Inside A Producer's Rant

A few days ago I exchanged email with a fellow producer who was having a lot of trouble getting a production up and running and asking for a little bit of moral support while dealing with Herculean roadblocks such as flaky actors, unsupportive management, and a ton of drama.  Here are some excerpts from the note.

Contracts Are Good

...Have actors sign contracts.  They are effectively worthless unless you enforce them.  If you're paying them, withhold paying them until after the last show.  Have penalty provisions in the contract that account for those occasions where they miss rehearsals due to things in their control (no-call/no-shows, flakiness, etc).  It's an incentive to show up to get paid.

Establishing Communication Path From Producer to Talent

...I have a contract with the producer as well stipulating what the general communication workflow will be.  Always have provisions that the producer will speak to the cast through the director and not directly unless both parties agree. 

Flakes Exist In More Than Just Cereal

I've been struggling also with flaky mofos.  ... We need to figure out how to allow actors to "own" a part of the productions they're in.  Money seems to help. Credit or partial ownership helps too..

With that said, I am changing my auditions a bit.  There are plenty of actors that can act circle around me but don't have the professionality that I do and need.  So, I started last year adding stuff to my questionnaire asking them why they auditioned, what they wanted to get out of the experience, what would force them to leave the production, etc.  Almost all actors were thrown off by the questioning.  Even with that questioning, I got a lot of duds in productions but it did help me zero in on who was "down" and who wasn't.  In future version, I may even ask for references that I can call if I don't feel comfortable with them so I can gauge their commitment...

Building "Ensemble" For Successful Productions

A skill I sorely lacked last year was techniques to foster "ensemble".  We have to make these actors not only accountable to the production team but to each other as well.  Can we get them to like each other??  Even better, can we get them to want to spend time with each other?  Think of all of those exercises we did in our intro classes to work on building a group-mind and working together - there was a reason for that.  It wasn't only to get out of heads when performing but it was also to create a safe-zone to play.  A lot of actors get caught up in their own hype ... and feel that "everybody wants them" and that they should play the field.  To a degree, yes, you should but not at a detriment of your commitments.  So, it's even more important now to build the ensemble from the beginning.

...Book a "hang out night" with the cast, do team building exercises at the top of each rehearsal, remind them to check in with each other, etc...

Believe In Yourself - Cuz No One Else Will

...Don't let [other's] BS dictate to you your value and worth...I personally struggle with this very thing.  I automatically assume that eveyone thinks I'm a dick in the community when in fact I've gotten some of the best references and glowing reviews from people who I've butted heads with.  It's strange... I take my rep and legacy very seriously but at the same time, I can't control people.  So, gotta let 'em think what they want about me and move forward.  I will prove them wrong in the end.

The best thing you can do against the haters is succeed.  Just be successful.  Whatever that means to you, do it.  Haters can't argue success.  I've got 1000 anecdotes about this very subject in my tenure. lol. 

I got a lot of thanks from my colleague and felt that they got the help needed to know that this particular production in this small, crazy, close-knit world of theatre wasn't the first nor the last to run into problems stemming from management all the way down to talent. The important thing is to know that there are ways to place the odds in your favor for future productions.

Nothing's guaranteed in the end but the diligence needed to bring you closer to success.

Changing Our Name (Only Slightly)!

As much of the nature of the graphic design services that are performed here deal with theatre production, we've decided to showcase the expertise that can be found here by adding "& Productions" to our name.  We are now Nelson Velazquez Graphic Designs & Productions!

We successfully held our first webinar on producing blackbox theatre show last week with Producing Productions Pronto.  We've schedule another one in the next 6 weeks, so, sign up!

Introducing our First Webinar! Producing Productions Pronto!

Producing Productions Pronto Webinar March 16th @ 4 - 7 PM Space is limited to 10

$50

The Producing Productions Pronto webinar is designed to arm YOU - the producer - with all of the tools you need to properly plan and execute a successful theatrical production.  With a special focus of producing quality shows in blackbox theatre settings, this workshop will cover:

• Establishing and executing budgets
• Picking the right venue for your show
• Setting up and running auditions for actors
• Help in choosing a director
• Promoting your show online and away from the keyboard
• How to properly run your production from opening night to closing night.

Saddled with first hand experience and guest speakers from local theatres, this webinar will in a few short hours give you everything you need to be on your way to begin setting the stage to create your art!

For more information, click here!

Biz Marquee

When looking at places to do your show, start thinking outside the (black)box a little bit.  For example, Chicago has many old, venerable theatres that at times were major hotspots back in the day to see theatre or movies.  Many of closed down for some reason or another - unpaid taxes, owners trying to sell the place, etc.  These types of locations are prime places for you to put up your show.

If you live somewhere like this, do your homework and find out who owns the place.  It may be a bank or a real estate holding company.  Heck, it might even be a private owner who's forgotten about it.  See if you can make an appointment to check out  the interior and the amenities that come with it.  If it looks like it'll work with your budget, begin formulating your plan to bring the place back to life.  There may be city ordinances, local politics, and a lot of money involved in doing so - just be prepared for it.

Assuming you've got this far, use this opportunity to engage the media with your story.  The headline could read:

"Local Thespians Revive Glorius Theatre Long Forgotten"

Make up your own headline (and improve on mine).  This will give you valuable press that you can use to promote your show and the fact you're taking on this theatre "renovation" project.

Last of all, if the theatre's got a marquee - USE IT!  People love seeing their names/projects in lights!  It just makes your entire effort that much more professional and formal.

Computing Comps For Your Company

In the age where there are so many avenues of entertainment - the Internet, cable TV, movies, festivals, cellphones - trying to get butts into blackbox theatre seats has become even more difficult.  For the patron, that requires them to have to buy tickets, physically have to travel and be somewhere for a while, semi-disconnected from the collective social media hive mind, interpret what they're watching, and then travel all the way back home when all the while many of the alternatives are much easier to perform (but much less satisfying :) ).  Productions have to think of increasingly more creative ways of getting people out to see a show and one of those ways is by offering free tickets (comps) to the show for people to take advantage of.

Comps are an interesting animal.  Comps can be considered as cryptozoological creatures - they don't exist until they're actually redeemed.  Their population is determined by your budget; their habitat is determined by temperament of those receiving them; their diet consists of the production's bottom line, i.e., profit margin.  If you projected within the run of your show that you'd have 40 comps for various reasons and only 5 get used, it's like you never had them to begin with.  But if you had all 40 comps show up, you quickly realize just how detrimental they can be to your show's financial success.  Imagine if 40 Sasquatches showed up to your cryptozoology convention at the same time - PANIC!

It's important to realize as a producer that comps have benefit and cost.  It's also incredibly important to determine what the comps policy for a given show is going to be.  Determine the following items:

• Who gets a comp?  An agent, manager, or media?
• How many comps total can you afford to give before your projected bottom line is affected?
• How many comps do the actors, directors, stagehands, producers, etc get?
• How much lead time do you need to make sure those comps can be honored professionally?

Once you've determined those items, make sure to communicate the policy to the group.  Typically telling them earlier in the production is best vs. doing it the day before opening night.  The sooner they come to grips with what they're allowed to do with their comps, the easier it'll be to honor them.

However, expect to hear some grumbling from those in the production who don't agree with your policy.   I've determined that an education in what it takes to produce a show is the quickest way to keep these grumblings from becoming issues down the road.  You don't need to fully disclose the financial information about the production, but make them do some quick calculations in their head just to get them off your back.  For example, a simple educational lesson could be the following:

"Hey, do you know it costs me X dollars per night to put this show up?!  Multiply that number by the number of show times and that's what we pay to the theatre.  Then add on top of that what it costs for actors, directors, stagehands, props, set design, rehearsal space, and promotion.  Then divide that number by the ticket price.  That's how many paying customers we need by the end of the run just to break even.  Now you want me to allow more people than you've been alloted in for free?  If you had to pay that total amount, would you let people in for free?  I rest my case.  Oh, by the way...you're at places!!!"

If you're an enterprising producer, you'll find ways to make comps work to cover their own costs.  If you're not, it's just best to avoid them :)