Software Technology in CT Managerment
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Theater Administration
Forum Name: Running Your Theater
Forum Discription: General questions about how to make it work
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2162
Printed Date: 11/22/24 at 7:48am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Software Technology in CT Managerment
Posted By: flsawyer
Subject: Software Technology in CT Managerment
Date Posted: 12/07/06 at 6:42pm
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Good afternoon one and all, I hope this finds you doing wonderfully.
I have a question which is most likely too broad but I will start here. I am researching software packages for a number of technology requirements for the CT that I am the current Chairman of (The Silver Stage Players in Elko, Nevada http://www.silverstage.org - www.silverstage.org if you are curious). I am looking initially at fund raising/donor packages but not limited in scope to merely that. Looking for software for a number of disciplines including; stage management, theater administration, technical aspects, etc. I have seen software come and go for CT's I just havent been out there researching recently until yesterday and am curious if others have found software suites they really like. Any opinions, warnings, recommendations or anecdotes would be appreciated. Please feel free to e-mail us at mailto:act@silverstage.org - act@silverstage.org
Thank you very much.
Frank L. Sawyer
Chairman 2006-07
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Replies:
Posted By: jvlsm
Date Posted: 3/28/07 at 9:19am
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Hi Frank,
I don't know of any specific programs for Theatre Admin., but for Lighting & Sound I have used PCStage for several years. Basically it turns a PC into a very powerful and flexible console. Just google 'pcstage' and start playing.
have fun,
john s.
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once more into the breach, dear friends, and damned be he who first cries hold, enough
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Posted By: Kibitzer
Date Posted: 3/28/07 at 11:09am
While I was running theatres, I did a great deal of research on patron
management systems. At that time, (about 2 - 3 years ago), there were only
three packages that I felt had all the bells and whistles I was looking for.
There may be many more, now, but I haven't had any reason to check back on other
companies. One of the companies I did purchase and install for a theatre I ran
several years ago. Another of them I might have switched to in the last theatre
I was at. The third I felt was way too powerful for the size of operation I had
- it was also way more expensive - so I didn't seriously consider it.
Unless they have expanded their software, at the time I was looking at
them or using them, none of them provided the technical integration you are also
looking at (e.g., technical, stage management, etc.). However, they all can
offer fairly comprehensive patron tracking, fundraising, and all manner of
revenue generation tracking for your theatre. None of them offered expense
management systems (e.g., bookkeeping software), nor did they integrate directly
with such systems (at least they didn't when I was using / researching them).
For information on bookkeeping systems, check out my recent Kibitzer column
either on my website ( http://www.concepttoexecution.com/ - www.concepttoexecution.com ), or on the Community Theater
Green Room site in their columns section under "articles".
Anyway, back
to the software systems:
Arts Management Systems: http://www.artsman.com/ - www.artsman.com
It
was their Theatre Manager software that I purchased and installed when I was
managing a theatre about 7 or 8 years ago. At the time, it was the only one I could
find that was an entire patron management system and included tracking single
tickets buyers, subscribers, mailing lists, events, functions, shows, and --
this was the kicker for me -- volunteer (or for professional theatres,
artist/performer) tracking. My experience with this software was that it was
not especially intuitive and required a lot of training. For a largely
volunteer-operated box office, that became a bit of a problem, which eventually
got resolved. Even the folks at Arts Management admitted that organizations
with paid and fully staffed box office personnel using the software day in and
day out had far fewer problems with it than those with volunteer operated
systems. There were other quirks and problems with the system, some of them due
to insufficient training, others to do with inherent complexities. This was at
least five years ago and the really wonderful thing about the folks at Arts
Management was their willingness to work with their customers and integrate
their suggestions into updated versions. So, by now, it could be -- probably is
-- a far superior product than it was when I got it.
Choice
Ticketing: http://www.choiceticketing.com/ - www.choiceticketing.com
Had I gotten the funding
together, this is the system I probably would have gone with at the last theatre
I managed. They had all the key bells and whistles that Theatre
Manager had, but seemed to be a little more intuitive and less complex. Having
never installed it and used it in a real life situation, that's about all I can
tell you. I spent time looking at them about 2 or 3 years ago, so I suspect
they have added a great deal to their system.
Blackbaud: http://www.blackbaud.com/ - www.blackbaud.com
Blackbaud may be the industry standard for a great deal of non-profit
patron management systems. Their "Raisers Edge" software is among the top-used
fundraising software packages on the market. What I didn't know until they
called me was that they had also put in a ticketing package, a patron management
package, and a volunteer management package. The problem I had with them is
that you had to purchase and install each package separately. They all
integrated with one another, but I never explored how comprehensively they
integrated. In other words, would I need to enter someone's name just once and
it could be tracked in all the functions or would I have to enter it three times
to correspond with the three (or two or four) different software packages I
had. In addition, I think they were far more expensive than the others.
These are the three I spent some time looking at or using. Remember,
this was at least 2 - 3 years ago and these companies and others have most
likely added bells and whistles, resolved problems, or created new ones during
that time. As I was looking for the web addresses of the companies listed
above, I ran across a comprehensive ticketing software directory at http://www.capterra.com/ticketing-software - www.capterra.com/ticketing-software You may find this
helpful in your research.
Best of luck in your efforts! Keep us posted on what you find out and how you make out.
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"Security is a kind of death." - Tennessee Williams
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