Now that Tulpa, or Anne&Me is officially through with its run at Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, I can reflect on some of the things we did that went well and those that could have gone a lot better.
I'm hugely indebted to Little Jimmy's Guide to Self-Producing. As a result of the things I learned there, I was able to do 2 things I consider very important for every production: 1) pay everyone a little something and 2) stay under budget. Of course, as a playwright, the audience response and the artistic collaboration were the most satisfying aspects of producing Tulpa, or Anne&Me for the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. But as a producer, staying under budget and paying people were my most crucial tasks.
Looking back on it, I'd say that my function as a producer is to create a framework under which the creative team can do its best work despite limitations in time, budget, and personnel. This suits me to a T because my mind works in a strongly systemic way, and producing is basically creating and managing a system. I'm a classic Meyers-Briggs INTJ, so I flourish in a role like this.
That being said, although I enjoyed producing Tulpa, or Anne&Me for the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, there are some things I'd do differently if I knew ahead of time that I'd be doing it. The main thing, though . . .
Get the people first.
Although the nature of our project changed from a staged reading to a production, in retrospect we should have started looking for our cast and crew as soon as we got the news that we were accepted into the festival. On the one hand, we didn't want to put too many resources into a staged reading, but we should have treated a production as a likelihood instead of as a distant possibility. This would have made things like booking rehearsal space a lot easier as well as given us more time to work with design elements.
Everything turned out great for the festival; we were very lucky in that regard. The next time around (especially knowing what we're going to be doing), we have to be more diligent about this part of the process.
Besides mounting the production itself, getting the cast and crew involved at the very beginning of a production makes it much easier to do things like fundraising and audience building. It's easier for 10 people to raise $2,500 than it is for 2 people to raise $2,000. It's easier to ask 10 people to each convince 5 people to see the show than it is to get 1 person to get 50 people to come see a show.
And while we're at it . . .
Take the time to learn about and accommodate how people work.
Unless you are working with people who are just like you, there are going to be differences in the way everyone works. Part of working well with others is learning how to speak their language so that they can get what you're saying with a minimum of static.
For instance, in an early rehearsal, one of the actors mentioned that she's a highly auditory learner. That was such a revelation. It opened up a whole new way of relating to her and understanding how she sees the world. Yet how long would it have gone ignored had she not brought it up? How often do we overlook the ways we can better communicate with people? How often do we think to say, "This is what I need to do my best work?"
Congratulations on the run! And very glad to be of at least some help.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! I'm so glad to hear it went well. I had wanted to go, but my NYC plans changed :(
ReplyDelete"getting the cast and crew involved at the very beginning of a production makes it much easier to do things like fundraising and audience building."
Word. I've been with a community theater for 20+yrs. Board discussions of what plays to do frequently center around how many cast & crew members a production calls for, for just that reason. Since that is problematic artistically, we've learned to get creative. Like when we did "Love Letters" - cast of 2, minimal set and crew, we did essentially 2 productions: 1 producer but 2 directors, 2 casts, and some overlapping crew (lighting) but 2 stage managers. One production the first week, the second the last week.
Another approach we've use with good effect is to tie in with other NFPs/501c3s; link our production with some event, do our show as part of their gala, etc. This way interest isn't only coming from our base.
@IrishUp:
ReplyDeleteThat's something I've been thinking about too when I think about the next steps for Tulpa, but the trick is finding the right event. Anti-racism is not, shall we say, popular entertainment.
@RVCBard - that has been tugging on me a *lot*. Because I read "Tulpa" way back around when you first posted it (I think you've modified it since then?). And I loved it; it's damn good, and I'd love to see it live. So the theater part of me was thinking "This is a perfect play for [a company like ours; shoe-string, experimental, small, etc]" yet hard on the heels of that was knowing that I probably couldn't get it done @ our company (as a for instance), precisely b/c of all the knickers that would get twisted. Board members worry about sponsors. In our little town, sponsors are white guys.
ReplyDeleteSo that's why I was thinking that finding a 501c3 or NFP with an anti-racist/social justice mission would be one way to go. We've done productions as part of a fundraiser for a larger umbrella org, and they've gone off pretty well. Usually as a dinner theater or cocktails & theater kind of event.
The other thought I had was arts grant money. I poked around the NYS Council on the Arts site, and it looks like awards go to organizations more than individuals (the equivalent org in my state awards to either), but they list former award recipients, and maybe there are some who would be willing to sponsor a "Tulpa" production and your grant application, if you can pitch it to them. My theater company does that for local artists; it's part of our mission statement in our 501c3 application.
A caveat: my experience with arts grants is that they will almost always let you pay anyone you need to hire and overhead costs, but vary on whether you can pay yourself. But they can be great ways to launch indie projects.
So that's why I was thinking that finding a 501c3 or NFP with an anti-racist/social justice mission would be one way to go. We've done productions as part of a fundraiser for a larger umbrella org, and they've gone off pretty well. Usually as a dinner theater or cocktails & theater kind of event.
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maybe there are some who would be willing to sponsor a "Tulpa" production and your grant application, if you can pitch it to them. My theater company does that for local artists; it's part of our mission statement in our 501c3 application.
Fortunately, the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond is a shoe-in for that sort of relationship. Because I initially put it up online, many people would love for Tulpa to be performed where they are. Of course, I toyed with the idea of a tour, but the logistics of it need to be figured out (main thing being that I have to pay rent and eat and do a few things I enjoy to blow off steam).
Hmmmmm. Wheels in my head they is turning.
So, is developing a clone army to work with totally out of the picture?
ReplyDeleteAnd if you were approached about a second production, would you feel better if the theater company were primarily concerned with LGBTQ folks, or people of color, or both? Or would that not matter if you had a lot of say in choosing the director, cast, etc...?
An army of trained Anne Hathaway clones is totally part of the plan!
ReplyDeleteAs for a second production, I would prefer to have them be an actively anti-racist institution that highlights the voices of queer people of color. However, if given a lot of say about director, cast, and crew, that specific mission wouldn't matter so much.