When the show can’t go on…

As I’ve mentioned before, showbiz is 10% show, 90% business.  And business isn’t always clean, cheap, or straightforward. A rarely recognized, yet essential position in the theatre business is the Administrative Producer.

Administrative Producers do the number crunching, fundraising, and make all the verify-it’s-actually-gonna-happen decisions on a daily basis.  To get a greater sense of the day-to-day tasks and process, check out an interview with Verity Leigh, Administrative Producer at the Quarantine Theatre.

When a wrench is thrown into the process, the Administrative Producer must put out the fire, and weigh the pros & cons of the problem and it’s effect on the project.  If something extremely damaging happens (i.e. a promised star breaking off the contract, severe artistic differences, funders/backers/board members being unsatisfied with the project and backing out) the Administrative Producer must evaluate – realistically – if it is still worth it to continue the production.  This step can happen at any point in the process: from inception to ultimately closing a show.  If a star-driven show loses it’s star, if box office sales tank and profits cannot support payroll, if an unexpected lawsuit is impending, the Associate Producer must advise the other Producers, Executive Producers, and Board Members whether it is financially worth it to continue with the project.  If a show is losing too much money, or is artistically embarrassing, the show must stop.  If the show has potential, but just ran out of funds, an Associate Producer may advise to sell the show to another Producing Company in an effort to stay out of debt. If an unexpected severe emergency happens (i.e. fire/flood, extensive vandalism, death) the Associate Producer must coordinate with PR and offer the other producers advice of whether to continue as normal, cancel the show for the evening, or close the show permanently.  Essentially: the most unrewarding experience in showbiz.

The Associate Producers are the realists, the practical business minds that allow the art to happen, and allow everyone else to earn a living while doing it.  Hats off to the Associate Producers who are left to pick up the pieces when the show can’t go on.