Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: How do you choose a show?

Author

Message

chel
Celebrity

Joined: 6/20/07
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 106

Topic: How do you choose a show?
Posted: 5/07/08 at 10:13am

What is your CT's process for choosing the line-up of shows for the season?

How do you organize it, vote on it, etc?

We have a reading committee that goes over various scripts that have been suggested. They pull together some of the ones they think will work and the board votes on it.

It can be a bit of a pecking order, based on who likes what kind of show, who wants to act in it (or hopes to get a role in), and what shows a director for that time slot is willing to direct. (Often there is only one director available for that time slot.)

I'd love to hear what other theater's do. I'm not saying this isn't working, it has it's working parts and it's flaws. I am just wondering what else is out there that might improve upon it or be an example of efficiency.

chel

www.windhamtheaterguild.org

IP Logged

B-M-D
Celebrity

Joined: 11/03/05
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 346

Posted: 5/07/08 at 12:25pm

We have an interesting process at our CT:

It starts in August by having our membership submit script titles. We end up with 30 to 50 a season.

We then poll our audience during the run of the 1st show of the season and the play reading committee takes the result into consideration in it's decison making process along with other factors.

The playreading committee then winnows it down to 12. Then at a membership meeting in February the committee presents 10 min scenes from each of the 12 scripts followed by 5 min of discussion after each of them. After everything is presented the membership votes on which 4 scripts will constitute the following season. It has be considered balanced otherwise it gets revoted (can't have 4 Neil Simon comedies in one season).

There's nothing efficiant about it and it's one of the biggest arguments AGAINST democracy if you ever witnessed it but it is a fun Sunday afternoon on a usually cold winter day.

"Dying is easy, comedy is hard."

IP Logged

pdavis69
Celebrity

Joined: 3/26/06
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 437

Posted: 5/07/08 at 12:52pm

OUr theatre starts the beginning of each season assigning a playreading committee chair. The membership submits show names to the chair giving us about 50-75 shows. The chair holds monthly meetings (any playhouse member may attend and be heard). We narrow down the list eliminating and shows done recently or shows we feel do not fit out theatre. With a shortened list (usually about 30) we order scripts and the members read and report back at the next meeting on the show we read. We will weed out more shows in this process. By February (our season runs June to May) we have a list of about 15 shows. In order to vote on the season, a member must have attended 5 monthly meetings and reported on as many shows. We decide each year on a format for the season. This year it was two musicals, one drama, two comedies and a second stage show (usually a more cutting edge show not included in our season ticket package). We vote on each category until we have the season completed. Not everyone is always happy but everyone has a say.

Patrick L. Davis
Fort Findlay Playhouse

IP Logged

spikesgirl
Celebrity

Joined: 3/30/08
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 129

Posted: 5/08/08 at 9:13am

Originally posted by chel

What is your CT's process for choosing the line-up of shows for the season?

How do you organize it, vote on it, etc?

We have a reading committee that goes over various scripts that have been suggested. They pull together some of the ones they think will work and the board votes on it.

I've sort of answered this, but will do the whole nine yards here. We have an artistic committee that is headed by a Board member. You have to be invited to join and the whole of the committee then votes on whether or not you should be on the committtee. It's a three-year appointment and you can 're-up' for one more appointment when your current term has run out - should you so desire.

We have a very definite and detailed set of rules that we go by. first, we don't get a say in whether or not a show should be done - we pick shows that we feel will appeal to our audience and put butts in the seats.

Case in point, next season we are doing something called "Dearly Departed" - I hated the script, but acknowledged that our audience would most likey enjoy it - AND come to find out, it's my slot for SMing...sigh...

We are instructed to pick two large cast musicals, two smaller cast musical a comedy and a drama. One of the musicals is children appropriate for Christmas. We are givne a print out of all the shows we've done in the past (we have a ten-year rule of not redoing a show). We can all bring in scripts or request that a script is ordered for a show. We read all the scripts and discuss them at our monthly meeting. We are not allowed to vote until February,then our suggestions, along with alternative shows, are then sent to the board for approval. If they do not approve of one of our primary choices, we are asked to appear at the Board, should we wish to 'convince' them of our choice. The season is announced and we're off again to work on the next season.

This seems to be working for us - renewals are up as are new members. The hardest part is keeping the attention focused upon what our audiences might enjoy and keeping personal preferences out of it.

Hope this helps a little

Charlie

IP Logged

bernster74
Star
Star

Joined: 10/20/05
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 51

Posted: 5/08/08 at 2:40pm

Keeping personal preferences out of it IS the hardest ting. There are certain shows we want to direct and/or act in, but some of those shows may not fit the goals and mission statement of the company or they may not have a wide audience appeal.

We have a Play Selection Committee that meets once or twice a month to discuss new scripts, talk about how the season should be structured, and how directors should be selected.

We keep track of the performance of past shows in regard to ticket sales and marketing efforts and cast size and how all of those things relate to each other. We can also track how certain genres do better than others (as if we didn't know that already!).

We also take suggestions from people who have directed for us before. This list along with the original list from the Selection Committee will create our reading list for the next couple of months. Some shows get the axe before anyone reads them because we know they won't work.

Once we have the season selected and what timeslots they will go into - the board has to approve the season.

Then we start teh director proposal and interview process.

And then we have a great season!

IP Logged

JoeMc
Celebrity

Joined: 3/13/06
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 832

Posted: 5/08/08 at 8:48pm

We are not that sophisticated to have selection committees.

one of the mob pitches up a proposal they would like to directl, along with the reasons why we should do it. If they have worked out all the season sums, if not one of us will, then we vote on it.

[western] Gondawandaland
"Hear the light & see the sound!
TOI TOI CHOOKAS
{may you always play to a full house!}

IP Logged

Nola
Walk-On
Walk-On

Joined: 5/26/08
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 0

Posted: 5/27/08 at 10:50am

I was once on a playreading committee... ;) (would still be doing it but moved away to another state)

From the board we got the # of shows we were going to do, and suggestions about how much money we had to do what types of shows (like, we can only do 2 expensive shows). then we made a season of Types, for example:

fall- medium musical (medium size and cost)

late fall- play, comedy

early winter- 'edgy' small play

Winter- BIG musical (expensive)

early spring- mystery play

Spring- 'edgy' small play

late spring/summer- big musical

And then we started getting suggestions and researching shows that fit that type. When we found one for a slot, we stopped looking (like, the last big musical was decided upod the year before, so we already knew that's what it was going to be). Luckily we had a large university, and committee members who worked there, and they were able to check out all sorts of scripts for us to read. We'd pass them around and meet once a month to talk over them. We also filled out some papers on cast size, set size, costumes, cast dynamics, and 'graded' the shows on doability- if we would realistically be able to do that show at our theater, knowing our stage, talent pool, budget, etc.

When we had a season picked out, we went to the board with the proposed season, and all of our research and reasoning behind the choices. I think everything was approved, but if there had been any disagreement, we would have just continued to search for a compromise.

IP Logged

sconjott
Lead
Lead

Joined: 5/24/08
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 35

Posted: 5/28/08 at 11:51am

Our Selection Committee IS the Board. At the start of each season, Board members offer up script suggestions then whittle it down to about 20-30 scripts. Next, they all have the chance to read the scripts during the first half of the current season and whittle a little more. Finally, when it's down to "we can no longer agree on what shows should stay and which should go", we have our audiences vote on what they'd like to see next season.

Keep in mind all this voting is to arrive at our 4 main shows for our "Season". 1 Drama, 2 Comedies, and 1 Big Musical OR 1 Drama, 1 Comedy, 1 Small Musical, and 1 Large Musical. The Board usually decides the Summer and December Shows without a lot of consultation from the audience members.

There are NO small roles, only small actors...

IP Logged

Play Suggestions
Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Play Suggestions

Topic: How do you choose a show?( Topic Closed)