Artistic Director - YOU — Page 2

"Are we allowed to commission new work?"

If that's the way you think your theater should go, then sure. But you have to give us the author's name that you are commissioning or if you are planning a contest like the the Humana Festival.

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Updated On: 1/13/08 at 07:06 PM

Dreamgirls
Eric Bogsian's "subUrbia"
"Little Shop of Horrors
Jonathan Larson's "tick.. tick... BOOM"

A Little Night Music
A Streetcar Named Desire
The Wild Party (Lachiusa)
You Can't Take It With You
110 In The Shade

This is a fun party game, but it is absurd to plan a season in a vacuum. There are some basic things to consider.
1. What is the financial state of the theatre? Was the artistic director brought in to get the theatre out of the red? If so, then the season would probably be small cast, one set shows.
2. Does the theatre depend primarily on ticket sales?
3. What are other financial sources? Grants? Donations? Rentals?
4. Where is the theatre located? Big city? Medium size city?
5. Who makes up the audience?
6. Where do the actors come from? Does the theatre use local actors? Does the theatre have a resident company?
7. What is the size of the stage? If it is small, there a good chance that large cast plays and musicals won't be on the season.
8. What is the size of the house?
9. What are the ticket prices?
10. What is the size of the production staff? Set, Costumes, Lights, Props, Sound?
Doing two large cast period shows back to back will kill the staff.
11. What is the theatre's budget?

Once these questions are answered, plus some I might have left out, then and ONLY then should a season bill be selected!

Someone said their theatre would have a color blind casting policy. Great, then the actors would be invisible. I think a better term is Diversity. A theatre should be made up of diverse people, ideas, cultures, and traditions.

A Director said: "...but it is absurd to plan a season in a vacuum."

Yeah, we all know that. But BroadwayWorld is a vacuum. Maybe you can start your own, "Set aside a weekend, get out the spreadsheets, invite Uncle Louis, the accountant, over and plan a season!" thread.

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Then call the thread "Name 5 shows you like" because being "Artistic Director" one needs to know certain things before programming a season.

pssst! It's pretend, Flaunt it.

We're not really "being Artistic Director." It's a game. Kind of like, "what would you do if you were President?" Doesn't mean you have to take a course in government and assemble a cabinet before you answer. You just say, "world peace" or "fund AIDS research"

I second Dane's yeesh!

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Updated On: 1/14/08 at 10:58 AM

Denver Center Theater Company:

1. August: Osage County
2. A new work from the new works festival we do
3. Taboo
4. A new work from the new works festival we do
5. Stuff Happens

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"But BroadwayWorld is a vacuum"

Especially when Jaily's logged on...so to speak...

My season:

RAGTIME
LOOT
AMERICAN BUFFALO
OTHELLO
JELLY'S LAST JAM

Basically I'm just trying to "cast" Norm Lewis.

SOUTH PACIFIC
VANITIES
MACK & MABEL
BLACKBIRD
SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE

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All Musicals:

Children of Eden
Side Show
Urinetown
She Loves Me
Damn Yankees

All Plays:
Cymbeline
St. Joan
Our Town
The Maids
The Pillowman

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Dog Sees God
Come Back Little Sheba
Boy Gets Girl
Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage
Hairspray

Little Shop of Horrors
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Company
The Shape of Things
Assassins

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