playbill listings
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Other Topics
Forum Discription: For everything else
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4483
Printed Date: 10/31/25 at 2:02pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: playbill listings
Posted By: valarie
Subject: playbill listings
Date Posted: 2/23/10 at 3:01pm
| In what order should people be recognized in the playbills; i.e., producer, director, stage manager, etc? Or can anyone direct me to a website that would be authoritative on this topic? |
Replies:
Posted By: pdavis69
Date Posted: 2/23/10 at 5:32pm
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I should always be first and in the biggest, boldest font. ------------- Patrick L. Davis Fort Findlay Playhouse |
Posted By: chel
Date Posted: 2/23/10 at 7:29pm
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Our CT does
page 1 "CAST in order of appearance" then Setting
page 2 is production staff:
Producer
Director
Stage Manager
Assistant Stage Manager
Set Design
Set Artwork (if any)
Set Construction
Lighting Design
Light Board Operator
Sound Design
Sound Board Operator
Costumes
Props
Technical crew
Program Manager
Program Advertising
Program Cover Design
Publicity
Photos
Tickets
Website
Page 3: Cast bios start with:
Producer
Director
Characters in order of appearance
End with Stage Manager if there's room
------------- chel www.windhamtheaterguild.org |
Posted By: JoeMc
Date Posted: 2/23/10 at 9:43pm
Bewdy g'donya Patrick!  ------------- [western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!} |
Posted By: jayzehr
Date Posted: 2/24/10 at 6:57am
| I'd say the director should be above the producer. |
Posted By: chel
Date Posted: 2/26/10 at 1:21pm
Who do you like better?  ------------- chel www.windhamtheaterguild.org |
Posted By: valarie
Date Posted: 2/26/10 at 3:03pm
|
The problem is we usually put director first and was told by a new producer that we were wrong - that producer ALWAYS got top billing. So I just wanted to see what the standard was. Seems like there isn't one.
Feelings are so sensitive in community theatre
 |
Posted By: Topper
Date Posted: 3/02/10 at 10:10am
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Producers are listed first in professional theater because the Producer is the one who is responsible for financing (or finding financiers) for the show, acquiring the script from the playwright, and is the person who has HIRED the director to bring the play to life. So, in a sense, the performance would not exist in the first place without the producer.
Community Theater is a little different inasmuch as plays and Directors are chosen by committee or Artistic Director and the Producer (usually a board member) is typically appointed by the board to oversee the production, budget, etc. Rule of thumb: If the Producer is responsible in ANY WAY for the hiring (or selecting) of the Director, then the Producer must be listed first. ------------- "None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public." -- Keith Johnstone |
Posted By: JoeMc
Date Posted: 3/02/10 at 9:52pm
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Here we don't designate a Producer, as Topper posted, this is normaly the province of the commitee as a whole. ------------- [western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!} |
Posted By: lparks
Date Posted: 4/01/10 at 3:35pm
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TITLE PAGE Bloomington Repertory Theatre Co Presents NAME OF SHOW Adapted/ Written by: Name Directed By* Choreography By Musical Direction By Featuring: Name(s) of all cast members Lighting Design by Set Design By Wardrobe Design By Production Manager Prod. Stage Manager Technical Director * - the director is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers society, and independent theatrical labor union. Produced by special arrangement with -----. THE GENERAL LAYOUT OF THE PROGRAM Page 1. Cover Page 2. Season Sponsor Ad (Full Page) Page 3. Welcome Message Page 4. Show Sponsor Ad (Full Page) Page 5. Title Page Page 6. Show Sponsor Ad (Full Page) Page 7. Who's Who (cast first, then creative, then basic production crew) Page 8. Who's Who Page 9. Who's Who Page 10. Show Sponsor Ad (Full Page) Page 11. Who's Who Page 12. Complete Production Crew Page 13. Show Sponsor Ad (Full Page) Page 14. Show Sponsor Ad (Full Page) Page 15. Patrons Circle Sign-up form Page 16. 2010/2011 Patrons Page 17. Show Sponsor Ad Page 18. House Rules & Policy Page 19. Season Sponsor Ad (Full Page) Page 20. Season Sponsor Ad (Full Page) ------------- Landon Parks, Producing Artistic Director, Bloomington Repertory Theatre Co |
Posted By: Spectrum
Date Posted: 4/01/10 at 4:47pm
|
My stars, what community theatre (besides the Bloomington Repertory Theatre Company, I mean) routinely creates a TWENTY PAGE program for their shows? None that I have ever been involved with, that's for sure. Even the programs for large cast musicals run maybe only TWELVE pages, maximum. Then again, maybe the BRTC is a little higher up the 'food chain' than COMMUNITY THEATRE, I don't know. ------------- Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional. |
Posted By: lparks
Date Posted: 4/01/10 at 5:01pm
|
Actually, our playbills are relatively cheap. We allow 20 pages so that each members of the cast can have a photo and biography, so that we can recognized ALL of our sponsors accordingly. 20 pages is not unheard of, nor all the cost prohibitive. For a 12 performance run in the 561 seat house, our playbills cost comes to $750 dollars by the time we account the $600 discount received from the printers in exchange for advertising space in the program. No, we are not 'higher up' in the food chain. Our budgets are little larger than some community theatre's, but were STILL a community theatre. There are many community theatres with larger budgets than ours, which is pretty meager. Take for instance, the Indianapolis Civic Theatre (which is probably the closest theatre to us that resembles our goals and management practices), who's budget, according to their 990 form, was $600,000 for 2008. what set's us apart from most community theatre's is that we are 'professionally managed', and we will also derive a large sum of our income from fundraisers and our education and summer camp programs. ------------- Landon Parks, Producing Artistic Director, Bloomington Repertory Theatre Co |
Posted By: John Luzaich
Date Posted: 10/25/10 at 3:57pm
|
Our playbill for our two summer shows performed in rep (Oscar Musical Mix - with Katelyn Epperly,and Kitchen Witches - a comedy) was 44 pages. So was the playbill for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow designed by artist Gary Kelley, and The Music Man with former SNL actor Gary Kroeger. That's standard for our shows. The ads in the playbill more than pay for the playbill. 20 pages are ads. But it looks good, not "junked up" with ads because many pages include trade ads with other arts organization, theatres, performing arts centers, media, cultural organizations. The whole thing has an "arts feel" to it. We get many compliments on our playbill. But mainly, it generates a profit every year for our organization. ------------- John cfct@cfu.net http://www.osterregent.org http://www.facebook.com/osterregent |
Posted By: lparks
Date Posted: 10/26/10 at 10:27am
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Our Playbill size actually went up for our upcoming show of Narnia. Went from 20 pages up to about 32 - in order to take advantage of ad space. I feel that MANY theatre's do not take advantage of selling ads, which has proved to be a large source of revenue for us so far.
------------- Landon Parks, Producing Artistic Director, Bloomington Repertory Theatre Co |
Posted By: John Luzaich
Date Posted: 10/27/10 at 12:57pm
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The original post of this topic asked about how the producer and director is listed in the playbill/program, which listed first? Most of our community theatres always strive to be the best and so we usually benchmark with other organizations to see what they do. (that's why we're here on this site) I always look at professional theatre, broadway, tours, and take what I can from that and try and fit it into our own situation. If you look at broadway playbills & window cards (posters) the producer is listed 1st, then the show title, then the cast, then the production & artistic staff (designers), then last is always musical director & choreographer and then director. Director is almost always listed last. (and in a larger size font). ------------- John cfct@cfu.net http://www.osterregent.org http://www.facebook.com/osterregent |
Posted By: gelcat
Date Posted: 10/28/10 at 9:43am
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Having recently gone through this discussion about the order of the production staff, I finally gave up, and gave our playbill people this rule of thumb -those who put the most brain power into the show get the higher billing!
Our costume designer has been consistently listed lower than the set construction crew, and sometimes even below the props person and crew, and not even listed as 'designer', but coordinator or head. I don't know where the idea has come from that the costumer doesn't do anything but pull clothes from storage... sheesh... ------------- www.actorsguildonline.org Actors Guild of Parkersburg Parkersburg, WV |