Creating Money

Theatre on a Small Budget

by Staff Writers    Posted 05/23/2008

Creating theatre can be very expensive. However, it is possible to put on a show for very little money. There's a saying: "Low budget, no budget, theatre will be staged." The truth is that theatre can be produced with very little money. Now, before everyone is up in arms, I am not suggesting that a Broadway show can be produced for the change I have in my pocket. However, time and effort can, in some cases, supplement money. Theatre has a reputation for being thrifty and inventive when it comes to limited resources. For example, one rather famous theatre, which shall not be named, in its infancy and having no money would actually pay its employees for the half year it could afford them and then everyone would be fired and go on unemployment for the other half of the year. While I do not advocate anything like this, it is an inventive way of stretching the money in your possession. Since I have a feeling the government is a little more savvy they were 30 years ago, please do not try this. However, in that vein of creativity, here are some ideas for how to stretch every cent you have.

Produce in advance
The more time you can give yourself to plan and budget, the less money you will end up spending as you find better options.

Look everywhere
Keep a working list of what you need on hand at all times. You never know when it might be sitting right there in front of you for the taking. There is nothing worse than walking by a couch that is being thrown out and then three days later looking at a set design shopping list that says "old couch."

Quote me
Get quotes from business. You can use the Theatre-Inc Quote System to gain a lot of information with little effort or you can get quotes from businesses you contact directly. Either way, comparison shop the quotes and go with what is reasonable.

Free stuff, cheap stuff
For materials or actual items, there are a variety of cheap and possibly free options. First, look for local organizations that provide cheap or free items for the arts.* Second, search Theatre-Inc's Marketplace for what you need. Third, try Craigslist.org or Freecycle.org; free stuff is available on both. Last but not least, Ebay.com - you never know what you might need and how little others might want it.

Drive it in
If you are an NPO, then hold a materials drive. Organize some flyers and list the things you need. Have a place to store them and set a date for people to come and drop off the items and meet the cast or some other incentive. If people bring too many things, junk them or store them - you never know when you might need them.

Star on stage
Borrow from people, places, and businesses. Give them compensation in the form of comp tickets or ad space. If you search the Marketplace, you may find offers that will accept these as compensation. No matter how you compensate someone who is loaning you an item, be sure to remind them that it will be on stage and in the play, maybe it well even be in press photos. It is surprisingly cool to come and see a play featuring your couch. Make sure people know that they can bring their friends. I actually know a producer who was having trouble generating an audience until he put the right couch on stage. The original couch cast for the play was badly stained by paint that was supposed to be dry during load-in. The couch could not be reupholstered in time for opening night, so a friend's couch was borrowed. That friend asked if he could bring people and if it was okay if they knew it was his couch. The audience was packed that night with people who came to see the couch. To this day, the producer's friend has a photo of the cast on the couch during the play sitting on the side table next to the couch itself, back in his apartment.

Placement
If you need to use certain items which would normally carry a brand, talk to companies and see if they might pay you to encourage their product's placement over a competitor's. Be sure to address the issue that way. If you were to call up ABC soda and say, "We are going to use your soda on stage", they will say, "Sure. Great." But if you try to sell them the demographic of the show or tell them that XYZ soda company is interested in paying to place its products, then you might get somewhere. For smaller audience shows this is more of a long shot, but you never know.

Thank the sponsors
Businesses sponsor lots of public events, teams, and, yes, shows. Find out if local businesses would be interested in sponsoring the show partially or totally depending on your needs. Look for ways it could boost their business because of their proximity to the theater or your shared demographic or shared interest in a cause. This is not the same as selling ad space in a theatre program. This is a method that many people use, but if you can get a core group of partners, sponsors, or co-producers (usually whichever title they prefer) then you can really expand your budget. Remember, businesses want a good image and they will be interested if you can help boost that image. Also, they might advertise your show themselves as it will likely be a point of pride for them to be involved.

Producing theatre can be expensive. But remember, theatre is a communal act by its very nature. Why not tap into that same community when creating theatre? You will be surprised how excited people can be become at the sheer opportunity to be involved with something they love.

*For NPOs in NYC, go to MFTA.org which is Materials For the Arts. You can literally walk into the warehouse and walk out with items, lots of items, including things that are normally expensive which you can get for free.

Staff Writers

Theatre-Inc - See this Business's Listing

The staff writers of Theatre-Inc are comprised of former and current Theatre professionals who work with the company and write regularly as well as other professionals within the company with experience to lend to the Theatre World. Many of the staff writers have worked in multiple disciplines in theatre, ranging from directing, producing, design, acting, stage management and general management. These unique perspectives provide them with a depth of experience to address issues that often frustrate theatre professionals. But, sometimes we just like to share fun experiences and things that we ourselves find humorous, frustrating, or just outrageous.