Theatre Producing: What The Hack!

A unique & rare workshop about theatre producing. Learn a hands-on & creative approach to producing.

Dates: 5th Feb – 9th Feb 2024
Time: 6:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: Andheri West, Mumbai
Fee: 5000 Rs

Let’s tell our amazing stories in the most economical and efficient manner to entertain our audience and get a standing ovation in return.

Why this workshop?

Everyone wants to be an actor, director, or writer, but no one wants to be a producer, and it has nothing to do with money.

What are the two most important aspects of theatre, apart from the performance itself? It’s the audience and the money. All our fantastic scripts need an audience to get entertained. All our great ideas need money to come to life. You can’t make theatre a profession and sustainable without knowing enough about these two aspects. Every successful theatre practitioner and tradition knows the importance of audience and money, but still, no one teaches you how to take care of your audience and money. There is no profession, business, or product that can afford to ignore an audience and money. I believe you can’t call yourself a professional theatre-maker without understanding these two crucial aspects. There is no art without an audience and money!

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What will you learn?

Being a producer is a thankless job that doesn’t require any creativity, and no one takes it seriously. That’s why most people think that a producer is a person who just invests money or takes care of the money. But that’s just one part of the job. A producer decides everything, from an idea to script development, director to actors, funding to post-production, etc. Basically, producers are the true bosses. It really made us rethink about producing, and then we started to take it seriously. But of course, we had to learn everything ourselves, as no one was teaching how to produce. If you have to do your own play, then you have to learn everything yourself.

So, in this workshop, we will share all our producing experience, knowledge, resources, and hacks to help you start your producing journey.

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Understanding the role of a theatre producer.
Differentiating between creative roles (directors, writers, actors) and the producer’s responsibilities.
Overview of the producer’s role in pre-production, production, and post-production phases.

Creating a production budget.
Fundraising strategies for theatre productions.
Managing financial resources efficiently.

Selecting scripts and projects.
Collaborating with writers, directors, and creative teams.
Developing a production timeline.

Identifying funding sources (grants, sponsorships, crowdfunding).
Writing effective grant proposals.
Building relationships with sponsors and donors.

Understanding contracts for artists, crew, and venues.
Legal considerations in theatre production.
Rights acquisition for scripts and other intellectual property.

Developing a marketing strategy.
Utilising social media and other promotional channels.
Creating press releases and promotional materials.

Criteria for selecting a suitable venue.
Negotiating contracts with venues.
Managing logistical aspects of the venue (seating, technical requirements).

Assembling and managing a production team.
Effective communication and collaboration.
Problem-solving during rehearsals and performances.

Working with technical and design teams (lighting, sound, set design).
Understanding technical requirements for different productions.

Building relationships within the theatre community.
Attending industry events and networking opportunities.
Collaborating with other producers and theatre professionals.

Know Your Facilitator

Maneesh Verma

Actor, Director & Producer. National School of Drama Graduate.
More than 25 years of extensive theatre experience with around 60 major productions. More than 12 years of theatre producing experience. Maneesh learned to produce by getting his hands dirty and on the job.

He started in 2004 with Night of January 16th, where he produced the play for just 10,000 Rs and did only one show. Most recently, he produced a show called JUMP, which is being commissioned by Serendipity Arts Festival. In between, he has produced Night Song, My Sister My Friend, A Kind of True Story, Dhara Ki Kahani, Talli Tuesday, Dhara Ki Kahani, Ek Mulaqat Manto Se, and Tara’s Trio. He has also produced shows like Dragon, Mule’s Foal, Maati, and Rakt Kalyan for Drama School Mumbai. Till now, Till now, he has produced more than 15 plays in multiple genres like comedy, drama, musicals, theatre for kids, etc., and the journey and learning continue.

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