A New Producing Plan

Last week’s blog was on how we should use the workarounds invented because of COVID to make producing theater more efficient. Because I’m a commercial producer by training, the things I look at are ways to increase revenue or decrease expenses. So my comments, while they can be implemented by not-for-profit regional theaters, does not focus on them.

It also ignores issues of union jurisdiction. A film of a live production of a play can be reasonably argued to fall under either SAG/AFTRA or Equity jurisdiction. As a producer of this type of production, I’m content to let the respective unions decide on what rules need to be followed.

The standard plan pre-COVID was an initial production in NYC, followed by a tour, then years later, a revival.

My suggestion now is to replace the tour section of the standard producing plan with a film of the initial production of the play. This film would then be distributed on a pay-per-view platform.

No More Touring?

Having a film as a replacement to a tour, the producers now have a greatly-reduced cost. Tours require the producer to spend money on duplicate sets and costumes. They also have to feed and house the cast and company and pay for them to travel from city to city. None of these expenses are incurred if the production is filmed and then released on a pay-per-view platform.

A tour is also limited in the amount of revenue that can be generated by the size of the theaters the tour plays in and the length of the tour. A pay-per-view film has none of these limitations.

What Do You Think?

I would really like some comments on this idea, both positive and negative.

It would be interesting if the limitations placed on live theater today created a more vibrant live theater tomorrow – wouldn’t it?

Leave your comment in the box below. Can’t wait to read your thoughts!

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A Typical Path to Success

Virtually every commercial theater production in NYC has the same optimistic plan.

This plan has three components. First is an initial production, either on Broadway or off-Broadway. This is followed by a national tour, and possibly a production in London. Finally after a length of time, typically another group of producers will mount a revival.

The COVID-19 Experience

The pandemic has ended all that. This type of plan is now on hold. No live theater means no initial production, no tour, and no revival.

Live, in person theater has been replaced either by live socially distant productions on teleconferencing platforms like Zoom, or the streaming of previously-filmed productions, like the production of Hamilton on Disney Plus.

Eventually things will return to the way they were before we all went into lockdown.

I would like to suggest that we NOT return to doing things the way we did them before. We should change the plan to incorporate the new skills and insights we have acquired.

21st Century Theater Development

For example, commercial producers use staged readings of plays to raise money from investors to fund future productions. Pre-COVID this was done in person with only those people who were available at a specific time and place to attend.

Now, the producer can reduce the cost of the reading – no need to rent a physical space – by doing a Zoom reading.  It also opens up the pool of potential investors, since the investor can watch a reading at a time and place of their own choosing.

If implemented, this will be a change tin the path to a commercial theater production in NYC, but not a major one. I’ll talk about what would be a major change in next week’s blog.

So stay tuned for more!

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