One Producer in the City

I like lemonade

 

We've all heard the saying before: "When life gives you lemons..." etc, but I'm here to tell you from a producing standpoint that when you get put into the toughest of situations, that's where the most brilliant ideas emerge and that's why I personally love finding ways to take problems and turn them into something great. You are going to have times when your show isn't selling a single ticket, your lead actress just got a paying gig in France with the show a week away, your theatre space was flooded (it really happened to me once!) and so on and so forth, but you can't let those things stop you. Instead look at each set back you have as an opportunity to do even more. There is still plenty of unchartered territory out there and when the chips are down, you dig in your heels and find a way to get through it.

I know, I know. I sound like a self-help guru. Anybody remember this character?  But there's a lot to be said for coming up with quick ways of solving problems. The Off Broadway Alliance developed the 20 at 20 campaign when they found there was a lull in their ticket sales, Producers who have found it too expensive to rent space have started partnering with other companies to rent, when there was the writer's strike, people like Joss Whedon used it as a way to launch internet movies like this one so that they could stay working.  There's a lot of things you can do to get around the problems that you face.

At the first ever TRU Producer Boot Camp, we had Ken Davenport, and he had a great quote. He said that everyone talks about thinking outside the box, but what we need to do as new producers is "smash the box, break it into pieces, and put it back together again"  Every time something in your show doesn't go as planned, look at it as an opportunity to smash the box and you could be enjoying a nice tall glass of Lemonade like the folks from this show 

What did they do when one of the great comic actors didn't sing? They made him king!

Drink up folks.

Excelsior!

Poor fella. He thought he was bigger than he was and now he's not anything...

This is by far one of my favorite fables. If you've never read it before click here.

There are a few lessons to learn in this particular fable about the world of producing. The first and most important is to be reasonable about what you can offer someone. I was speaking to a friend the other night about how a producer that they trusted promised the writer that the show would do very well and end up on Broadway and make millions, etc. That writer is now no longer working with that producer and lost a lot of money in the process.

It's always tempting to go for the biggest thing first. I myself have chosen luxurious 99 seat theatres for shows that should have been in simple 60 seat venues. As time progressed, I learned lessons about making those kinds of assumptions about the work. Remember that just because a play is great does not mean that it's going to be commercially viable. That's just one part of the equation and if you know that you can't afford something, save the trip to the bank, and take the time to raise the money you need. There are plenty of producers out there who are oxes, but if you spend all your time trying to be as big as them and don't pace yourself, you'll burn out pretty quickly.

Now, am I saying that you should always play it safe? No. I still take plenty of risks in this business, but I also make sure that I pace myself. That brings me to the next lesson that can be learned from this fable:

If your business starts to grow, you will need to ask for help. It's important to realize that if you have 10 projects going, you cannot do it alone. If you try, you will burn out really fast. It took me about 3 years before I started to realize this and now that I access my resources for help, I get a lot more done and feel a lot less stressed. It's a great thing to be busy, but as I pointed out before, you're going to need a team to get your shows moving and you're going to have to take slow breaths and not puff up too much. Remember it's okay to say NO!

This post may seem a bit heavy handed, but these are important lessons to learn. In the interest of your producer spirit though, I'll leave you on an up note. A team of producers is putting a show that is cast entirely with teenagers on Broadway. You can see from this video how well their opening box office day went, but you can also see that, while we are in tough times, when show's like this delay their openings, the spirit of theatre still lives on thanks to people like this.

Excelsior!

Teaching them to fish

 

So last night I went to the Fringe after party and hung out with all of the folks who did shows in the festival. Awards were handed out, drinks were consumed, and all had a good time.  I was chatting with a fellow producer about all of the responsibilities a producer has and how some producers have decided to start doing all of their work in-house. For an example of a producer who uses this particular method, click here.  That being said, my friend asked the question that everybody asks: "But, if you take on all of the jobs, won't it be impossible to keep up?"

The truth is it will only be impossible to keep up if you micro-manage. The old saying is true that if you give a man a fish he eats for a day and if you teach a man to fish he'll eat for a lifetime. If as a producer you never share any methods with anyone else, then you will become overwhelmed because you will be doing it all yourself. That's why I teach those around me how to do what I do. My friend then asked another really good question: "Aren't you afraid people will steal your ideas?"

The truth is:

OF COURSE PEOPLE WILL USE THOSE IDEAS but it's not like there aren't a wealth of books out there to help them come up with their own techniques very similar to mine and it's not like I'm holding the secret to life, I'm just teaching them methods that work for me. In the past I have developed some pretty good fundraisers and people have done similar types of fundraisers, you'll never see me suing them for copyright infringement. Now I'm not saying give your employees your PIN but if you don't have time to edit the countless fundraising letters you send, there's nothing wrong with letting someone else do it. In the long run you'll get more done when you delegate and as your business grows, your employees will grow with you.

When you teach someone to fish, they don't forget the favor. The best investment of your time as a producer is teaching those who you work with how to do the things you do because then if for some reason you can't fulfill your duties, someone else can step in and save your reputation. It's why Broadway has understudies and why you see a hierarchy in any business. So if you have someone working in your office, (or your apartment if your company is still in its infancy) get out the ol' pole and take 'em to the lake. It'll be the best time you've ever spent and they'll thank you as well as the business. Remember, business is not about looking at every idea you have as if it's this, it's about sharing and growing together and if you do that you'll fill that boat.

Excelsior!

I'm published!

About 10 minutes ago, I got a text from my friend Lenny telling me that my mom just came into his store and bought a copy of the anthology of short plays that I am published in. Granted, I didn't do as much as this guy, but I'm pretty excited none the less. I think the most interesting thing about how I ended up here is that it was the direct result of networking. I would have never known about this anthology had I not met the editor when I was judging the Sam French Off Off Broadway play festival that year. How did I meet her?

I just struck up a conversation because she was a fellow judge sitting next to me.

In the world of theatre, you never know who you're sitting next to. This guy was at one of my shows and chatting folks up at the bar after and I didn't even realize it until he left and someone told me who he was. I once almost told B.D. Wong his name wasn't on the list for a reading because I thought he was spelling his last name Bd until I looked up. It really is a small world and there are a lot of opportunities out there . . . if you reach out and grab them. Had I decided to keep to myself that night at the festival, I may never have met Barbara or found out how to submit for this anthology.  As producers, make sure you're taking advantage of every opportunity to meet someone you can and see shows!

My show is still running two more shows, and a great show I saw yesterday afternoon called Exodus, has one more showing so check it out if you can and next time you're in a lobby sitting next to someone, say hi. You never know who you might make friends with and who knows maybe some day those relationships will land you here.

Excelsior!

Can you hear me now? No? Damn!

If you end up producing at any theatre in the city that is not one hundred percent sound proof, you will run into this problem. You are producing a stirring production of this play, and just as the final lines are about to be spoken, from next door you can hear, "Go, go, go shorty it's ya birthday"  You will want to scream, but that would disturb the show, you will want to cry, but that would also be awkward. What do you do?

Well if you find that you are competing with noise, here's what not to do:

1. Ignore it and hope everyone else does too

2. Acknowledge it at the end of the show and commiserate with audience members over it

3. Physically hurt the person next door

Then what do you do?

Well think about it in terms of fixing anything. If your car is making horrible noises, do you just sit and wait for it to solve itself? No, you find an expert and you do your best to fix the problem. Here are a few tips for solving the noise problem:

1. Who is in charge- Find out who owns the building next door. Are these people renting from them? There are noise ordinance laws people are supposed to follow and if it's a simple case of an apartment's tenants keeping their radio down, most building owners and supervisors will be willing to cooperate.

2.  Find the source of the problem- Pin point when the noise begins and ends and approach the other party about the timing. Some people are more than willing to turn down their music for an hour or two. Most of the time noise makers don't realize they are interrupting anything and will be cooperative.

3. Approach the owner of the theatre- Sometimes the person you are renting the space from has some way of making it so that your show can be enjoyed. Granted they can't stop jackhammers from going on outside, but they can move the commedia troupe to another studio that isn't next to your show and they can move the tap dancers so they're not directly above you.

If none of these things work, keep a log of that venue and tell your friends about that experience. Eventually the venue owner will get the message if nobody rents from them.

Remember, you paid money to be in that space and you deserve the best treatment for your show. If the owners of the theatre don't want to cooperate with you, there are plenty of other theatres to rent from. The same goes for festivals. If nobody assists in the noise situation when you have a show in a festival, then that's not the festival to be a part of.

So the next time there's an issue with noise, before you turn into this guy and go next door and yell, think and strategize so that you can fix the problem instead of making it worse.

Excelsior!

Sometimes you gotta be the bad guy

  

In a perfect world all shows would be amazing after the first time they were written and we'd all have enough support for the arts to fund everyone's projects. Of course, we don't live in a perfect world, we also live in a country run by this guy, and if you haven't noticed yet, we're not doing so well in the cash flow department. That brings me to today's point:

As the producer, don't be afraid to speak your mind or to say NO!

Most shows are not ready for a full production after their first draft. Most rewrites aren't even ready. So you have to take the time to let your collaborators know how you feel about the project. If you see a show and it does not appeal to you, don't lie and tell the writers you're interested in producing the show, because they'll believe you and they'll start looking to you for money right away. When I first started producing, I was worried that if I spoke my mind about a project, I'd be seen as a downer and someone who doesn't support the arts. As a result there were projects I put money behind that were not ready and sure enough, I lost that money.

You know in your gut what is good and what is not and you have to trust your gut. Sometimes that means telling your best friend their play isn't ready for a reading yet, sometimes that means telling someone who has a show with sell out houses in Dallas that you'll need to test the market in NYC before bringing it to Broadway or Off Broadway, and sometimes that means, yes, tabling something you yourself wrote because you need to do more rewrites.

The fact of the matter is that you will not be able to keep anybody from saying you're the bad guy if you turn down a project or tell someone a script's not ready, but those who really know the industry will respect you for being honest and not wasting anyone's time and money.  So the next time someone comes to you with a project take a second and, before you do anything, think about what your gut is telling you. If it turns out it's time to be this guy, then do it or you'll end up like this guy.

Excelsior!

So how'd it go?

 

So this weekend marked the first ever Producer's Sprint. How'd folks do? Let's take a look at the stats.

Total earnings for the weekend: $380.00

Number of sold out houses: 1

Number of shows: 4 with two performances each

All fairly modest numbers, but that's not what really matters. Here's what does:

1. 4 producers got a chance to test their product
2. 4 brand new shows were seen by an audience
3. A new grouping of audience members were exposed to Small Pond Entertainment and the concept of the Sprint.
4. Eight sets of audiences were introduced to one of the performance spaces at Shetler Studios, which is great advertising for them.

As producers, we have to remember that while money is important in our business, there are many other things that are valuable like the connections we make and the work we develop. I now have a good idea of what is selling and what is a tougher sell, I now know about the marketing methods of 4 other producers, and I now have a plan for our next event.

Whenever you do a show, remember that at the end of it all, the box office is just one of the things you should be doing an assessment of. I learned a lot this weekend and now have a solid game plan for the next sprint in two weeks. Interested? Email us at [email protected] to register.

I also want to thank everyone who supported this week's Sprint. We had a great time and I look forward to seeing all of you again!

Excelsior!

And now making their way to the finish line.....

 

Ok Folks. So it's officially been one week and our producers have been sprinting! Take a look at what came of it:

The First Ever Producer Sprint 
Four producers have been very busy this week putting together a brand new short play, 2 readings, and a short new musical -- you won't want to miss this!  After only a week to produce their entire show, these performances promise to be passionate and unforgettable.
 
For more details on any of the shows or to reserve your $10 tickets (must be paid for in cash at the door) e-mail [email protected] right now!

Performances on Saturday 8/16 and Sunday 8/17 as follows . . .

The Bridge Theatre at Shetler Studios
244 West 54th Street, 12th Floor

3:30pm -- Big Change
The world premiere of a new play by Michael Roderick.  Co-produced by Norah Turnham and Sarah Novotny.  Directed by Norah Turnham and starring Timothy Kiefer, Jared Morgenstern, Sarah Novotny, and Mark Souza.

Ten year-old Preston is hiding in a blanket fort to escape the Apocolypse.  At least that's what his parents are telling him.  Preston is happy to stay put as long as he can have cupcakes but when his Tickle Me Elmo doll comes to life things take a shocking turn toward reality.

4:15pm -- FUTURE DREAMS OF YOU
A reading of a play by Alaina Hammond.  Featuring Ali Crosier, Kiran Malhotra, and Andrew Rothkin.

Penelope argues with the physical manifestations of her inner demons, as well as her future daughter, Margaret.  Margaret has a lot of reasoned arguments as to why Penelope should, in
fact, reproduce despite being a messed-up artist.

5:00pm -- American Family
The world premiere of an original musical.  Music by David Dabbon.  Book and Lyrics by Tom Bruett.  Directed by David Alpert.  Featuring Meghan Hales,* James Moreira Jr,* Michael Lowney,* Jill Rensing

American Family is a short musical comedy about the underlying secrets that reside beneath the facade of a typical 1950's family.  It was written in 48 hours.

*A member of the Actors Equity Association

American Family is an Equity approved Showcase.

5:45pm -- Yesterday's GarDeN
A reading written and directed by Christopher Massimine.  Featuring Chris Massimine (Saturday only), Elvin Roytman (Sunday only) and Candice Greaux

Yesterday's GarDen takes look into the dark world of a male escort and the women he seduces nightly.  Both end up leaving with more than they've paid for.
 
Hope to see some of you this weekend and tune in next week when I let you know how it went! Did we make enough to cover costs? Did anything bomb? Check in next week

Excelsior!

Techies need love too

So I was out last night after another sold out performance of our current Fringe show and I got a chance to talk a bit with our sound designer. He brought up an interesting point about shows that I thought I'd share. Most members of an audience know very little about sound, lights, or the technical elements that go into production, but they know if something is off. He commented on morale amongst technicians and how it can affect the quality of a show and this got me thinking about the relationships we have with our technicians as producers.

I took a class on leadership when I was getting my master's and there were a number of principles that were brought up during that class. The most prominent for me was this one:

ENCOURAGE THE HEART

It basically means that when you are a leader it is your responsibility to make every employee from your CFO to the person who cleans the floor at the end of the day feel like they are respected and appreciated. As producers we are leaders and leaders lead by example.  Technicians are the backbone of a production and very often I  see my colleagues complaining about how much they have to pay them or commenting that their job isn't that important etc. To that I say this:

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR

We're always looking at the bottom line as producers and it's tempting to not pay our tech people, but think first about what that does to morale. Are you really encouraging the heart when you have somebody work 40 plus hours on your show and don't offer them anything? When creating your budget, take the extra time to build in money for your tech people and believe me they will work hard for you.  There are a lot of producers who will disagree with me on this, but remember, this used to be my job, so I want to make sure those who work hard, are paid.  Besides, you don't want to leave the theatre and have people saying you're this guy

Excelsior!

Can I help you find something?

 

So yesterday I fought the masses in Times Square to get to the biggest toy store ever, in order to buy one of these. This made the second time in my life that I have visited this store and the second I stepped inside I realized why: It's huge. There are kids everywhere usually misbehaving and parents threatening to put something back, etc. It's a sensory overload to say the least. As I was trying to navigate my way around a giant T-Rex and four six year olds screaming "Hulk Smash" every five seconds, I found a sight that brought me relief. I felt calm. I felt like things would be okay. Guess what the sight was?

Someone in a uniform standing there amidst the the youngin' storm whose sole purpose was to give directions. As I went and found my toy for the Producer Sprint this weekend, I thought about the world of independent theatre. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of companies out there and shows everywhere. It's as overwhelming as that giraffe's home!

Then I thought about that kid in the uniform and I realized that as producers we need to find more of those people. We need people who serve as guides to shows in our community. Fringe has started doing this with Fringe Central, but I think we need more customer service people out there in the Independent Theatre community.

Imagine if there were tables like the TKTS booth in neighborhoods like the Lower East Side or down by Pace University that helped you decide what to see. Now imagine how much better producers could do if they worked with these guides and people could ask someone in the sea of shows which direction was north. It's been proven time and again that personal interaction gets a better result than an email or a phone call. The Broadway folks are out there everyday almost knocking me over with their 39 steps posters. Thank God for considerate street teams like the ones for this show, who will just offer a voucher that won't take my head off as I pass by. We need to be out in our neighborhoods promoting our shows. I have never seen a street team on 34th Street and look at how many theatres are over there!

As independent producers we have to be out there telling people about our product and promoting face to face. Otherwise we're all the theatrical version of this guy

Excelsior!