $36,000!
That’s been a growing trend in local theatre in recent years. I’ve read reports of high schools (in larger cities) spending up to $100,000 on a single production. It’s easy to see how a bill like that could happen – if you hired professional carpenters to build your set, rented all your costumes and had to pay top dollar for a performance hall, along with the other costs involved, like rights fees, props, makeup and so on – it would be easy to get into the 100K range.
To curb costs, most local groups rely on volunteers to get the work done – but even then, some costs are inevitable.
The most expensive show I’ve been involved with was last year’s “Les Miserables: The School Edition,” and it came out to about $20,000 total – not exactly pocket change. Thankfully, ticket sales covered that expense and First Stage actually made a little bit of money – which makes it easier to do the next show in line.
That’s why many groups rely on sponsorships to help deal with those rising costs. Or they can charge more for tickets. Or they can hold fundraisers. Or, in most cases, they can do all of the above.
Hey, the theatre is no place for the faint of heart.
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