Limited run shows

[emilyfaye48]

Limited run shows#1

Posted: 12/19/11 at 11:28pm

Why don't more shows open with a limited run? I don't know much at all about contracts with the theatres but it seems that for something like Bonnie & Clyde where the producers were already skittish couldn't they have opened with a limited run and then if it wasn't selling they'd just close as expected but if it did well they could extend? Maybe someone has asked this before but I think it's curious.

discuss!

Without bread we'd just be hungry but without theatre we'd be dead

[jimmycurry01]

Limited run shows #2

Posted: 12/20/11 at 3:20am

Money. Most shows in a limited run don't make anything. For not-for-profit companies like Lincoln Center and Rondabout, not making money isn't as big a deal. For other companies, they need long healthy runs so they can make make as much cash back as possible.

[dramamama611]

Limited run shows #2

Posted: 12/20/11 at 4:28am

It doesn't cost less to get a limited run going -- so what are you saving? Face? The producers don't care about that -- they care about making money. And you run the risk of the theater booking another show after your closing that would make extending near impossible.

Lastly, if your thought is about getting more folks interested because of limited availability -- the public would then learn quickly that its just a ploy. Regular theater goers know every show is a crap shoot and get to a production early in the run just to guarantee seeing a show while they can.

If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it? These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.

[SeanMartin]

Limited run shows #3

Posted: 12/20/11 at 4:31am

Exactly, Unless one is a phenomenal hit like MORMON, it takes over a year to recoup your investment — SPIDERMAN, if it's lucky will take six to seven, so you see how a limited run might not work too well for it.

And bear in mind too that the limited runs that arent from places like Roundabout tend to be really small scale: tiny cast, limited physical production, so the investment isnt that big to begin with. The Daniel Craig / Hugh Jackman thing was a gold mine for the producers involved: IIRC, the entire run sold out before opening — that's what a producer wants to see.

http://docandraider.com

[dramamama611]

Limited run shows #4

Posted: 12/20/11 at 6:19am

It will be interesting what happens with Newsies as they are only scheduled for a limted run. Do they have a different plan in mind? I couldn't tell you -- but time will tell.

If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it? These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.

[SeanMartin]

Limited run shows #5

Posted: 12/20/11 at 9:43am

That's Disney testing the market. For now it's a limited run, but if it gets positive reviews and solid ticket sales, I'm sure the end point of that run will be shoved back further and further and further.....

http://docandraider.com

[winston89]

Limited run shows #6

Posted: 12/20/11 at 12:42pm

I agree about why billing every show as a limited run is a bad idea. But, with regards to Newsies, I think that it makes sense. The original intent of the show at Papermill was not to be an out of town try out of sorts for Broadway. It was however, intended to be a testing ground to give the show regional and school productions etc. It was just so popular that it made sense to bring it to Broadway. With all that said, it looks to me that should it sell well, Disney will have no qualms about extending the run. But, they are making it a limited run since going to Broadway was never part of the original plan.

"If you try to shag my husband while I am still alive, I will shove the art of motorcycle maintenance up your rancid little Cu**. That's a good dear" Tom Stoppard's Rock N Roll

[Gaveston2]

Limited run shows #7

Posted: 12/20/11 at 6:06pm

I'm only speculating here, but it seems to me that if you announced a limited run, but sign the actors to standard year-long contracts, word would get out pretty quickly. On the other hand, if you signed the actors to limited run contracts and then try to extend, you may lose the very cast members who get the most attention.

[winston89]

Limited run shows #8

Posted: 12/20/11 at 6:50pm

Not really. If you're in a show that is doing a limited run, but, it is doing well enough to extend then you would most likely stay with the show. After all, why would you go look for another job if there is one being given to you?

Producers usually contract actors for a year if they are planning on doing an open ended run. However, if they are planning a limited run then they can contract them for however long the limited run is. If the run extends then they can feel free to ask the actor if they want to extend their contract and their time with the show as well.

"If you try to shag my husband while I am still alive, I will shove the art of motorcycle maintenance up your rancid little Cu**. That's a good dear" Tom Stoppard's Rock N Roll

[Phantom of London]

Limited run shows #9

Posted: 12/20/11 at 7:44pm

So if producers contract actors for a year for a open run show, if the show then announces it is going to close early, do the producers have to pay out the remainder of the contract?

[temms]

Limited run shows #10

Posted: 12/20/11 at 8:13pm

No, they are only required to give two weeks notice of closing. If they close earlier than two weeks from announcing, they still need to pay the cast & crew a full two weeks salary. To prevent producers skipping town when the show closes, before the production starts they are required to post a bond totaling two weeks of salaries and people can get paid from that bond if the paychecks don't come. Most of the time it's not an issue, and the bond gets returned to the producers.

[Jonwo]

Limited run shows #11

Posted: 12/20/11 at 8:42pm

Most shows with limited runs are budgeted so that they recoup by the time it closes, due to actor availabilty, sometimes it is not always possible to extend. The non for profit theatres have to have a regular season so shows tend to end or if they're hits extend if they're nothing planned or transfer. Weren't South Pacific, Anything Goes and Light in the Piazza meant to limited run or were they alway intended to do a open ended run?

Regarding Newsies, the cost to bring it to Broadway is $5m which is very inexpensive for a musical and pocket change for Disney, think Tom Schumacher said that if it finishes its run, they'll take a slight hit but make it up in licensing but I get the feeling Newsies will get an open ended run.

[SeanMartin]

Limited run shows #12

Posted: 12/20/11 at 10:51pm

Disney doesnt have much else on the boards, so it wouldnt surprise me.

http://docandraider.com

[Gaveston2]

Limited run shows #13

Posted: 12/21/11 at 4:05pm

winston89, I'm sure you're right that most of the cast of a limited run would be more than happy to continue in the show for a year or even more. After all, there are a limited number of jobs out there.

But your stars and any featured players that got a lot of attention (won awards, etc.) from the show might well be entertaining other offers by the time you decided to extend. And then you will have lost the talent that made your show a success in the first place.

Perhaps more damaging, maybe you try to extend only to discover your theater has booked another show, since you only contracted for three months. It wouldn't be the first time a successful show closed because it simply didn't have a house in which to play.