How To Put On A Theatrical Production on a Budget | Ep. 252

• Adrian drew inspiration from Tyler Perry's journey from homelessness to producing successful plays, as well as local artists like James Lyons and Tamika Allen. He learned budgeting insights by observing conversations between directors and stage managers.

First thing first is you want to have a target audience.

• Adrian emphasizes that knowing your audience is critical. Presenting an Afrocentric play to a conservative rural population won't yield good turnout, but marketing to HBCU, Black church, or Black mosque audiences could be successful.

• Adrian recommends having a side hustle to finance your production rather than seeking external producers. He mentions a friend who took a paper route to fund her play.

You have to have a side hustle along with your main hustle in order to finance it. Don't be out there looking for producers. I would say be your own producer.

• Adrian stresses the importance of liability insurance to protect against potential incidents during performances. He humorously mentions scenarios like a roach falling on someone's face.

Make sure you get liability insurance. You want to make sure that if someone, like if a roach, like if a roach was to fall on someone's face, you know, that liability be taken care of.

• Create a comprehensive budget list including marketing costs, venue fees, liability insurance, and actor payments. Some promotion may be free through friendly relationships, while others require payment.

Pay your actors because it'll be actors who really sell your play.

• Adrian emphasizes that paying actors creates deeper incentive for quality performances that draw repeat audiences. He notes that financial compensation makes performers feel appreciated.

Have a thrift store mentality. What can you purchase? How can you contribute to the play without it costs you a whole lot of money?

• Adrian shares a practical example of finding a free empty antifreeze container through a friend instead of buying one for $12 for a play prop.

• Adrian reframes Tiffany's work as a speaker and podcaster as theatrical performance, noting that both involve distributing narratives to audiences and helping people think about life.

• Use Google and word of mouth to find venues. Local community theaters are often willing to rent out space on unused dates because they need the income. Contact the artistic director and express interest in booking.

Theaters are broke. You will not make any money. If you're in theater to make money, you're in the wrong business.

• Venues typically require payment within 1-2 weeks before the production. Adrian discusses the possibility of revenue-sharing arrangements where venues take a percentage of ticket sales, though this varies by theater.

• Adrian encourages applying the thrift store mentality across all aspects of production to minimize costs while maximizing impact.