I wanna be a producer...

No, really, I do. I'm not talking about the song from The Producers.

How exactly does one go about being a producer of a Broadway show, or any major New York production? I know it doesn't have to be completely about money... everyone has to start somewhere. For instance, did Hal Prince aspire to be one of the most respected Broadway producers or did it just fall into his lap? I've produced a small-scale high school production with sole responsibility, so I know what goes into the title of "producer"... but how does one go into it as a profession?

P.
(producing is my 'back-up plan')

"theatre is life, film is art, television is furniture"

I'm glad to see anything anyone cares about these days is Idina-bashing and such...

You can take a course in it at the AMERICAN THEATER WING.
There is also an intensive course over the weekend. I will get the name for you.(CTI)
To be a Producer you need to be a great fundraiser and repeat
Never put your own money in the show.
I dated an Off Broadway Producer for a few years and it was the best Producing training program available.
Be careful you can lose your shirt.
(I worked my day job and at night I helped him with everything from handing out flyers at tkts to getting investors. It is very exciting and major stress.Don't get me wrong but you need a very thick skin and I have one)

Updated On: 6/9/04 at 11:48 PM

I think Hal Prince's producing credits came after copious successful directing credits so maybe it really is about the money.

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To be a producer, you need the ability to tap into cash and (perhaps more important) have taste.

Actually, Prince started out as a go-fer and assistant for the legendary director George Abbott. Abbott taught him the business end of the theatre and after serving as stage manager for a couple of Abbott shows (the original productions of "Call Me Madam" and "Wonderful Town"), Abbott put him in charge of producing his shows (Prince had no money of his own, but had something FAR better -- Abbott and the list of folks dying to put their money into a George Abbott-directed show). He produced "Damn Yankees," "Pajama Game" and "New Girl In Town" which were all directed by Abbott as well as being huge Tony Award winning hits. This allowed him to branch out on his own and the next year he produced "West Side Story" (and we all know what happened with that). He went on and produced a few more Abbott hits -- "Tenderloin," "Take Her, She's Mine" and "A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Forum" -- as well as the Robbins classic "Fiddler On the Roof," until he decided to take on directing chores himself in the early 60's. His first hit as director and producer was "She Loves Me" and he wore both hats for most of the rest of his career in the 60's, 70's and beyond (including "Cabaret" and all of Sondheim's work from 1970's "Company" to 1981's "Merrily We Roll Along"........ as well as last year's "Bounce").

Interning for a producer is an excellent way to learn the business. There are also some very good "Producing In the Theatre" seminars that happen each year that you should look into. If I were you, I would write letters to all of the major off-Broadway & Broadway producers -- Daryl Roth, Chase Mishkin, Arlene Tepper, Roger Berlind, Margo Lion, Roy Gabay, et al (there are dozens) and express your interest, and ask them for their advice (and maybe an internship). At the very least, you should get a nice form letter back with some good ideas, but some of them I'm sure will have some concrete, personal advice for you. The list of all the major producers and their contact info is in the Theatrical Index (I think that's what it's called) which you can get from the Drama Bookshop -- call them up and explain what you're looking for and trust me, they'll know. Good luck.

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If you have a lot of money connections in your family, or with very wealthy friends, then go for it. That's how David Stone, Jeffrey Seller, et al, did it. Yes, they started out working under major Broadway producers (I started out with them but didn't have the connections to actually fund shows)in order to learn the fundamentals, but also had the wealth to draw from. Otherwise, it's more than an uphill climb.

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Updated On: 6/9/04 at 09:54 AM