An Introduction

          Since ninth grade I have been very involved in all of the technical aspects of putting a play on stage. The majority of the discussions that take place among the technical team have some mention of the financial restrictions that the plan faces. Throughout high school I just took the amount of money allotted to us as a given and never questioned where the budget came from. I was simply told that we could only buy the cheapest wood or that we would have to find a specific prop at home because we could not afford to buy one. This continued into college, where we often have to make different artistic decisions because the original option would be too expensive. But once I became an economics major at Dickinson College, I grew much more interested in the business side of theatre and what has to happen to allow any art to be presented on stage.

So I decided to dedicate this summer to finding out how professional theaters make their money. This blog is designed to take the reader on a detailed journey of the lesser-known business side of theater; to go behind the bright lights, complicated sets, and big name actors and look at what has to happen before any actor can step foot on stage, any lights can be hung, or a play can even be selected. The people I work with in the development office at Second Stage Theatre are the backbone of the organization. Second Stage is a non-profit theater and ticket sales alone cannot sustain the program. Fundraising is needed to make up the difference, which is why the development office is so crucial. They receive very little credit for what they achieve, except for the very small administrative listing in the bottom right-hand corner on one page of the playbill. Yet without them, there would be no Second Stage.

            I was drawn to Second Stage because of its unique mission in the off-Broadway community. Not only is it not-for-profit, but it also puts the majority of its resources into the creative process as opposed to the finished product. This makes my internship even more rewarding because the staff makes sure that I experience more facets of the business than just development. I am not running to get coffee for people or doing menial jobs no one else wants to do. Instead I feel that I am actually contributing to the development team. For example, I have been working on the fiscal year-end mailing campaign and compiling a database of corporations known for philanthropy. This database has been very beneficial to development because it is a list of corporations that might be a good resource for the theatre to reach out to for financial support.

            I have also had the opportunity to take part in events outside of development. I have attended two new play readings, a meet and greet for the upcoming shows, an invited dress rehearsal, and a walk-through of a potential event space. One of the most exciting experiences was the first read-through of our upcoming play, “All New People,” by Zach Braff. Not only did I get to meet Braff (“Scrubs”) and Justin Bartha (“The Hangover”), but it will also allow me to continue to see this play all the way through to the final product. I had already read one of the earlier versions of the script. At the event, I also introduced myself to the lighting designer, who invited me to a tech rehearsal. All together, I will get to go from raising money for the theatre through script revisions and tech to the invited dress at the end of June. Seeing the whole process will really help me to understand how all of the different departments come together to make a production happen.

I invite you to join me on my ten-week summer journey into New York City’s off-Broadway scene and learn about the lesser known, but equally as important, side of the business.