How Does Broadway Work Exactly?

[JaiLuver2007]

Posted: 12/1/04 at 11:37am

Hey All...Im doing a research project for my Drama Class on Broadway...Does anybody know what all is involved in putting on a broadway production? My teacher said that there is a lot more ivolved than meets the eye. Any information would help greatly! THANKS!!!!

[KMF_NYC]

Posted: 12/1/04 at 11:38am

Step One -- raise about 10 - 12 million dollars.....

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/1/04 at 11:39am

I am sure there are many books on the subject. Hopefully Margo will see this. She is a great source of information.

[lesserworm]

Posted: 12/1/04 at 11:45am

Remember the first rule of producing:

Never put your own money in the show.

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 12/1/04 at 12:08pm

Even BEFORE raising the 10-12 million there is a lot to do! You've got revisions of the book, readings, etc. If you want a little bit of an idea check out A Tale of Two Cities (see my signature) and go to the history page, it hasn't been updated since 2001 unfortunately, but it talks about some of the steps the show has gone through. I can fill you in on some of what has happened since then too. There is also a little bit of a thing on talkinbroadway.com that goes through things from the producer's end of things though it is very much a piece of fiction. It still gives you an idea though. Also there was a book written on the making of Follies that I hear is very good.

[Matt_G]

Posted: 12/1/04 at 12:09pm

Rules have changed for the 21st Century. Step #1 is now to find either a film or recording artist to base an entire show off of.

[dry2olives]

Posted: 12/1/04 at 12:24pm

Yes, and nowadays it seems like the last step is usually "write the book".

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/1/04 at 12:32pm

There are entire books on this subject so I'm not going to even attempt a cursory answer. It is a VERY VERY long, hard, and expensive road getting to Broadway and no matter how many years of experience someone has, how many awards they've won and how mnay rich investors they have access to, it's never easy (Webber, Sondheim and Neil Simon -- three of the most successful theatre artists of the last half century have all had shows close out of town and/or never make it to Broadway in the last few years).

Click on the link below and it will give you a good overview of the process (read all of the links under Elements of a Musical and The Production Process and you'll have a decent start on your paper):
http://www.musicals101.com/makemusi.htm

[Gothampc]

Posted: 12/1/04 at 12:39pm

I used to work in theater. In one regional theater I worked with, on the first day of rehearsals for the new season, the artistic director stood up in front of the entire company and crew to make his welcome speech. There were over 100 people in attendance: actors, stage managers, costume designers, set designers, prop artisans, sound designers, marketing people, box office people, etc.

The artistic director started out by saying: "All you need to make theater are the actors and the writers."

I'll let you decide whether he was right or not.

[Mythus]

Posted: 12/1/04 at 2:49pm

Lesserworm, what about the second rule?

[Millie42]

Posted: 12/1/04 at 3:38pm

This project is going to get really complicated, really fast.

It is insane the amount of time, energy, money, and people that go into Bway production.

What exactly does this project entail?

[stacey717]

Posted: 12/1/04 at 3:43pm

what about the second rule?

OOO! I know I know! The second rule?
*Grabs someone's face and gets really close to it*

NEVAH PUT YOUR OWN MONEY IN THE SHOW!

(Said as Nathan Lane says it, of course!) Updated On: 12/1/04 at 03:43 PM

[Mythus]

Posted: 12/1/04 at 4:03pm

That's taboo! Get it?

[JaiLuver2007]

Posted: 12/1/04 at 5:55pm

Its not a paper...its more of a visual presentation.