If you were starting a Theatre Company

[TheCalvinator24]

what shows would you schedule for your first few seasons when you were trying to build your audience and talent base?

[AnnieCamaro]

I would schedule "Guinefort," a modern opera by a new composer that tells the sad yet uplifting story of the first dog saint and the village where he unjustly died, but lived forever.

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

I would schedule "Guinefort," a modern opera by a new composer that tells the sad yet uplifting story of the first dog saint and the village where he unjustly died, but lived forever.

What she said.

What about Grease or Seussical?l

[TheCalvinator24]

I would schedule "Guinefort," a modern opera by a new composer that tells the sad yet uplifting story of the first dog saint and the village where he unjustly died, but lived forever.

What she said.

What about Grease or Seussical?l

Grease has been done recently. Seussical is a possibility. Thanks for the input.

[nitrah55]

Do shows that have kids in the cast. Kids have families, and they come to see shows. The families also get involved in other stuff. Musicals are obvious: Music Man, Sound of Music, Bye Bye Birdie. Can't think of too many straight plays with kids off the top of my head. Diary of Anne Frank, I guess, and a play that never gets produced, The Desperate Hours.

Make friends with the local high school english department and find out what plays they teach. Offer to do a production of something that the students can attend as part of their curriculum. It'd have to be a play that you could sell tickets to the general public, as well, of course.

[etaoin22]

Some of the old stuff which speaks to big questions, but does not get redone all the time.

"The Best Man" - play version, by Vidal.

"Enemy of the People" - Ibsen

"J.B." - Archibald MacLiesh.

although Annie Camaro has already come up with the best possible answer, I think.

[5LD]

Classics - no fees to do them and they jibe with english classes who you may get to come for $$.

School for Scandal
Tartuffe
Skin of Our Teeth
Much Ado About Nothing

Neil Simon
The Good Doctor

The Philadelphia Story

Musicals
She Loves Me
The Boyfriend
Pal Joey

Drama?

The Crucible
Death of a Salesman
(my personal fave) Sweet Bird of Youth
Endgame
Mrs. Warren's Profession
Master Builder
Mother Courage and her Children


Because theatre is best when its relevant - try to market to today's conditions in the world.

[kayrharris]

Barefoot in the Park
A Christmas Carol
Cinderella
Huckleberry Finn
The Pirates of Penzance


The Great Tangredi has participated in a community theater for some time. He would probably have tons of advice.

[TheCalvinator24]

Just to let y'all know. I'm not starting a new company. The theatre I've been involved with for years has been struggling, so we're trying to schedule shows as if we were starting from scratch. With that in mind, we want to maximize audiences and draw people in to help out both onstage and off.

Right now, we're not too concerned with being "relevant."

[mrkelley23]

Just to let y'all know. I'm not starting a new company. The theatre I've been involved with for years has been struggling, so we're trying to schedule shows as if we were starting from scratch. With that in mind, we want to maximize audiences and draw people in to help out both onstage and off.

Right now, we're not too concerned with being "relevant."

This may be a peculiarity of my small town, but our small civic theater was probably literally and figuratively saved by Dan Goggin. If you haven't done any of the Nunsense shows, they might be worth checking out.

Evansville is an old-fashioned German Catholic-type community, so we might find that sort of humor (I use the term loosely) funnier than your town.

[peacock2121]

I don't really have an answer to your question.

I do have some admiration of you for what you and your theater are up to.

Bravo!

[NellyLunatic1980]

I may be luring a MM, but I say "Spamalot".

Vikings: "Spam Spam Spam Spam! Wonderful Spam..."

[tanstaafl2]

Kinda sorta depends on what you think your audience base is. What might play well in New York, like, oh say a nude Harry Potter in Equus, might not be quite as successful, or practical, in Peoria.

Or Texas...

Also might depend a bit on what your typical pool of actors can successfully pull off. Large scale musicals demanding a number of strong voices tend to be a bit tricky for community theatre but also tend to be what the average audience knows.

[5LD]

Regarding being relevant from a previous professional actor and graduate of one of the top acting/directing programs.....

All I meant is that if your local art museum is doing a huge exhibit of the art work made about Joan of Arc....consider doing one of the plays about Joan of Arc. Make yourselves relevant to what is going on in your community. Link up with other arts institutes and schools and plan your programming so there is a tie in to help fill your seats. It works. I have seen it work first hand.

You can't plan your programming around big well known musicals or small intimate dramas if that is not what will fill the seats. Study what successful arts organizations are doing to market themselves/create their seasons. Mimic them.

Run a playwriting workshop for high schoolers. Put on the best shows as a festival, cast it out of community adults and kids.

Do a musical review - have a local music personality create one and have the world premiere. Have a red carpet arrival of vips.

Make yourselves seem important and connected. Not just another production of Seven Brides.....done the same way with the same cast. Stale.