Top 9 Things to Keep in Mind as You Choose Your Fall Production
On The Stage
The leading all-in-one platform for online ticketing, event marketing, merch, audience engagement, fundraising and more!
Planning your theatre season can be stressful, no doubt about it. You want to ensure your actors and techies are happy with the showcases while appeasing your loyal donors, challenging your creative team, and ensuring you can profit from the shows.
If you’re stuck between several choices or aren’t quite sure where to start when choosing your fall production, On The Stage presents a few things to keep in mind before making final selections.
Top Questions to Keep in Mind as You Choose Your Fall Production
What are your team’s strengths and weaknesses?
Choosing your fall production will be a challenge, no doubt about it. You first need to consider the strengths and weaknesses of your potential cast.
For example, do you have a strong set of vocalists who may not be the best dancers? Maybe you have an incredibly skilled group of lighting technicians , but your sound team – or your sound equipment – needs work. Perhaps you’ve got a lot of history buffs who adore Shakespeare but aren’t crazy about experimental theatre.
Evaluate what areas need improvement and which are already excellent in your team’s skill sets. When choosing a show, you’ll want to play to your team’s strengths while downplaying the weaknesses.
What is your budget?
If you’re involved in a school program, odds are your budget is on a shoestring. The same can be said of community theatre efforts and even professional non-equity showcases. That said, be realistic about your shows as they pertain to your budget. If you don’t have the funds for an elaborate set or period-specific costumes and props, you’ll need to get creative with your interpretation or choose a more stripped-down production for your fall show.
Pro Tip: Consider hosting fundraisers before your showcases if you have the time and resources. This will pad your bottom line and allow you more breathing room to make your productions shine. You’ll also increase community engagement and brand awareness. Win-win-win!
How large is your team?
Your ‘team’ in this instance can mean a lot of things. It can mean the size of your audition pool and group of actors, your backstage crew, your marketing team , or your creative leadership team. Evaluate how many people will be involved in your project before you pick your show.
Team size will determine what sort of production you choose, both for the size of the cast and the backstage expertise needed to pull it off. Don’t bite off more than you can chew – but don’t choose something with only a few cast members if you have a ton of interested actors. You want to ensure everyone who wants to be involved can be involved and that no one is underutilized.
Will this production provide educational value to audiences?
This element is most important for educational theatre programs , of course. Are there specific benchmarks you’re required to hit within your theatre education curriculum? Certain playwrights you need to cover or pieces of history to portray?
For those in community theatre or professional theatre, ask yourself what this content does to enrich your community. Will it leave audience members with constructive conversation starters? Will they be encouraged to study up about a certain time in history, be a better citizen, or make a lifestyle change for the better? Ensure your production will leave your community with a renewed sense of purpose that amplifies the greater good.
Do you want to spotlight local creatives or specific playwrights?
While you may be set on using the works of well-known playwrights, you may also be considering the local touch by working with creatives in your area to put on a show. If that’s the case, consider open submissions from writers in your area. After all, people are always looking for the opportunity to show off their work, and several theatres have found success soliciting submissions from the public. Whether you need the kernel of an idea for further development or a fully developed script, creating a contest or public project can bring you many new content opportunities.
Additionally, you can partner with local writing programs to tap into new talent in your community. Writing programs present a perfect opportunity to source original short plays and vignettes for educators and community theatre leaders. Whether working with a school or university creative writing program or contacting a local writing center, building program partnerships can create opportunities for you both.
Recommended by LinkedIn
Will this show challenge your team without overwhelming them?
Along the same lines as playing to your cast and crew’s strengths rather than highlighting their weaknesses, you also need to evaluate whether the show you choose will adequately challenge your team. The last thing you want to do is stagnate your cast, crew, and yourself—everyone should always be honing their crafts and growing in their talents.
But this sense of a challenge can be teetering on a razor’s edge. You do want to challenge your team, but you don’t want to overwhelm them with a piece of theatre they can’t interpret or don’t have the capacity for. In short, make it a challenge…, but not impossible.
Will this show appeal to your community?
While theatre’s value is often intrinsic, you must also ensure that your show will appeal to your season ticket holders , potential patrons, and donors. After all, ticket sales keep the lights on and ensure you can continue doing what you love.
Make sure the show you choose has a broad appeal or at least an appeal to the patrons you value most. Study the data on your demographics to determine if the show you select will result in the highest possible number of tickets sold. If not, pivot.
Will this show set a strong tone for the rest of the year?
Typically, your fall production is your patrons’ first impression of your season – meaning it needs to make a strong showing.
Your first show shouldn’t be the most challenging or the most avant-garde production in your repertoire. You want people to get excited about the content before the show and increase buzz after – this can be accomplished with a popular, clean, and standing-ovation worthy production.
What does your performance space look like?
Many shows are malleable enough to fit in various theatre spaces, but you still need to determine if your space can accommodate the show you want to do.
If your show requires special effects, like fog, do your characters need to fly across the auditorium or run dramatically into the audience? Does your show have elaborate set pieces or a huge cast that needs a massive stage? Take these considerations into account before pulling the trigger on your show selection.
How On The Stage Can Help
Once you’ve decided on the first play or musical in your season, the rest of your planning can be a breeze if you find the right partner. On The Stage (OTS), an all-in-one technology platform built just for the arts, can help you plan your season, sell more tickets, raise funds, create quality merchandise, and more. Even better, we offer the Theatre Producers Planner for download.
When your to-do list is at least a mile long, delegating and staying on top of tasks can seem impossible. With our all-in-one planner, you’ll quickly feel the weight off your shoulders. Inside, you’ll find:
In addition, explore the included guided resources for:
So, what are you waiting for? Book a personalized demo with OTS today to get started.