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How To Guides

by Lynda Trapnell

Lynda Trapnell is proprietor and editor of Musical Stages Magazine, the glossy UK-based publication dedicated to the world of musical theatre.

1) Obtaining the rights

Certain basic rules apply for any show, whether the budget is £25,000 or £5 million.

The first step is to obtain the rights. Contact the writers and composers or their agents. You will have to pay for an exclusive option to produce the piece within a reasonable time, say 12 months and within the territory you have in mind - one theatre in one town it will cost less than a nationwide tour.

However, if you are producing a brand-new piece in which you have a great deal of confidence, it will be worth paying a little more to have the option for a West End transfer, touring and even, perhaps, worldwide rights, if the originators will consider granting this to you. During the time of your option(s), nobody else can put on this particular show.

2) Budgets and funding

If you already have sponsors and/or investors, you can move ahead quite rapidly but this is the time to work out your pre- and post-production budgets. Pre-production amounts and cover all the expenses that will be incurred up to and including the opening night party. Make your lists and check salary levels with Equity, Musicians' Union etc. to ensure that you are allowing sufficient funds.

Sound out your proposed creative team on the level of fees and royalties they will expect. As a new producer, you will be required to lodge an Equity bond and a Musicians' Union bond guaranteeing salaries for the rehearsal period. Check the deposit required by the theatre of your choice. Make sure you include a generous amount for marketing and publicity and when you have a total, add a 10 per cent contingency.

Then work out your post-production projections for recoupment of costs against potential box office takings. It is these figures that you need to interest your investors.

At this point, you should be able to formulate a document to entice financing, describing the project, its budget and its potential return. Run it past a lawyer - there are strict rules and regulations to be observed. Send out your invitations to investors and when the money arrives, open a designated bank account. Don't use your own money and don't use your home as collateral!

3) Building a team

Next, assemble your creative team. Start with the director and, with his or her help, decide on a musical director, a choreographer, a lighting designer and a sound designer anc the minimum team you will need. Writers, composers, directors and choreographers generally work on a flat fee plus a percentage of the box office takings which rises after recoupment. Providing you have both money and a theatre contracted, negotiate your deals and issue contracts to your creative team.

Next, the team should start casting. Do you plan to make this a vehicle for a leading player or rely on the show itself? Cast for singing ability coupled with acting rather than the other way around. Once you have chosen your cast, negotiate their fees with their agents, send out contracts to everyone you have hired and arrange a date to start rehearsals.

4) Publicity

Around this time, start your publicity and marketing machine to make sure everyone knows about the show well in advance. In addition to advertising, a good publicist will place stories for you with local papers and regional radio. Finding angles is the publicist's job but giving them all the relevant information is yours. Is one of the actors local to the theatre? Does the writer come from the area? Trade on these points and don't be ashamed to use gimmicks to attract attention. Gear everything to advance ticket sales.

Send out your first night invitations including all the investors and press and arrange the party. Find suitable gifts for the company and cross your fingers!