Producing Theater - The Most Important Thing To Know (Jonathan Caren)
Every time I produce a theater show I wonder why the hell I’m doing it. I’m wondering if anyone will actually show up. I’m wondering who really goes to these things anyway? I’m wondering why I waste so much precious time trying to entertain a room of less than 99 people who may just snooze through the evening anyway.
After all, when I get an invite to a theater show, I usually roll my eyes and cringe. “Oh god. PLEASE don’t make me see another god-awful poorly written half-assed production labeled a “WORLD PREMIERE” and starring a cast of non-equity actors.
But then I remember, I hold the universal secret to putting on a show –- a reason so vital, it keeps me confident and excited to keep producing theater. While I was at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Connecticut, Paula Vogel said to me, “Always make theater an event.” This approach has worked for every single production I’ve ever put on since.
Make it an event.
What does that mean? You have to have an engaging reason to put on a show. And I don’t mean your play has to be morally righteous or heavily political and critique George Bush or anything (though it could and that would be in the right direction). I just mean your production has to be unique, and single itself out -- get people excited before they even walk into the theater. Like a holiday, or a party not to be missed, make it your mission to put something on that has a reason to exist beyond just satisfying yourself. Connect to your audience. Whether it’s because your show is so hilarious and edgy, that it’s a chance for audiences to let loose and laugh after a long stifling day; or you have a burning desire to share your “quarterlife” crisis with the world, and you want to draw people in who are experiencing the same phenomenon –- always make sure your intention is to say something special and make the performance memorable.
Instead of putting on an evening of arbitrary one-acts, I usually find a common theme that everyone can relate to –- like “communicating in an online world.” And then I’ll look for material (yes, I’ll likely write my own short play) about that subject. It’s different. I haven’t seen an evening of theater like that before. The material is linked thematically and then it becomes about an event, where your audience is going to “experience” several different perspectives on a common theme. They will walk away from your show changed. And most importantly, they will go into your show with a desire to be there, not just because they feel sorry for you.
“Events” can go even further. I produce an evening of “24 Hour” theater, where five writers get together at 9pm on a Friday night and write until 9am the next morning, at which point directors and actors arrive at the theater and rehearse the freshly penned plays, to be performed that evening. I call it “24 Hour Rush” and audiences come to this “event” because it’s different. They want to see what people can create in such a short time frame. It’s fun. It’s a one-time only “event”. The very nature of the show makes it “not to be missed.” Because it can never be put on again -- at least not under the same time crunch. We pack our houses and everyone leaves feeling satisfied, having seen something different.
That’s the kind of theater I like to see.
When it comes to a straight play, again, think objectively. Think as an audience member. Why is your show important to see? Why can’t it be missed? And most importantly, why do you have to put it on? As a writer, producer, director or actor, this sort of focus and intention will immediately raise the level of work you are engaging in…and give you the stamina to keep doing what you love.
After all, when I get an invite to a theater show, I usually roll my eyes and cringe. “Oh god. PLEASE don’t make me see another god-awful poorly written half-assed production labeled a “WORLD PREMIERE” and starring a cast of non-equity actors.
But then I remember, I hold the universal secret to putting on a show –- a reason so vital, it keeps me confident and excited to keep producing theater. While I was at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Connecticut, Paula Vogel said to me, “Always make theater an event.” This approach has worked for every single production I’ve ever put on since.
Make it an event.
What does that mean? You have to have an engaging reason to put on a show. And I don’t mean your play has to be morally righteous or heavily political and critique George Bush or anything (though it could and that would be in the right direction). I just mean your production has to be unique, and single itself out -- get people excited before they even walk into the theater. Like a holiday, or a party not to be missed, make it your mission to put something on that has a reason to exist beyond just satisfying yourself. Connect to your audience. Whether it’s because your show is so hilarious and edgy, that it’s a chance for audiences to let loose and laugh after a long stifling day; or you have a burning desire to share your “quarterlife” crisis with the world, and you want to draw people in who are experiencing the same phenomenon –- always make sure your intention is to say something special and make the performance memorable.
Instead of putting on an evening of arbitrary one-acts, I usually find a common theme that everyone can relate to –- like “communicating in an online world.” And then I’ll look for material (yes, I’ll likely write my own short play) about that subject. It’s different. I haven’t seen an evening of theater like that before. The material is linked thematically and then it becomes about an event, where your audience is going to “experience” several different perspectives on a common theme. They will walk away from your show changed. And most importantly, they will go into your show with a desire to be there, not just because they feel sorry for you.
“Events” can go even further. I produce an evening of “24 Hour” theater, where five writers get together at 9pm on a Friday night and write until 9am the next morning, at which point directors and actors arrive at the theater and rehearse the freshly penned plays, to be performed that evening. I call it “24 Hour Rush” and audiences come to this “event” because it’s different. They want to see what people can create in such a short time frame. It’s fun. It’s a one-time only “event”. The very nature of the show makes it “not to be missed.” Because it can never be put on again -- at least not under the same time crunch. We pack our houses and everyone leaves feeling satisfied, having seen something different.
That’s the kind of theater I like to see.
When it comes to a straight play, again, think objectively. Think as an audience member. Why is your show important to see? Why can’t it be missed? And most importantly, why do you have to put it on? As a writer, producer, director or actor, this sort of focus and intention will immediately raise the level of work you are engaging in…and give you the stamina to keep doing what you love.
posted by harlekijn at dinsdag, november 27, 2007
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