Venue Hire

You have your script and have assembled a cast. Now you're ready to go out  there and show the world what they've been missing. So what next? How easy is it to put on a fringe show, how much is it likely to cost, and what obstacles are you likely to encounter?

You need to establish what needs to be done - then who does what. Crucially, you need to find a venue. This isn't necessarily as simple as it sounds.

Some venues happily take the hire fee without needing to meet or even see a copy of the script. Others have a more rigorous selection policy. This usually involves an in-house artistic director responsible for filtering submissions from theatre companies and individuals. That's to ensure the calibre of the production and that it chimes with their artistic vision. Some venues eg are associated with comedy, some with political, contemporary pieces. Even the smaller venues often have a busy slate, booked months in advance. You should expect, when approaching any venue, to give a lead time of at least six months. Runs can be anything from 1 day to 3 weeks, sometimes longer.

The cost of hiring a theatre ranges widely and can be anything from £700 a week to £2,350 per week. You should look closely at what is included in the hire fee - does it include daytime rehearsals and sole use of the space, or is this an additional cost? Do you have access to the venue's marketing lists and if so how valuable are they? Some theatres have a subscriber or friends' list and inclusion in their newsletter can generate footfall to your show from the venue’s loyal followers.

Will they provide any assistance on the night - ushers, box office staff? You might be tempted to plump for the cheapest venue only to realise that you've forgotten to factor-in the cost of hiring box office staff, or a technician. The last things you want to worry about are last-minute practical minutiae of producing a play. Front-of-house shenanigans are a distraction you don’t need when you’re poised for your first night, technician at the ready, actors backstage.

Clear any technical issues with the venue. Do they provide an in-house technician? If so is this built into the venue hire fee? Do they have the technical specification you require - eg can they accommodate a projector; if so is this included; or do you need to source one separately? It's important to meet the technician as soon as possible. That's to go through the script to flag any potential problems, whether sound or lighting. You'll feel much better once you've faced and solved problems. Does Health & Safety allow the hanging of a veil from the rigging, or is that deemed a fire hazard? Do you need permissions for that piece of music, or is it covered by the venue's licence with the Performing Rights Society?

Marketing

If the run is less that two weeks there is almost zero chance of the piece being reviewed in any of the bigger print publications. By the time the reviewer has attended, written and had published their review the show will be over. If your aim is to get reviews for a longer run elsewhere - a tour or transfer to a different venue eg - you should book a venue for a fortnight or ideally three weeks or more.

Why are you putting the play on? Is it to get an agent for your writing; for your acting? Do you hope producers from larger venues will come and invite you to take it to their theatre? If you are wearing many hats (producer / director / writer / performer), forward planning is key.

Two weeks to go - the venue is in place, rehearsals are under way. Oh crap, you've not invited anyone. You've been so focused on the actual production that you've forgotten the marketing. You let the actors get on while you frantically start researching artistic directors, producers, agents and reviewers, cobbling together a press pack and hoping desperately that they'll not only be available to see your show but that they'll really want to come along and won't interpret your last minute contact as a sign of an amateur production.

Probably you're a stranger to them. They certainly won't share your artistic vision, because at this stage it's in your head or at best it's starting to come together in rehearsals. These are busy people who, month on month, receive more approaches from producers than you’re likely to get audience members on even the busiest night of your production.

Research the people, venues or companies. Does their back-catalogue make them a likely fit? Tailor each approach so that you’re not clearly mass-mailing people. At the very least top and tail your letter or email – there is nothing worse than being cc'd into an email sent to scores of others. OK, there are worse things in this world, but it won’t help your cause.

Use the Internet as a research tool to look for websites (eg www.remotegoat.co.uk and of course www.fringereport.com) which review fringe productions. Websites are more likely to send a reviewer along because of the more immediate nature of the publishing – the review can be placed online the next day.

It’s good form to give any reviewer or someone you’d like to impress - an artistic directors, or agents eg - complimentary tickets. It’s not simply good form, it’s expected.

Budget

Let's say it's unpaid or profit-share and no-one is working for an up-front fee. What expenses might you encounter over and beyond the venue hire fee?

I put on a play in which the set was my entire home contents. I had to hire a van for the get-in and get-out. I was lucky enough to have recommended a wonderful guy (details upon request) who gave a very competitive price and helped me both in and out. That included carrying a sofa and other heavy pieces to my top floor flat.

You'll probably be printing fliers and posters. They are less pricey than you may think - you should be able to get up to 5,000 A5 flyers colour-printed on both sides for approximately £150. And mailing people. Email is free. Postal mail can be more effective and seem like a more considered approach - so don't forget to include your postage costs.

People must eat. Unless you've stated from the outset that you'll be providing food during rehearsals, you're not obliged to. But you may decide to conjure up some simple food such as sandwiches and juice. With a cast and crew of 5-10 over a week's rehearsal period that's around £200.  Props and costumes? Add them in to the budget.

In terms of funding and sponsorship, sadly the opportunities are few. With my play I applied for and didn't receive Arts Council funding. With cuts and the sheer number of projects applying for funding, it's increasingly hard to get.

If your production has a community aspect, there may be local businesses or organisations to approach - eg I know one company from (London drama college) Rose Bruford who were given money by a local group because their play was about Asian women in the community.

Odds and Sods

An empty space is very different from an occupied space - and in fringe theatres, the space is probably small. If you have an actor entering from a pathway between aisles, or from the side, are they going to trip on the legs and bags of people sitting in the aisle seats or front row? The front row are often in the lap of the performer, within touching and inadvertent spitting distance. If there's an accident, you'll probably be responsible, not the venue.

The Greatest Show on Earth

Most fringe productions won’t make a profit. Don’t judge the success of the production by ticket sales alone – and don’t be disheartened if you make a loss. It’s normal.

The benefits of staging a show can be enormous. There's the artistic realisation of a cherished project. Actually putting on and presenting to the public a show, your show, is an achievement in itself - it's one that most people will never experience. You’ve faced the fear, you’ve done an awful lot of practical and artistic juggling. Give yourself a pat on the back. Give the cast and crew one too. And remember - from tiny acorns mighty oaks grow.

Some Links

London Fringe Venues - some of many:

Camden People’s Theatre: www.cptheatre.co.uk
The Courtyard Theatre: www.thecourtyard.org.uk
The Etcetera Theatre: www.etceteratheatre.com
Kings Head Theatre: www.kingsheadtheatre.org
The Old Red Lion: www.oldredliontheatre.co.uk
Pentameters Theatre: www.pentameters.co.uk
The Pleasance: www.pleasance.co.uk/islington

Funding:

Arts Council Funding: www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding/gfta2006.php

END

(c) Simon Dale 21 November 2008

Under Pressure, written and directed by Simon Dale, ran at Jermyn Street Theatre London 5-9 Feb 2008 at 19:30. £12, £10 concs. Website - www.underpressuretheplay.com. It featured - Amy Rockson as Adele, and Simon Dale as Max. Simon Dale is a director of RemoteGoat.com and CastingCallPro.com and lives in London.

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012

www.fringereport.com