Theatrical Producing

Becoming a Modern Renaissance Man

A thesis for the Plan of Study: Theatrical Management, Production and Performance

Sean L. Hefferon

Tufts University, 2009

Acknowledgments

I would like to begin by thanking the primary adviser and committee chair for my Plan of Study program, Dr. Barbara Grossman. Dr. Grossman consistently made herself available to me during my time at Tufts – she even took the time to assist me while lying in bed incapacitated because of an ankle fracture. Without her support, I would never have been as successful as I was in my studies here at Tufts University and I would have had a much more difficult time organizing a coherent Plan of Study.

My other three advisers Professor Pamela Goldberg, Dr. Yannis Ioannides, and Dr. Laurence Senelick deserve significant recognition as well. Each of them was vital to the coalescence of my interdisciplinary major. When it came time for the application of my education, each of them helped me get a perspective on how their respective disciplines (Entrepreneurial Leadership Studies, Economics, and Drama) would play a distinct role in my decision making. I cannot begin to express my appreciation for the time and guidance that each of them provided me.

As a compliment to all of my textual education, my understanding of production and management in the arts would never have grown to be so broad without the knowledge imparted on me by a number of people. First off, I would like to thank everyone in, and related to, the Jujamcyn Theaters office in New York City for being incredibly patient with me while I learned as much as I possibly could, and for accepting me as a member of the Broadway community. I would also like to thank each of the producers who have taken the time to talk to me one-on-one during my studies: Patrick Catullo, Michael David, Rachel Helson, Susan Lafer, Rocco Landesman, Paul Libin, and Roy Miller. Each of them provided perspective and advice which was priceless to my experience. Also, to my Entrepreneurial Leadership professor Jeremy Halpern for giving me the tools to examine the theater business through a different lens, thereby shedding new light on ideas I thought I had previously fully understood.

Special thanks to Nick Paleologos for sparking and nurturing my interest in producing from its early stages. If it had not been for Nick’s producing class that was offered through the Ex- College at Tufts I would never have discovered this passion and talent within me.

Urinetown , which was such an essential piece of my educational experience, would never have happened without the hard work of everyone involved with the production. Thank you to everyone who enabled that process to run so smoothly, especially Torn Ticket II for their support throughout. Also, thank you to my student producing mentors Nicole Cherng, Stella Deych, Julia Gmeiner, and Riley Kim for guiding me based on their previous experiences.

Finally, I would like to extend a special thanks to everyone who supported me in my writing. I would like to primarily thank Virginia Anderson for always being there as an encyclopedia of information, a sounding board, a “study-buddy,” and as always a wonderful friend. This leaves my parents without whom I never would have made it this far. Without their undying support of my dreams and care for me, this process would have been far more difficult. I cannot express to them how much I appreciate everything that they have done for me over the years to bring me to this point.

iii Contents

“It’s a Business” (Kander) ...... 1 Finding My Voice...... 4 Assembling the Creative Team ...... 16 Acquiring the Property...... 19 Budgeting Your Show ...... 26 Capitalization ...... 31 Selling Your Show...... 38 “On with the Show” (Berlin)...... 43 Appendices Appendix A: bare Proposal Sheet...... 47 Appendix B: Urinetown: The Musical Proposal Sheet ...... 50 Appendix C: MTI License Agreement...... 52 Appendix D: Production Expenditures & Reimbursement Paperwork...... 62 Appendix E & E’: Budgets Throughout the Production Process ...... 69 Appendix F: Tufts Community Union (TCU) Budget...... 72 Appendix G: Original Parent Donation Letter Template...... 74 Appendix H: New Parent Donation Letter Sample ...... 76 Appendix J: Parent Email Packet ...... 78 Appendix K: Program ...... 86 Appendix L: Letter of Gratitude Sample...... 98 Appendix M: Poster ...... 100 Appendix N: Inter-College Correspondence Template ...... 102 Appendix O: Performance Report...... 104 Bibliography Works Cited ...... 106 Additional Sources ...... 107

iv A producer is a rare, paradoxical genius –hard-headed, soft-hearted, cautious, reckless, a hopeful innocent in fair weather, a stern pilot in stormy weather, a mathematician who prefers to ignore the laws of mathematics and trust intuition, an idealist, a realist, a practical dreamer, a sophisticated gambler, a stage-struck child. That’s a producer. - Oscar Hammerstein II (Vogel and Hodges)

“It’s a Business” (Kander)

Commercial theater in New York City, and especially on Broadway, is one of the most temperamental and unpredictable businesses that a person can enter into. For any show that goes into production in the theater business – and does not simply exist as a script – there is one person, or a team of people, who is most at risk: the producer. What is the producer’s role in the theatrical process, and why is his job so risky? 1 The producer is responsible for orchestrating the realization of a production and for its presentation to the public. 2 He finds a show, acquires the rights, designs a budget, builds a team, raises the capital, calculates royalty division, finds a venue, and sells the show. But a producer’s job is financially precarious. First of all, according to producer Ken Davenport, a Broadway show is four or five times more likely to fail than it is to succeed (“How Many Movies Recoup Their Investments?”).3 When a show fails, no only do many people lose their jobs, but hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars (depending on the length of the run) of investors’ money can be lost. This burden is felt most by the producer because of his role as a leader and organizer for the production. Secondly, in conjunction with rate-of-failure, the producer does not make any money on a show until a production is official – that is, is contracted into a venue – at which point the producer receives only a small stipend to

1 For the purposes of consistency in this paper, masculine pronouns will be used instead of gender neutral pronouns. This is not intended to speak to gender roles in the business, especially considering some of the most prominent producer’s are females such as Margo Lion ( Hairspray ) and Daryl Roth ( Proof ). 2 From this point on, any mention of the “producer” refers to a commercial producer. It is important to differentiate since the financial and artistic decisions made by commercial producers versus not-for-profit producers can be drastically different. A commercial producer’s job is to operate each production as a money-making endeavor. 3 Throughout this paper, success of a show will be defined as recoupment of the initial monetary investment, unless otherwise stated.

1 cover office expenses. It is not until the first week of performances that he will begin getting a percentage of the production’s profits. Conceivably, a producer could put several years of time and money into a show before turning a profit.

Just as the rate-of-failure for Broadway shows is very high, so is the rate-of-failure for people attempting to be successful creative producers. 4 People tend to come and go, trying their hand at producing and then leaving after confronting the reality of the occupation. However, there are a few people from every generation who establish themselves as producers who succeed more than they fail. In today’s Broadway theater world, they include Cameron

Mackintosh, Rocco Landesman, Elizabeth Williams, Harold Prince, Margo Lion, Kevin

McCollum, Susan Quint Gallin, Richard Frankel, Steven Baruch, Marc Routh, Tom Viertel, and

Daryl Roth. Despite the unpredictable nature of the theater business, these producers are not accidental successes. What determines these successful producers’ paths, is an understanding that producing is not as simple as putting money into a show and then hoping the production you have financed gets its wings. These people understand that producing is a merging of art, science and business to such an extent that it is impossible to separate the singular components.

To significantly improve his odds, a creative producer must be a triple threat: understanding basic economic theory, entrepreneurial business strategies, and theater as an art and as a business. 5

Understanding economic theory will help the producer make informed decisions affecting show selection, budgeting, contract negotiation, ticket pricing and financing – among other things – and the relation of those decisions to competition both within and outside of the New

4 Creative producers, a type of commercial producer, helm the production from a very early stage of development – possibly beginning with conception. This is contrasted to “producers” who simply put large sums of money into a production in order to receive the same power and rights as a creative producer. 5 The term theater in this context is inclusive of all facets that go into a production.

2 York theater community. Theater has become a staple of the economy of New York City which is not only a hub of activity for the country, but it also draws in millions of dollars in tourism per year. According to the “NYC Grosses” section of the Broadway League website, in the fiscal year beginning April 25, 2008 Broadway grossed $923,159,917.

Similarly, understanding entrepreneurial and business strategy will help the producer make informed decisions effecting show choice, contract negotiations, myriad financial decisions, company assembly and culture/structure, and public relations, to name a few. A theatrical production is almost identical to a start-up business venture in many ways. The intentions, functions and roles of a business’ founders and a production’s creative team are remarkably similar. After all, a show in the simplest form is a service/product that is being sold for consumption, and if the show does not satisfy a niche or demand, then it will not be able to sell well. It is said that a truly successful businessman has the talent to convince and audience to buy something – whether a product or a show.

In theater, however, selling something that is not widely believed to have artistic merit only gets a production so far. New York City theater critics have an immense amount of power over the lives of Broadway shows and tend to be very elitist about the quality of show that earns the right to a long, healthy run. Bad reviews can kill a show regardless of a positive audience reaction. Therefore, a producer’s skill in business tactics can never make up for a lack of understanding of the art form. “It is our [theater people’s] job to tell stories,” Victoria Bailey,

Executive Director of the Theatre Development Fund, once said (Bailey). People go to the theater to hear a good/compelling story – typically about finding family and finding home – and to be surprised (McCollum). So it is the producer’s job not only to discover those stories that speak to us most and to bring those stories to be seen by the general public, but it is also the

3 producer’s job to assess whether the story suits the art form. This is a rare aptitude that requires an understanding of the art of literature/storytelling, an eye for good writing, and the ability to visualize how a fully realized production might look. Consequently, a producer must have a strong sense of criteria that make good theater, without getting overly formulaic in his show choices.

During the past four years, I have been developing/refining my knowledge of economics, my understanding of entrepreneurial business administration, and my appreciation of theater/drama as an art form integral to our society. Making the best of the educational opportunities that Tufts has provided me, and through the pursuit of professional opportunities such as internships, seminars, and workshops, I was able to maximize my understanding of the intricacies and exact art that is producing in the theater. As the culmination to my educational experience, I produced Torn Ticket II’s musical in fall 2008. 6 I was interested to see how I could apply my education in the three areas of study to the production in order to maximize its success.

The result was a year-long process that not only allowed me to put into practice what I had learned throughout my four-year education, but also taught me crucial lessons about the business of producing along the way.

Finding My Voice

The job of the producer is to bring a production to the public. A producer can begin work on a show anywhere in the developmental process from its existence as an idea, to a fully-formed production. In general, producers tend to begin work on a show when it is in one of four stages:

1. Original Idea – The producer has an idea for an unwritten show and finds an

author/lyricist/composer to write it.

6 Torn Ticket II is Tufts University’s student-run musical theater group.

4 2. Work in Progress – The producer finds a show in some stage of the developmental

process, which affects the level of rights acquisition and his creative control. This

could be an existing piece that is going to be adapted from another medium (most

commonly literary or cinematic), a new script, or a previously cast reading of the

script.

3. Fully-Formed Production – The producer moves a fully formed production from its

existing venue to a larger one where he feels it may have a more successful run.

Typically, the producer will suggest minor changes to be made on the production.

4. Revival – The producer acquires the rights to a completed script, which has had

previous professional theatrical runs, and presents a new production.

The producer’s role in the life of the production tends to vary greatly depending on when and how the production emerges, specifically on what state the production is in when he acquires it.

Each of these scenarios necessitates a different procedure in dealing with acquisition of the underlying rights. Rights are the legally valid control of intellectual property, and are important in the producing process. For the purposes of my thesis and for this paper I will focus on what happens when the producer works on a revival of a production.

The first place where there exists an intersection of my educational disciplines is in the statute that forms the basis for both producing and start-up business procedure. Increasingly, it will become clear that a production is no different from an entrepreneurial endeavor and that the functions of a producer parallel the functions of a CEO, exactly. Throughout my studies I have been told, do not produce a show (or work on a start-up) that you do not feel passionately about.

A general rule is that you should never produce a show in which you do not feel personally invested. The road to developing a successful production can get extremely stressful and bleak.

5 Those are the times when a producer must be most supportive of the production and the production staff. As Tom Viertel, producer of The Producers said, “The people you work with are in a vulnerable position. Your primary job is to be a cheerleader. Maintain a positive attitude or you will wreck your own production,” (Viertel). If a producer is producing a show merely because he thinks it is going to be fiscally successful, when things get difficult, he may not be interested in making large sacrifices to save the show. A producer must be willing to shed blood and tears for their production to attempt to secure it a long, flourishing life.

That being said, a producer must not get caught up in a project he feels passionately about if he knows that it has a slim chance of being successful or profitable. It is not called show business for nothing – it is a business after all, and a business is useless unless it succeeds, or enables a change in its field allowing for later advancement. A play is a unique product much like any other product a person or company is looking to sell. It is a producer’s job to be able to predict whether the product that has come into his possession (by way of one of the four methods mentioned earlier) will be something that audiences are interested in purchasing. Depending on the demographics each theater serves, certain shows will be more or less successful. At Tufts

University, I was convinced a contemporary show would be more successful considering Torn

Ticket II has always seemed more interested in funding them and students seem to enjoy shows with newer music, subject matter, and theatrical styles.

I made a list of shows that I felt passionately about producing, that are well-written, impressive shows, and that I think have a future and a successful life ahead of them. This list included The Hunchback of Notre Dame , Evita , Sweeney Todd , bare , Jekyll & Hyde , Dorian

Grey , and Big . Bringing The Hunchback of Notre Dame to the stage has been a personal goal for a couple of years now. After Disney Theatrical Productions very successfully mounted Beauty

6 and the Beast , The Lion King and Aida , they entered a period where they staged four shows ( On the Record , Tarzan , Mary Poppins and The Little Mermaid ) that were not or have not been received as well during their original runs. 7 This prompted me to consider which components of the original three shows helped in ensuring them long flourishing lives, why the subsequent four have not been as successful, and which of Disney’s existing films would be most suited for the stage.

One of the more renowned producers on Broadway right now is Kevin McCollum, responsible for hits such as Rent , Avenue Q , The Drowsy Chaperone , In the Heights , and the current revival of West Side Story . In conjunction with what Victoria Bailey said about producers being story-tellers, McCollum once said that the story that most audiences relate to is that of a character finding their way “home” – home, being either a tangible or a metaphysical place both requiring a journey of self-discovery to get there. The animated Disney films very successfully adapt their stories to fit that model. With Beauty and the Beast , not only did Disney have the power of the original story of Belle and Beast finding their ways home, but it was also an extremely innovative idea: to put an entirely animated film on stage. Disney was clever about their methods of adapting the animation and magic to the stage, but critics were hesitant about the production. They felt that many aspects of the stage production from the animated film seemed gaudy. Beauty and the Beast also had the disadvantage of being a show whose target audience was made up of families with younger children, and in general, critics dislike shows that are geared towards children. Despite the uneven critical reception, audiences around the

7 When it closed on July 29, 2007, Beauty and the Beast played 5461 performances (a little over thirteen years) making it the sixth longest running show in Broadway history. As of April 13, 2009, The Lion King is the ninth longest running show in Broadway history, having played 4733 performances (eleven and a half years). This number will continue to change, seeing as how the production is still running with no closing date in sight. In approximately a year, it will surpass Rent at 5123 performances. When it closed on September 5, 2004, Aida played 1852 performances (four and a half years) making it the thirty-second longest running show in Broadway history. (Hernandez, “Long Runs on Broadway”)

7 world embraced, and continue to embrace, the show for its compelling story, award-winning music, and ability to transport an audience to a different world. Thus, while the show may not be highly regarded in the theater community because of its apparent lack of artistic merit, based on its pre-existing reputation and innovative idea it was a product people were more than willing to consume.

Disney then astounded the Broadway community with their innovative production of The

Lion King . Again, Disney was beginning the process with a compelling story about finding home (about a lion abandoning his life in order to discover where he truly belongs) and award- winning music, which already had the name draw of a hugely successful feature film. Disney also put together a creative team interested in working abstractly, innovatively, and artistically with the adaptation. Headed by director Julie Taymor, the creative team made the production a theatrical interpretation of the animated film The Lion King rather than Beauty and the Beast ’s visual mimicking of the original film. Every aspect of The Lion King was heavily informed by native African culture and ritual. All of these elements combined into one production not only makes for a wonderful theatrical experience, but is also exactly what critics most respect in theater now. Thus, Disney’s (newly found) and Taymor’s understanding of artistic merit, combined with all of the strengths of the original material, resulted in a “must see” production for tourists, who tend to be more appreciative of spectacle, and the “theater-elite” alike.

Aida had a similar developmental process as The Lion King but it was geared towards an older, more sophisticated audience. The musical was based on an opera by Verdi, rather than a previously conceived animated musical. Disney had been developing the property as an animated film originally, but the project was shelved and later evolved into a musical for the stage. By the time Aida premiered on Broadway, Disney was becoming synonymous with overly

8 marketed and gaudy productions. Unfortunately, this created a hostile environment for Aida . In my opinion, Aida did not do as well as The Lion King because it did not have the same name draw and because it was not perceived to be as artistically innovative as The Lion King ; and while artistic innovation does not necessarily guarantee a show success, because of the existing antagonistic atmosphere, Aida struggled to survive much more than its Disney predecessors.

The four Disney shows that have followed Aida vary in their success. On the Record is a

Disney revue featuring sixty classic Disney songs. In general, revues do not do well on

Broadway which is probably why Disney Theatrical Productions has maintained it as a touring and regional production. However, the production is also not very well known and has not had much success in the five years that the rights have been available. Tarzan , one of my favorite

Disney films, had a good story to tell (a coming home story) and had great music (a pop score by composer Phil Collins). I thought Tarzan would be a hit on Broadway. Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations. Most aspects of the production could not compare to Disney’s previous three shows. It seems Disney was relying too heavily on the strength of the original work and on the name draw. What was missing, however, was the passion and care that all producers talk about as being the strongest driving force behind a production.

Disney’s new Mary Poppins and The Little Mermaid have been doing moderately well, even after being reviewed poorly by most of the key newspapers in New York. In an article recently published in the New York Times , journalist Patrick Healy stated that both shows,

“struggle to fill seats on weeknights,” (“How to Sell a Nanny, a Mermaid, and a Lion,” par. 2).

Mary Poppins just recently entered the Top 100 Longest Running Broadway Shows list and is currently approaching number ninety-five (as of May 7, 2009). I believe, however, that they currently are surviving solely based on their allure as family friendly shows, as well as on their

9 tourist draw – both being flashy productions and generally nostalgic experiences. I found that the plot of Mary Poppins is not a particularly compelling story, or one that needs to be told, and that certain aspects of the production are not particularly well conceived. Since I have not seen the production of The Little Mermaid , I unfortunately cannot speak to my experience and opinion of the production. From my knowledge of the film, the story does fit McCollum’s criteria of being a story the audience wants to hear and can relate to. From what I understand, the faults of the production come from various other places: the nostalgic appeal was negatively impacted by slight changes made in the plot to make it more empowering to girls, the songs that were written for the musical could not live up to the original award-winning score, and a production concept that did not translate the show particularly well and was too similar to the methods used to translate Beauty and the Beast .

After analyzing the patterns of what has seemed to work and not work, for Disney in the past, and looking at the yet to be adapted films, I decided that, of all their films, The Hunchback of Notre Dame would work best on the stage because of the universality of the story, the subject matter, and the music. I have always loved the film and felt that Quasimodo’s unconditional love for Esmeralda and his quests to find out who he is and where he belongs (his journey home) spoke to me on a very personal level. Additionally, I find the film to be beautifully done, and find that it has wide appeal to audiences. Around the time I was considering Hunchback for the stage, I discovered that there was a production of the show running in Berlin to rave reviews.

There was discussion of moving it from Berlin to Broadway, but apparently the production was physically too large to be transplanted into any of the Broadway theaters. After a while, the show was shelved to make way for all of the new works Disney was developing for the Great

White Way.

10 When I decided that in the fall of my senior year I would produce a show on the Tufts campus, I immediately thought of Hunchback . I decided that I would rather aim high, take a risk and strive for something I felt incredibly passionate about rather than settle for something comfortable and easy. I sent an email to Thomas Schumacher, President of Disney Theatrical, explaining my situation and my desire to bring Hunchback to the Boston area. The following week, I received a call from Steve Fickinger, the Vice President at Disney Theatrical. He told me that he was interested in the idea of my working on the Hunchback production at Tufts

University and told me that he was going to be the one representing me to Thomas Schumacher – consequently, he wanted to know more about me, and more about my ideas for the production.

By the end of the conversation, I was elated that Disney was interested in hearing about my ideas for producing Hunchback on the Tufts campus – an American premiere for the show and

Fickinger seemed very excited about the prospect as well. However, he was nervous about production overlap, since the show was workshopping in Seattle before its planned move to

Broadway. Fickinger let me know that he would be meeting with Schumacher later in the week and would call me back afterwards.

When Fickinger called me later that week, I was disappointed but not surprised to hear that Schumacher was not going to license the rights to the script to me. What did not occur to me, was the fact that the script was being workshopped in Seattle meant that it was still a work in progress and was not ready for release. Therefore, the only way to allow me to do the show would be to license me the old version of the script. With a corporation as large as Disney at the heart of this premiere project, it would gain significant media attention opening in Boston at

Tufts University. Schumacher was afraid that if a production were to be mounted with the old version of the script – one which he believed needed revision before being brought to Broadway

11 – the future life of the show may be tainted based upon the media’s and audience’s reception of the old version. Unfortunately, although it meant the deal was off, this made perfect sense to me.

I thanked Disney for their time, and like any good producer persevered, looking for the next story I wanted to tell.

The next show on my list that I was drawn to was bare , a controversial musical developed in the late 1990s addressing the formation of personal identity in teens. Loosely based on the Romeo & Juliet story, bare follows a fragile homosexual relationship in a Catholic High

School setting – with other peripheral self-discovery stories. bare opened first in Los Angeles to rave reviews and sold-out houses, which attracted the attention of New York producers. Michael

David and Dodger Theatricals picked up the show and moved it to Off-Off-Broadway. 8 The production received similarly positive reactions from New York audiences. The entire run sold out, which prompted David to close the Off-Off- run and to book an Off-Broadway theater. 9

Unfortunately, in the transfer of the production, some of the finances for the show fell through, and the run had to be cancelled. Since then, no one had expressed much interest in producing the show.

Coincidentally, two-years later, a musical appeared on Broadway that received critical acclaim and intense audience reaction, mostly positive but some negative as well. I was part of a discussion several years ago about what makes something art, and came to the conclusion for myself that the purpose of art is to move people, despite what sort of reaction is being elicited.

That musical was Spring Awakening and is remarkably similar to bare in both content and music.

For me, however, the shows were opposite ends of the artistic spectrum. I appreciated what

8 Off-Off-Broadway is defined as any theater in New York City with a seating capacity of less than one hundred. (Wright, “Off-Off-Broadway, Way Back When,” par. 1 ) 9 Off-Broadway is defined as any theater in New York City which adheres to union contracts and has a seating capacity between one hundred and four hundred ninety-nine. (“The Off-Broadway League,” par. 3)

12 Spring Awakening was doing artistically, but was not a fan of the production or particularly impressed with the story. It had a three-year run on Broadway, has a national touring production, will be opening in almost fifteen different countries this spring, and is getting a lot of fan based attention in theater communities across the United States.

In spring 2007, in the wake of Spring Awakening , bare suddenly gained a lot of attention because the writers decided to rent studio time and release a two-disc, full recording of the show.

They did this because they knew that the show has a large cult following and could probably capitalize on a recording. When bare was in transition from Off-Off- to Off-Broadway, I became intrigued with it after hearing clips of the music and reading a synopsis. Making the connection between the two shows, I thought that capitalizing on the success of Spring

Awakening by presenting bare would be appropriate and would help draw audience attention to a show that I had always felt a connection to. Additionally, there has been a flurry of activity recently involving gay marriage and guaranteeing gay couples the same rights as heterosexual couples. This concurrence of timing, in addition to Tufts being located in one of the most liberal states, contributed to my passion to present this show to an audience which I suspected might be as interested as I.

I began my mission to bring bare to Tufts by spreading knowledge of the show. I made

CDs with highlights from the show to distribute to friends and colleagues on campus. Soon I had a list of people looking for a copy of the CD I was distributing. Based on the enthusiastic reactions which I had been hoping for, I decided it was time to move forward, hoping to mount a production for fall 2008. Theatrical Rights Worldwide owns the rights for bare , so I contacted them to check the availability of the rights, but also to get a copy of the full script mailed to me.

My next task was to assemble the Creative Team (director, stage manager, musical director,

13 designers, etc.), which happened in two different ways. For a number of the positions, I was contacted by someone who had heard I was considering a production, saying he or she was interested in working on bare . This was ideal for me because it meant that the person was enthusiastic about the production, which I feel is a necessary trait of each team member in a production. For the remaining positions, I contacted people who I felt would be most appropriate based on their talents and interests.

The most difficult position to fill was the director. Once a show is out of the planning stages and execution begins in all of the different creative areas, the producer turns over creative control of the production to the director. Therefore, the director needed to be someone who I trusted with the piece, and who shared my enthusiasm for the story. I contacted five different directors whom I respect at Tufts and spoke with each of them individually, sharing the script, music, and my ideas for the production. I then allowed them to take some time with the script to give it thought. There was one director who stood out above the rest, and I was thrilled when he expressed intense interest in taking on bare .

The only thing that stood between my team and me and a realized production was support

(both financial and otherwise) from Torn Ticket II. Torn Ticket’s proposal process consists of presenting the show to the organization, answering questions, and awaiting approval from the voting members. I put together a brief presentation including a handout, which can be seen in

Appendix A, and I was ready to field both technical and literary questions about the production.

One of my largest mistakes during this time was my naiveté about the acceptance process. I had an enthusiastic and talented creative team, a following of bare fans within the musical theater community, and was proposing the show unopposed. Torn Ticket can only mount one major production per semester and typically has several options from which to choose. Unfortunately,

14 when my show came up for vote, the majority of the voting members did not support bare as the organization’s production that semester.

Despite my immense disappointment and confusion, I knew that this experience would be a good thing for me to learn from, so I asked for feedback to try to understand why my show failed to be accepted by Torn Ticket. As I see it, it was the result of two factors. First, I overlooked the fact that the voting members are ultimately the people with the decision-making control. I was advocating for the show in the wrong circle the entire time – getting a following of theater people was useful for me in gauging how the Tufts community would receive the production, but it did nothing to procure me a spot in the season. Second, I was overly-confident about the production both because of the following I had amassed in addition to the feeling of proposing unopposed. This led to my being too complacent during the presentation and consequently I failed to convince the voting members to support the production.

In that same meeting, the organization moved forward with the procedure to select a production in a situation where there were no options presented. They nominate a director, the director picks a couple of shows he or she is interested in directing, and then the voting members can choose from them. One of the directors with whom I had spoken about directing bare was the director who was nominated. In a meeting he called a couple of days after he was nominated, he asked if I was still interested in producing with him. I told him I could only agree to produce if I felt passionately about the show, so I asked to hear what shows he was considering. To my relief, all of the shows he had chosen were pieces I was interested in working on.

During our meeting we talked about several very important things beginning with a conversation I had had with the executive board of Torn Ticket earlier in the process. I had proposed some changes in the distribution of power between the producer, director, and stage

15 manager positions. Based on my knowledge of the New York commercial theater, it seemed that the model Torn Ticket followed, which primarily made the director the executive in the production process, was inefficient. During a production, the director has enough stress placed on him without the responsibilities that Torn Ticket’s model added. The somewhat minor changes I proposed were to maximize efficiency and decrease unnecessary stress on certain positions in the hierarchy. The director and I discussed this new balance of responsibility, in addition to the idea of moving my bare creative team to the new, yet to be decided, production.

Luckily my entire creative team was willing to stay on board during the transfer to a new production. The following week, Urinetown: the Musical officially became Torn Ticket II’s major fall production.

Assembling the Creative Team

The creative team is the group of people responsible for making any artistic decisions for the show. This group includes, but is not limited to the producer, the director, the writer(s)

(including composer and lyricist if it is a musical), and the designers. Since a creative team can include as many as thirty people or more, a hierarchy was established as the positions developed to organize the decision-making process. This hierarchical structure for the team exactly replicates the organizational structure in start-up and big-business function. Depending on what is decided contractually, either the writer or the producer is at the top of the hierarchy. If the production were to be regarded as a start-up business, the producer would be analogous to the

Chief Executive Officer. Until the rest of the creative team is assembled, this person has full creative control of the project, and even if the writer has creative control, the producer will have logistical control.

16 The director operates like the Chief Operating Officer in a company. He is the first member of the creative team to be hired on a production. The director is a difficult person to hire, because he will be making day-to-day decisions about the creative development of the show without consulting the producer. This means that the producer must have complete faith that the director will make good decisions and will maintain the integrity of the producer’s original vision for the show. While the producer may check up on the members of the creative team from time to time to make sure the production is on track the director is the one responsible for monitoring their progress. The only time the director will consult with the producer is if there is a production altering decision. For example, if a song or a scene is going to be added or removed.

When I had my first meeting with the director for Urinetown , I let him know about the changes I had suggested to Torn Ticket in terms of job descriptions and responsibilities. This primarily consisted of my being responsible for “hiring” the creative team based on my opinions of talent and commitment, giving final approval on any decisions, and working closely with him and the designers on the creative concept for the show. I wanted to make sure that the director would be approaching the show with a concept that complemented the themes and style of the show, strengthening the final product. Then, because of experiences I have had in the past of directors not monitoring the progress of the creative team, I told the director I would like to be part of creative meetings as often as possible to make sure everyone was working towards a common goal. (To read more about the concept for the show see Appendix B)

Below the director, then, each of the designers acts as the head of his department, as it were. For example, the set designer is responsible for the designing and planning of the scenery.

In actuality, however, it is more likely that the set designer will devise an artistic vision and

17 make some simple sketches, but then depending on how large an office he has, he will most like employ separate people to draw the plans, build a model, consult with the scenic shop on construction, among other intermediary steps.

A creative team is typically assembled later on in the process, around the time budgeting for the production takes place. The Torn Ticket II show model, however, mandates an assembled creative team by the time the show is proposed to the organization. The first step in assembling my creative team for bare (which then was transferred to Urinetown ) was to formulate my ideal group. Based on scouting the talent during my three years at Tufts, I created a list of the designers who I thought were talented and with whom I was interested in working. I started by making contact through email to investigate interest and availability. Once my ideal list had been exhausted, based on the recommendation of professors in the Drama Department, I filled any remaining positions. I was extremely invested in the assembling of the creative team for two reasons. First, the creative team is responsible for mounting the tangible production and therefore, much of the success of the show hinges on their work. Secondly, as I mentioned earlier, hiring “creatives” is based on who will best bring to life the artistic vision that the producer has in his head.

Once I had assembled an entire creative team, I turned over all my creative control of the production to the director and other designers (but not the writers since they are not contractually involved with revivals on a small scale). At this point, I had the right to talk to the creative team about their progress, but the only power I had was the power to “fire” a designer based on his or her performance. The director and I organized a series of meetings with the creative team to discuss our concept for the show, including a trip to a comic store in Davis Square to conduct some visual research. This was a nice way to develop the equivalent of a corporate culture,

18 allowing the team to bond personally while working in a fun atmosphere on developing our ideas collectively.

Acquiring the Property

After Urinetown was passed by the voting members of Torn Ticket and I had turned most of the creative control over to the director, I began the process of acquiring the rights. There are two types of contracts that a producer will deal with when dealing with the rights of a show. The first is an option agreement which is used when there is not a pre-existing “First-Class

Production” – a production mounted by a Broadway theater or other larger theater in a larger city that utilizes a certain Actors’ Equity contract (Vogel and Hodges 375). The second is a licensing agreement, which the producer will enter into when he wants to mount a production that has already had a First-Class Production. Both contracts include conditions for doing the production stipulated by the licensors. An optioning agreement typically contains:

1. Warranties of Author or Owner as to Ownership and Originality of Property –

Guarantee that the work belongs to the person optioning it so as to avoid any

copyright lawsuits

2. Author’s Grant of Right – Agreement that the author is selling the rights to the

producer for a specified amount of money, a specified amount of time (usually one

year with extensions at the author’s discretion), and in a specified location (as specific

as possible with out being restrictive – for example, New York City in a Broadway

house).

3. Noncompetition Clause – Guarantee that the author will not license the rights to the

property to any other party

19 4. Payments to the Author – The percentage of gross weekly box office receipts the

author will receive. Ranges from 5% – 10% depending on the number and fame of

author(s).

5. Producer’s Subsidiary Rights – Author agrees to share a percentage of the profits

made from future exploitation of the property; including but not limited to: future

productions, cast albums, and films

6. House Seat Allocation – Agreement to hold a certain number of the best seats in the

theater for the author’s use. Usually two per performance and ten for opening night.

7. Billing Credits – Where the author’s name should appear, and how large it should be.

8. Producer’s Additional Rights – Agreement about producer’s rights to produce

simultaneous productions domestically or abroad, including tours

9. Approval of Directors, Actors and Designers – Author’s right to approve the

production team and cast

10. Duration of Right to Produce Play – Agreement that the producer has the right to

produce the play as long as it is a continuous run (there are no more than two, three,

or four weeks between paid performances)

11. Right to Assign Option – Producer has the right to transfer the option to a limited

liability company which will be formed to produce the play as long as he/she is part

of the company. If the producer is running a show alone, it is similar to sole

proprietorship in a business. An LLC is used to create an entity that separates the

producer and his finances from the finances of the production in case of legal action

(Grippo, 2).

20 12. Script Changes – Author has the right to approve any script changes (Farber,

Producing Theatre , 16 – 30).

A licensing agreement is much more straightforward since the work is already in a fully developed format. This agreement typically includes:

1. Initial Grant of Rights – Grants the producer the right to perform the play

2. Option Periods and Payments – Same idea as in the optioning agreement, though

payments are larger. Also, if the producer wishes to develop the play, he can do that

for an agreed on amount of time in a second-class forum.

3. Advance Payments – Payment to author is an advance against the royalty. If the

production will be making a profit a royalty must be paid to the author as a

percentage of the receipts. The advance will be subtracted from the author’s royalty

(typically: total capitalization less 3%, less 3%)

4. Royalties – Sets royalty percentages

5. Royalty Adjustments – author gets a reduced royalty until the show recoups. Sets

royalty percentages for out-of-town tryouts, previews, and regular performances.

Also will negotiate a lowering of the royalty during slow times of the season.

6. General Payment Provisions – Designates to whom to send payments.

7. General Production Provisions – Author has the right to approval of any changes,

which then become his or her property. Author does not get the right to grant

recreations of the designs without the permission of the designers. This also deals

with author billing, television and radio advertising, and house seats. It also states

that the author must make an attempt to get the original producer billing.

21 8. Definition of “Vested” – A production is vested if it has run a certain amount of time.

Once a production is vested, it gives the producer the right to certain benefits: the

right to produce in “additional territories,” the right to reopen the play, the right to

participate in subsidiary rights, the right to production of commercial products, and a

preferential bargaining position for movie rights.

9. Participation in Subsidiary Rights

10. Commercial-Use Products (Farber, Producing Theatre , 40 – 51).

These are very basic structures for the two contracts. The contracts will vary show-to-show, venue-to-venue, and will be drastically different depending on whether the show is a musical or play.

The license agreement for Urinetown , as seen in Appendix C, was provided by Music

Theatre International (MTI) and included a highly simplified version of the licensing agreement provided for a first-class production, which is what I detailed above. 10 The production contract from MTI is broken down into four sections: the contract, additional material requests, billing credits, and the performance license. The contract itemizes the fees incurred to perform the production. The first fee is the royalty, which is calculated based on a series of “negotiations.”

MTI inquires as to the number of performances that tickets will be sold for, the type of venue

(high school, college, community, regional, equity house, etc.), the seating capacity of the venue, and the ticket price(s). Using those numbers, MTI calculates the expected gross income for the production and then expects a percent of that income paid upfront as a royalty payment. The percentage MTI uses is predetermined by the subsidiary clause in the original first-class production contract. Based on a four-performance run in a college theater, expecting

10 Music Theater International is one of the largest companies that handle the licensing of rights to shows that have had first-class productions, along with Samuel French, Inc., Theatrical Rights Worldwide, and Dramatists Play Services, Inc., among others.

22 approximately one hundred twenty people per performance at a cost of $7 per seat, MTI charged us a $110 royalty per performance.

Additionally, MTI charges a rental fee based on the number of scripts and music books needed for the production. Urinetown has a pretty large cast (18) and a moderate-sized orchestra

(6) which totaled $550 in material rentals. Finally, MTI charges a $400 security fee, which is paid back at the end of the production’s run, in case any materials are lost or not returned.

The billing credits section of the contract addresses various billings and relative sizes of those billings as they must be included in any publicity. The first piece speaks to correct billing and size of credits related to the show: title, writers, and original producers. As seen in number seven of the optioning agreement above, when the original producers negotiate the rights with the writers, one thing that is addressed is billing credits: how their name will appear; on what forms of publicity their name needs to appear; and how large their name will be relative to the title of the show. The contract shows what information needs to be included in any advertising, and how large each piece of information needs to be. For example, Urinetown was produced on

Broadway in September, 2001 by the Araca Group and Dodger Theatricals in association with

TheaterDreams, Inc., and Lauren Mitchell needs to be included in every advertisement at 33% of the title. The second piece speaks to the more straightforward billing for MTI, since they are the rights distributor. Finally, the third piece speaks to distribution rights. It lets the producer know that creating a video recording of the show is strictly prohibited in addition to demanding that a pre-show announcement be made accompanied by a note in the program: The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited .

23 The performance license is the actual written section of the contract, which is broken down into sections addressing the copyright provisions, the performance license and payment provisions, and material rental provisions. The copyright provisions detail:

1. Rights Granted – The producer is licensed the rights to the written material, not to

any of the original production aspects (original choreography, staging, costume

design, etc.).

2. Changing the Play – No changes may be made to any of the written materials.

Additionally, MTI is not obligated to offer royalty participation to any person who the

production may choose to hire.

3. Recording/Reproduction (Audio, Video, Computer Sequencing, etc .) – No mechanical

recording of the show may be made and/or distributed through any medium. This

does not include material recorded for advertising purposes. Audio or visual clips of

the production in an advertisement, however, may not exceed 30 seconds.

4. Program/Poster/Advertising Credits – This is mostly the contractual companion to

what was laid out in the billing credits section. It also addresses that the logo for the

show is copyrighted and must be licensed separately, and that no merchandise may be

created for sale or distribution.

The performances license and payment provisions detail:

1. Changes – If any changes are made to the conditions set forth in the Production

Contract (venue, performance schedule, seating capacity, or ticket price) the producer

must notify MTI immediately.

2. Expiration Date and Cancellation of License – The signed contract and payment in

full must be returned by the deadline or MTI has the right to repeal the license.

24 3. Additional Performances – If the producer decides to add performances, MTI must be

notified, and additional royalties must be paid.

4. Complimentary Tickets – Two complimentary tickets must be reserved to every

performance for use by either MTI or the Copyright Owners.

5. Purchase Orders – Schools and government agencies may submit a purchase order,

accompanied by the security fee, in lieu of the royalty and rental payment. 11

6. Accounting – MTI asks that two copies of the program be sent to their office

following the opening performance and that all financial information be available to

MTI for twelve months following the closing show in case of inquiry.

7. Default – If the production does not meet all of the agreements of the contract, the

license will terminate automatically. If legal action is necessary the production is

responsible for reimbursing MTI for any costs incurred.

8. Warranty

9. Reserved Rights – MTI maintains the sole right to license this production.

10. Transfer of Rights – The producer may not transfer the rights without written consent.

11. Indemnification of Licensor

The materials rental provisions detail:

1. Term – Two month rental term

2. Delivery – MTI will ship the materials two months prior to the opening performance.

3. Additional Rental Time – There is a $400 charge to rent the materials for an extra

month prior to the period.

11 A purchase order is an agreement drawn up by a buyer explaining what is expected of the seller. In the case of a purchase order for MTI, it would include all of the information necessary in calculating the royalty cost. If approved, it is an agreement stating that the buyer will pay for the product or service at a future date – which is why MTI demands the security up front even with the approval of a purchase order.

25 4. Suitability – If materials are damaged or missing the producer must contact MTI

forty-eight hours after receiving it, or will be held liable himself.

5. Shipping Charges – The production is responsible for shipping charges on materials

both ways.

6. Return of Materials – The producer must return all materials by seven days after the

closing performance or will incur late fees. If materials are not returned, the

production will be charged restocking fees.

7. Address for Return of Materials

8. Damage/Loss – MTI will charge the production replacement fees for any lost or

damaged material.

9. Cancellation – If the production does not use certain materials, or cancels the

production, the fees charged will still apply.

10. Permitted Use – The materials may not be used for any other purpose then that stated.

Despite the significant differences there are between the amateur production contract and the professional contract, their intentions are innately the same – to preserve control of the show as a creative entity and as a product to be sold and consumed. 12

Budgeting Your Show

Not surprisingly, budgeting a large-scale production, such as a show in New York City, is far more complex than budgeting a small-scale college production, but the basic idea remains the same. One of the many aspects that make a professional production budget more complex, is the fact that it is more contingent on who comprises the creative team. As I mentioned before,

12 An amateur production is defined as a production that is performed and mounted by only non-unionized (amateur) individuals. A professional production is defined as a production that is performed and mounted by unionized (professional) individuals (Actors’ Equity).

26 typically the producer will have ideas about who he or she would like working on the production.

As Abby Strassler explains, “…you learn the nuances of how much different people cost. For example, working with Susan Stroman means expensive props.”

Another aspect that makes a professional production budget more complex is the fact that it contains two smaller budgets: a production budget, and a weekly operating budget. The production budget itemizes all of the fixed costs up until the first preview. These include, but are not limited to: the physical production (sets, props, costumes, etc.), production fees (salaries for creative team and anyone contracted prior to rehearsals, press agents, casting directors, general management, etc.), rehearsal fees (salaries for people contracted beginning with rehearsals, actors, company managers, dressers, musical director, rehearsal musicians, etc.), rehearsal expenses (scripts, music, auditions, rehearsal space, etc.), advertising and publicity , load-in/pre- opening (theater expenses, teamsters – to move set from shop, load-in crew, etc.), general and administrative (office fees, legal fees, insurance, housing, transportation, etc.), advances (to creative team, usually against their first royalty), and bonds (to all the unions). It also includes a reserve, which is based on the weekly operating budget. The reserve is meant to be a safety net which can maintain the show for three or four months if it is not turning a profit.

The weekly operating budget itemizes the production’s cost week-to-week during performances. This budget includes, but is not limited to: salaries (everyone involved in the production who does not receive a royalty), advertising and publicity , departmentals (fees to maintain the technical side of the production), fixed fees (goes to smaller players of the creative team who do not get a salary or royalty, as an acknowledgment of their contribution to the production – casting, wigs, music arrangements, etc.), general and administrative (new additions

27 – closing costs, costume replacement, cast replacement, guaranteed royalties), and theater expenses (musicians, front of house salaries, stagehands, fixed costs, etc.) (Strassler).

The budget for Urinetown was much easier to handle, though far less predictable. As a recognized student organization, Torn Ticket gets funding through the Student Union at Tufts.

They allow the production to spend as much as the producer feels will be earned back, in addition to a small amount which they do not expect returned. It was extremely hard for me to understand the first couple of times looking over the numbers. To come up with an allowance for the current production, the Student Union collects budgets from the previous year and totals the cost of the production. For example, the Student Union received a copy of the budget from the previous year’s production, Cabaret . The final budget reported that the production cost

$6,650. The Student Union then assumes that the show will make $5,000 in ticket sales (this assumes the show sells 85% of all tickets during the run at the standard $7 per ticket) and $1,000 in parent donations, which will be paid back at the end of the run. Consequently, Urinetown was allowed to spend that $6,000 with the understanding that it would be repaid. This leaves the extra $650 unaccounted for. Since the student union cannot expect the production to make that back, it simply “gives” that to the production (as a donation of sorts). In summation, based on last year’s budget, the Student Union told us we were allowed to spend $6,650 of their money and expected us to pay back $6,000. See Appendix D for an expenditure table and reimbursement paperwork.

Torn Ticket received the budget from the Student Union, and they went ahead and withheld approximately 10% ($650) as a reserve, in case the production ended up over-spending.

When they reported the budget to me, they told me I had $6,000 to allocate fittingly. To my dismay, upon sitting down to devise an itemized budget, I discovered that most of the fixed costs

28 (Theater Rental, Scene Shop Rental, Drama Department Van, etc.) had gone up in price since last year. Unfortunately, this meant that I was going to have to reallocate money from the numbers used last year, leaving the designers with less to spend. I also needed to address the fact that we were removing 55 of the 211 seats from the theater to make way for the set. With this alteration, if we sold every seat (156) in the theater for all four performances at full price ($7), generally an unreasonable expectation, the gross potential would be $4,368. $632 short of what the Student Union expected us to make. This meant that we would also need to make that amount up in parent donations or from some other source. (I will discuss in depth my fundraising processes in the next section labeled “Capitalization”)

As a consequence of the tough economic times, I had considered lowering the ticket price from $7 to $5 to increase incentive for people (particularly students) to attend. The Drama

Department charges students $7 per ticket for the productions that they do, which tend to have the reputation for being higher quality than the student productions. My rationale was that students should not be charged as much to see a student show as they are to see a department show. However as I just mentioned, at $7 per ticket, the gross potential would be $632 less than we needed to reimburse the student union. Lowering the ticket price to $5 would result in a gross potential of $3,120 which is $1,880 short of reimbursement. As much as I wanted to make the show more student friendly, it was an impossibility given the expectation of the student union.

I also considered doing tiered pricing which would serve two purposes. First, in decreasing the price of some tickets audience attendance incentive would increase. Second, by keeping some tickets at a higher price, the gross potential would remain relatively high. After considering several different variations of price tiers I decided that it would not work in favor of the production. If the price was tiered based on when you buy your ticket (a higher price closer

29 to the performance date), I figured this would dissuade students from buying tickets since the vast majority of them wait until the last minute to purchase them anyway. If the price was tiered based on your affiliation with Tufts (i.e., whether you are a member of the Tufts community or not), I figured this would dissuade non-Tufts people from purchasing tickets. Additionally, in my experience, the vast majority of audience members for the student productions are students so financially it would be equivalent to lowering the ticket price all together. After much thought and weighing of options I came back to the regular practice of charging $7 for all tickets.

When I completed the budget (Appendix E), it was very clear that the designers did not have enough money to have significant artistic freedom. Consequently, I put several plans in place to help secure the show some highly necessary extra capital. But until I had an indication that the production would be receiving additional funding, I needed to stay safe and stick to the

$6,000 allowance. After paying the fixed costs, I distributed the remaining budget by scaling down each designer’s budget based on last year’s numbers. I sent out an email that night with the budget breakdown for each of the designers. Included in the email was a warning that the budgets would seem extremely low, and would be increasing as parent donations arrived, and notification that I wanted to meet with the entire team the next day.

I foresaw that the creative team was going to be anxious and up in arms since most of their budgets from the previous year had been cut almost in half. I brought copies of the budget from the Student Union (Appendix F) to the meeting so that I could explain where the designer budget numbers had come from. I then spoke with every designer individually to discuss their financial needs. We discussed two points:

1. How did they feel about their current budget? Did they feel they needed more? Did

they feel they would not need all of it? This helped me gauge if any money could be

30 moved around with the current $6,000 budget. Sure enough, two of the designers felt

they would be able to work with less money because of the demands of the show. I

immediately moved their surplus to the designers who were most in need.

2. What was their ideal budget, realistically? This question, in conjunction with the

previous helped me to figure out where extra money needed to go as it was given to

the production. Assuming it would be given to the production.

I asked each of the designers to keep in contact with me so that I could be as helpful as possible in a financially difficult situation. These conversations paid off eventually, since the production received an extra $1,700 which then got allocated to the appropriate designers resulting in a beautifully designed show (Appendix E’).

Capitalization

After finding a show and creative team, confirming the licensing, and empowering each designer to move forward with their aspect of the concept, I needed to confront one of the most difficult parts of the production process – capitalization. Unlike its use in most contexts, the word capitalization is used in the theater business to name the process of raising capital. As I mentioned earlier, because of the nature of the funding, Torn Ticket II practices sending mailings soliciting donations from the parents of everyone associated with the production. Based on previous shows, the Student Union expected that we would make $1,000 in parent donations.

However, as I also mentioned earlier, with fifty-five seats removed, Urinetown needed to compensate by making an additional $632 in donations. Additionally, raising $1,632 only secured the production a $6,000 budget, which I was already aware of being minimal for full

31 production. The thought of trying to raise a minimum of $1,632 from parents, especially during a financially tough time, was daunting to say the least.

My first goal was figure out how to maximize the amount of money Urinetown could make from parent donations. Past Torn Ticket II producers have used a stock parent letter as the mailing soliciting the donations. As seen in Appendix G, the mailing was short and to the point, addressing the organization’s hope for donations, the titles offered for varying levels of financial support, and a return address to send the donations – complete with fill-in-the-blanks in order to personalize the show and individual. I always felt that despite how concise this letter may be, it was not particularly conducive to obtaining donations, because of its impersonal tone. If I had any hope of raising at least $1,632 for the production, I knew I needed to start by making changes in the approach of one of our most important sources of funding – the families of students.

Every producer has his own way of approaching potential investors. Susan Quint Gallin, producer of Spamalot , tells investors that they should think of it as a mutual fund where you are investing in her and her taste in theater. She believes that if you invest in a person and everything he produces, and ride the ups-and-downs, you will come out ahead in the end (Vogel and Hodges 75). Gallin also reinforces the idea that a producer’s enthusiasm for the production is what will attract investors. Harriet Newman Leve, producer of STOMP , says there are two types of investors that you have to cater to. The first are the philanthropists who are interested in putting money into the production and reaping the perks of being an investor – free posters, show paraphernalia, house seats, invitations to production events such as the opening night party, and the ability to claim responsibility for a portion of a show. The second are the people interested in helping to raise a portion of the capitalization in exchange for greater involvement in the

32 production – attending business meetings, getting billing as an associate producer, etc. (Vogel and Hodges 91). With Urinetown , since we did not want parents involved in the production, I was appealing to their personal/emotional attachment to their children’s activities and interests, as well as their sense of philanthropy in supporting the arts.

Creating and maintaining investor relations is imperative to the success of a producer’s capitalization process. If a producer continually isolates himself from his investors, eventually no one will want to invest in his productions. Producer Steven Baruch maintains relationships with his investors by constantly keeping them in the loop through a continuous stream of letters containing everything from financial information to show gossip. He feels it is very important for there to be trust between the investors and the producer, so he is sure to include all bad reviews in his mailings as well so as not to look like he is sugar-coating the process. Baruch makes sure that all investors get “goodies” from the production including framed posters, cast albums, souvenir books, house seats, jackets, backstage tours, etc. (Vogel and Hodges 184 –

186).

I combined my understanding of good business practice with my theater experience at

Tufts and devised a plan of how to approach and talk to parents, in an attempt to maximize investments. I began by increasing the personalization of the letter (Appendix H). First, I made sure to say a few things in the opening of the letter about the student whose parents would be receiving the letter. I shared what each student associated with the production was bringing in terms of his or her own talent and personality, and expressed our excitement about that. For parents whom I had met before or whose student had been in another production with me, I made sure to draw that connection. Finally, I made sure to check to see if the family I was writing to had donated in the past so that I could acknowledge their previous donation(s). Second, I made

33 sure to sign each letter and to hand-address each envelope. Along with the letter, I made sure to send a pre-addressed and stamped envelope to make the process of donating as simple as possible for the recipients of the letters.

Taking Steven Baruch’s advice, I stated in the letter that within a couple of days an email would be sent out containing supplementary information about the show (Appendix J). I wanted to make sure the coming packet was not lost in possibly flooded email inboxes, so I alerted parents to expect it soon. The packet I developed was based on the layout of a typical packet of information for potential investors of a professional show, which includes information about the production, preliminary design ideas/sketches, the production and weekly operating budgets, bios from the creative team, and most importantly the recoupment schedule. The Urinetown packet was a great way to display my (and our collective) enthusiasm for the production in addition to getting parents excited about the show by providing them with information and visuals. The packet began with an executive summary of the show including not only a brief plot summary, but also a history of the post modern theater which it exemplifies. It also included a couple preliminary costume sketches and a photo of the model of our set design. The centerpiece of the packet, however, was what I imagined would be a key piece of the capitalization process.

For all professional productions, any person who donates to the production gets some sort of benefit. These usually include, free show merchandise, tickets to the opening night party, free entry into the production once it has opened, and of course returns if the production is profitable.

If you donate enough money it also includes a title (i.e. Associate Producer), and the option to participate in creative team meetings. In the mailing, I told parents that donating to Urinetown would ensure their priority seating once ticket sales began in November. I wanted to be able to

34 offer the parents something tangible as an incentive for donating to the production. There was not much I was able to offer parents because of the size of the production. After careful thought,

I decided that anything that would cost the production money (free/discounted tickets, free/discounted DVDs, etc.) was not a financially sound incentive. I spent quite a bit of time looking at the numbers and decided that the number of people who would donate enough to compensate for the losses caused by offering discounted or free items would not make up for the people who would ultimately benefit financially. This may have worked on a production where people are donating $10,000+ at a time, but when most donations range from $25 - $100 it does not.

By placing myself in the position of a parent, and thinking about what I would appreciate in exchange for a donation I finally came up with an answer. On many occasions, my parents have been disappointed in the seats they have gotten for previous shows. I find this is usually because students fail to notify their parents of when tickets go on sale. It seemed fair and appropriate then, that I offer any person who donated to the show, first choice when the tickets go on sale. Thus, in the emailed packet, I let parents know that tickets would be on sale on

November 11 – November 12 only to people who donated to the production, ensuring them the best seats in the theater. Then, on November 13, tickets would go on sale to the public. The response was overwhelming. Within a matter of days I had received the necessary $1,632. Two weeks later, I had received $4,250 in parent donations from thirty-four different families. That was a 66.6% return on the letters mailed out (fifty-one). When compared to prior productions at

Tufts both of these numbers are astronomical.

There was one particular donation, though, that was of huge assistance. The family of

Urinetown ’s technical director (the person responsible for the organization of scenic construction)

35 runs a family foundation. Their son, Justin, must have let them know that Urinetown was struggling financially because they generously donated $1,500. As stated in both the letter and the packet, the tiers of donations are $25, $50, and $100+. Because the Silver Family

Foundation donated such a large amount of money, I wanted to be sure to express the gratitude of the production as clearly as possible. I immediately sent them a letter of thanks that also notified them I wanted to honor them by highlighting their philanthropy in some manner. After getting their permission, and the permissions of their son, I decided to recognize the foundation by granting them an above-the-title associate producing position. As seen on the title page of the program in Appendix K, it reads “Sean Hefferon (line break) in association with The Silver

Family Foundation (line break) present (line break) Urinetown .” This place is typically granted to producers who have had a lot of control of the production, or who have brought a significant amount of money to the production. It only seemed fair that based on their large donation, they be honored with a special recognition as being essential to the conception of the production.

Immediately following the production, I made sure to promptly write The Silver Family

Foundation an official letter of gratitude.

In general, as follow-up to all other donations I was sure to make myself as available as possible to all the parents. I received several phone calls concerning the rules of the priority seating I had guaranteed them, and dealt with many emails addressing a number of different concerns about the production and the donations – there was even one time that because of someone’s handwriting, I was afraid that the check might be deposited for $500 instead of $50, and so contacted the person to let them know to keep an eye on their bank account just in case.

Upon receiving checks in the mail, I immediately emailed the sender to confirm that the check

36 had arrived. Finally, once the entire process was over, I typed personalized thank-you letters to each investor (Appendix L) again, signing each and hand addressing the envelopes.

At the beginning of the capitalization process, before the reality of how effective my efforts in seeking donations would be, I was worried enough about financing the production that

I devised contingency plans. I considered other places where I would be able to go to find additional sources of income. I planned to begin by soliciting donations for Urinetown from various departments and student organizations at Tufts. I needed to choose carefully though since not all of the departments and groups on campus would be interested in giving some of their funding to the show. Since it would be viewed as a sponsorship, I decided to contact those that would sympathize with the objective of the show. For example, this semester, the Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship (EPIIC) program was studying global poverty, an issue which is directly addressed in Urinetown . Since one of the purposes of theater is to communicate messages to audiences, I would make an argument to EPIIC that Urinetown is addressing issues directly related to their studies and would be able to convey those better with a small financial contribution to help us publicize. Additional groups that I was interested in speaking to were the German department ( Urinetown was written in the style of Bertolt Brecht’s shows), the Leonard Carmichael Society (support students doing community service projects), and some of the environmental groups (to support increasing awareness of sustainability).

In my research, I discovered that, years ago Torn Ticket used to put ads from local businesses in their programs. Since then, ads had stopped being used, and programs had become very simple booklets made of Xeroxed printer paper folded together. In addition to expanding the programs, I was interested in reinstating ads to be a second source of additional income.

There are plenty of small business owners around the Tufts campus who would be interested in

37 placing an ad in a program, especially when the focus of 600 people would be solely on that program for at least fifteen minutes.

Once I began to see the amount of money coming in from parent donations, I realized that turning to these alternative methods was not necessary. As I distributed the additional income, the creative team began expressing their complete contentment with their respective budgets. Consequently, any excess money that Urinetown earned would, most likely, not be useful to the production. Also, as the production drew nearer, I felt that my effort would be more fruitful in other places.

Selling Your Show

Once I felt comfortable with the production’s financing, my main job became promoting the production. Advertising and publicity has become increasingly difficult in the theater world as there has been a large shift in the primary sources of daily information. For example, contrary to what was advantageous ten or twenty years ago, advertising on the radio or even in the newspaper only goes so far in this day and age. Far more productive are advertisements on television, on the internet, and now even on cell phones. For a professional, big-budget production, a producer will hire an extremely successful, respected advertising agency and public relations firm to handle the promoting of his production. The producer must have a basic understanding of the target audience for their production, so that he or she can make informed decisions when dealing with the advertising/marketing and publicity firms. The producer must also understand what makes this production different from others. These rules were all the more pertinent for me with Urinetown since I would be spearheading the advertising and publicity campaign.

38 To be safe when constructing the budget, I assumed that the run would sell an average of

75% of the tickets per performance which amounted to a gross of $3,402. Thus, while I was aiming to have a sold out run ($4,368 gross), I knew that I had a little bit of a safety net below me in case I had trouble getting people in the door. To try to reach as many people as possible, I laid the ground work for an elaborate advertising and publicity campaign early on.

The students in the theater program are never the people who need to be reached most.

They are the most loyal and reliable audience and consequently do not need to be flooded with marketing for the show. Members of the neighboring communities, other Boston-area schools, and of the Tufts community outside of drama were the people who needed to be focused on with the marketing.

The first phase of the marketing campaign would have been an attempt to stir up some free publicity for the show two weeks before tickets went on sale, had my idea not been blown. I decided that because the nature of the show is so ridiculous, I would pique student’s interest by putting them in the mindset of the characters in the show. I planned on designing posters modeled after Tufts’ “Attention!” posters, which are usually used to announce recent crime or a temporary power outage among other things, notifying the student body that Tufts would begin charging a very small amount to use the toilets on campus. By posting these fliers on most of the bathroom doors on campus, I was hoping to stir up attention from The Tufts Daily . Then, the following day I planned to cover all of those fliers up with fliers promoting Urinetown . This would, hopefully, then get coverage in the Daily as well.

The idea seems slightly underdeveloped because I never put it into practice. The week before I planned this event, someone on campus did something extremely similar. It leaked out that the big tree on the President’s Lawn was going to be bulldozed for safety reasons and that

39 students would be there that day to attempt an intervention. It got intense coverage in the Daily and considerable student reaction. On the day the tree was to be bulldozed, though, the students who showed up to the Lawn to protect the tree only found it covered in posters promoting an event. It was an amazing hoax, which got the students who staged it a lot of press. I felt that my plan would be dwarfed and seen as a copycat in the wake of those events, so I abandoned that idea. 13

The second phase of my marketing plan was to hang official posters promoting the production the week that tickets went on sale. After seeing a handful of designers produce a couple of theater posters each over the past year, I talked to the one I was most interested in working with and whose style seemed to fit what I was interested in. The director and I met with the poster designer together to talk to him about the concept for the show, what we were interested in seeing on the poster visually, and also technical information that needed to be included. Once all three of us were in agreement, the designer left to begin creating drafts of the poster. Over the next two weeks, the poster was a work in progress and a conversation that kept evolving. The designer would send the latest copy to the director and me, the two of us would discuss our feeling about it, then we would collectively give feedback to the designer on changes/improvements. Finally, we had a poster that both of us were happy with (Appendix M).

Unfortunately, poster revisions took longer than expected, and then the company I hired to print the poster had issues with it, which delayed postering on and around campus two weeks.

Since the posters would be the first sort of publicity any person outside of the Tufts theater community would be seeing, I wanted to make sure that they grabbed people’s attention.

For me, this meant three things. First, the design of the poster needed to be eye-catching and

13 I chose to include this information because clearly the idea was effective; I was simply over-shadowed by someone who executed a similar plan in the same time frame.

40 interesting, which the designer, the director, and I had addressed already. Second, I knew that the posters would need to be strategically placed and that there needed to be enough of them so that Urinetown would be a continuous presence during those days before the performances.

Third, while it was important that the poster be visually attractive to attract people’s attention, I also knew that there needed to be something to bridge the gap between seeing the poster and deciding to go to the performance. Consequently, I decided to handwrite short messages on each poster, based on the location. For example, I put a number of posters on the inside of bathroom stall doors because it provided a captive audience and was entirely appropriate considering the show. On those posters I wrote things such as, “Imagine if you had to pay to use this stall…” hoping to cause intrigue which would result in further interest and, I hoped, ticket sales.

The third phase of the publicity campaign was to use technology as an aide. Using networking websites is a great way to drum up publicity and interest in a show, but it is mostly useful to inform acquaintances of people associated with the production. Two weeks before the production, I created an event on Facebook, invited the entire cast and asked them to invite all of their friends to attend. I did the same. After several days, the event had several hundred people who were invited to attend.

The fourth phase of the publicity campaign was executing an idea which served two purposes. Being a performer originally, I have long been a proponent of an invited dress rehearsal. Having an audience changes the dynamic and energy of the performance entirely, especially with a show like Urinetown that is so reliant on audience interaction. Also, with a run as brief as four performances following a ten-week rehearsal process, it is nice to maximize the time in performance. In addition, for the four years that I have been involved in Tufts’ student

41 theater, there has been discussion of the various drama departments from around the greater

Boston area supporting each other.

I decided there was no better way to accomplish both of these tasks than to give ten free tickets to the dress rehearsal to each drama department. Before making these contacts, I made sure to speak with the director and stage manager, who are solely responsible for the trajectory of the production at that point, to get their permission to have an audience at something that is technically a rehearsal. I was happy to hear that both of them were comfortable enough with the state of the production to allow the public to see it. I wrote a letter to each of the department heads letting them know what we were doing with the production and what my intentions were in contacting them (Appendix N). My immediate hopes for this were that students who came could spread news of the production at their school. My long-term hope was for this to become a tradition that would continue with future performances at Tufts and that the other schools would begin to reciprocate. Despite my attempts, of the ten Boston universities I contacted, only three responded (Boston University, Suffolk University, and MIT) and only three students from

Suffolk were actually in attendance at the dress rehearsal.

The final phase of the advertising and publicity campaign was to get coverage in The

Tufts Daily . Unfortunately, I left this part of the task to the last minute. Ideally, I wanted a reviewer to come and see the dress rehearsal of the show so that an article about the show would be published before it closed. I also had hoped to put an ad in the Daily on opening night just to get some last minute attention. To my chagrin, I had a lot of trouble locating a contact person. I emailed everyone I knew who worked for the Daily , but none of them responded. Trying to deal with the advertising and publicity for the show at the last minute was a very bad idea. When I

42 ran into issues, I had no time to resolve them easily so the production never got any print coverage, which in the long-run probably hurt ticket sales a little bit.

“On with the Show” (Berlin)

The culmination of the entire creative team’s hard work yielded an artistically and financially successful production of Urinetown . Both the director and I were thrilled with the product and how well it reflected our intentions and labors. I thought that the production was a prime example of postmodern theater, as I explained it in the parent donation packet – a perfect blending of emotion, cynicism, authenticity, and satire. It was interesting to observe the audience’s reactions each night of the performances and notice that every night the audience was unsettled by the nature of the show initially, but then gradually warmed up to its absurdity. At the end of each performance, all I heard were compliments in the various conversations I happened to catch pieces of while the audience was leaving the theater.

I was surprised and delighted with ticket sales during the course of the Urinetown run.

According to the ticket report in Appendix O, on opening night, tickets sold well (71.15%).

Based on the audience’s hugely enthusiastic response that night, word must have gotten out because the following three performances were sold out and had people in standing room:

105.77%, 107.69%, and 108.33% respectively. David Schrader, executive vice president of

Disney Theatrical Productions, “often remarks, ‘The No. 1 reason people tell us they pick a show is word of mouth,’” (Cohen). Out of the 624 seats available for sale throughout the entire run, 613 were sold, resulting in a 98.24% attendance. That rate of attendance is atypical for student shows, which usually sell out one or two performances during their run. This can only

43 be attributed to the advertising that had been done, in addition to good word of mouth about the quality of the production.

It is also unusual for a student production to make a significant amount of profit.

Urinetown grossed $3,436 in ticket sales and $4,250 in parent donations, totaling a gross income of $7,686. Based on carefully calculated assumptions and cautious, responsible budgeting

Urinetown ’s net income was $475.29, which goes towards future Torn Ticket II productions or towards purchases to benefit the organization. Despite the apparent success of our production, there were plenty of misunderstandings, miscommunications, and learning experiences that will help improve the execution and reception of future productions.

I learned an enormous amount over the past four years through various media: from readings to lectures, from being told best practices to making discoveries for myself. There is only so much reading and theorizing, however, that a person can do before he needs to put things into practice. After extensively studying producing and practices of producers, I reached a plateau in the education I was going to receive from theoretical experience. Just when I thought

I knew everything I needed to know to produce a show successfully, it was time to begin my work doing just that for Torn Ticket II. Not too far into the process, I began to realize that what my education had done was provide me with a foundation, not fully equip me to produce. Not only that, but I also discovered that producing was not everything that I thought it was.

One of my biggest misunderstandings was the nature of the producer’s role in a production. I was under the impression that producers had much more creative control over a production. When a creative producer begins work on a brand new show, he has a lot of creative control over the direction the show takes, but does not make creative decisions. For example, on

Urinetown , I was allowed to say to the director and creative team that the show makes me think

44 of a comic book and I think that would be a good vehicle to drive the production. It would have been inappropriate for me, however, then to say to the scenic designer, I think that the set should be comprised of suspended rectangles to invoke the image of the borders around each panel in the strip. As I have said a number of times, a producer’s job is to enable the creative team – to give each of them the time, space, funding, and general support (within reason) they need to thrive as artists – not to force decisions on them and effectively squash their creative instinct.

Another thing that I learned, under unfortunate circumstances, is that because of the nature of the position, the producer is an easy target to blame for problems that arise during the production process. From what I observed, there are two primary ways to avoid issues related to this. Number one, keep everyone on the creative team informed of anything important that goes on day-to-day. For example, I had issues dealing with the student union and also with MTI in obtaining the rights. At the time, I thought it would be enough to tell everyone I was taking care of it, there was nothing to be concerned about and that I would let them know when the license had gone through. Increasingly, I got the feeling that this would not be sufficient – that people wanted to hear periodic updates even if all I had to report was, “I am still waiting to hear back from the student union.” It is possible that most of these issues may have been a consequence of the size of the production: because everything is so small scale, the lines dividing each creative team member’s jurisdiction blurs and everyone gets involved in everyone else’s jobs. The second lesson I learned was to set deadlines taking into consideration that in case of a problem, extensions may be necessary. This decreases anxiety for all parties involved and greatly increases the likelihood that the “actual” deadline will be met.

It seems to me that many of the issues I was confronted with during the production of process relate back to a core problem. Coincidentally, I think that this problem was exactly what

45 I have been warned of since the beginning of my education and practical experience. Do not work on a show, or with a team, that you are not 100% invested in. As a consequence of the particular chain of events leading up to the passing of Urinetown , I was cornered into working on a show I was not particularly enthusiastic about and with a team I was not entirely content with – and who were not entirely content with me. The excitement of finding my way through the process of producing was exciting enough to keep my momentum and enthusiasm. On the rare occasion when I ran into difficulties of varying degrees, however, it was very hard to gain the necessary motivation to push through and be assertive. Experiencing this so early on in my producing career was probably the most important thing I got from this experience. I learned an important lesson by making a mistake I never want to repeat. In a different scenario, if I had gotten the rights to The Hunchback of Notre Dame or passed bare through Torn Ticket II, I would have been working on a show I felt enthusiastic about, and therefore would still have only understood the theory of the essential rule of passion.

There is still a lot to be learned and experienced in the producing field. As I look ahead to an ideal career in producing theater in New York City, I am titillated by the idea of working in a situation where there are not so many variables that are small and/or controlled. I am looking forward to working with and exploring the true complexities and nuances of the business. This includes but is not limited to partnering with a general manager, developing a new show, creating a marketing plan with an ad agency, interfacing with investors, and being present to escort Broadway through this difficult time towards a healthy, artistic recovery.

46

Appendix A: bare Proposal Sheet

APPENDIX A

bare Proposal Sheet

47 Appendix A

Book by Damon Intrabartolo and Jon Hartmere Music by Damon Intrabartolo Lyrics by Jon Hartmere

“There comes a time in everyone’s life when they must examine who they are.” - Sarah Monson, The Daily Bruin

Plot Summary: Bare takes place at St. Cecilia’s Roman Catholic boarding school in the mid-90s where we follow five seniors beginning with their return from Christmas break through graduation. The story centers on Peter and Jason who have been roommates since freshman year and have been secretly dating. Peter is reaching the point in his life where he is ready to begin to come out and wants Jason to as well. Jason, however, being the “golden boy”, is not ready to come out, fearing his image will be destroyed. Peter has to decide how to negotiate his own needs with Jason’s. Matt, their best friend, is in love with Ivy, the pretty, popular, and promiscuous girl. Ivy is in love with Jason and is also the roommate of Jason’s unpopular and unattractive twin sister, Nadia. The show follows their senior year, as truths are uncovered and they must deal with the conflict of who they want to be and who they really are.

Cast Break Down (15 or 21: 8 or 11M, 7 or 10F): JASON - handsome golden child of St. Cecilia's senior class PETER - introspective, Jason's clandestine boyfriend IVY - pretty, popular, insecure NADIA - Jason's pudgy, sardonic twin sister MATT - studious, pious, Jason's academic rival LUCAS - The school's fun-loving purveyor of altered reality TANYA - African-American, Lucas's girlfriend KYRA - African-American student, sexy DIANE - Asian student, very naive RORY - student, sarcastic ZACK - student, jock type ALAN - student, nerdy CLAIRE - Peter's mother SISTER CHANTELLE - African-American nun, wise, no-nonsense PRIEST - St. Cecilia's headmaster - Possible six person ensemble (3M, 3F)

48 Appendix A Musical Numbers: Act One Act Two 1. Epiphany (Company) 1. Wedding Bells (Company) 2. You & I (Jason, Peter & Students) 2. In the Hallway (Students) 3. Role of a Lifetime (Peter) 3. Touch My Soul (Ivy & Jason) 4. Auditions (Sister Chantelle & Students) 4. See Me (Peter & Claire) 5. Plain Jane Fat Ass (Nadia & Jason) 5. Warning (Claire) 6. Wonderland (Lucas, Nadia, Ivy, Jason, Peter, Matt & Tanya) 6. Pilgrim’s Hands (Jason & Peter) 7. A Quiet Night at Home (Nadia) 7. God Don’t Make No Trash (Sister Chantelle) 8. Rolling 8. All Grown Up (Ivy) 9. Best Kept Secret (Peter & Jason) 9. Promise (Jason, Ivy, Matt, Peter, Nadia) 10. Confessions (Students & Priest) 10. Once Upon a Time (Jason) 11. Portrait of a Girl (Ivy & Matt) 11. Cross (Priest & Jason) 12. Birthday, Bitch! (Students) 12. Two Households (Sister Chantelle & Students) 13. One Kiss (Ivy & Jason) 13. Bare (Jason & Peter) 14. Are You There? (Peter & Matt) 14. Queen Mab (Jason & Peter) 15. 911! Emergency! (Virgin Mary & Cherubs) 15. A Glooming Peace (Students) 16. Reputation Stain’d (Matt, Jason, Ivy, Nadia, Peter) 16. Absolution (Peter & Priest) 17. Ever After (Peter & Jason) 17 . No Voice (Company) 18. Spring (Nadia) 19. One (Ivy, Jason, Nadia, Matt, Peter)

Production Staff: Sean Hefferon (Producer) - AP: Seussical ; took producing course on campus; will have completed two 3-day producing symposiums in NYC; worked for Jujamcyn theaters; major – Theatrical Management, Production and Performance (drama, entrepreneurial leadership, and economics) Kevin Landis (Director) - Acting: MFA in Acting from Brandeis University, credits at the Colorado Shakespeare festival, The Dorset Theatre Festival, The Theatre at Monmouth, and New Repertory Company. Directing: Credits at Colby College, Brown University, Brandeis University, and Yeshiva University. Directing and dramaturgy training from Oskar Eustis, artistic director of the Public Theatre, script writing for the Double Edge Theatre. Teaching: Acting at Brandeis, Yeshiva and Tufts. Sean Edgecomb (Co-Director/Choreographer) - Fouth year Ph.D. student in the Department of Drama. He trained extensively in the Kristin Linklater Method at Emerson College. He has worked as an assistant director, director, dramaturg, set designer, and actor at university and professional theatres across the country, including: Maine Masque, Emerson Stage, The Belfast Maskers, The Suskind Foundation, and The Boston Ballet. Sam Kindler (Assistant Choreographer/Dance Captain) Mike Pfitzer (Musical Director) – MD for Passion , Last 5 Years ; Pit-Director for The Mystery of Edwin Drood , and Seussical ; Co-MD for Cabaret Molly Clarke (Stage Manager) – SM class; SM for Working ; ASM for Marisol Eduardo Sánchez (Assistant Stage Manager) James Richards (Lighting Designer) - LD I and LD II; LD for: Hot n’ Throbbing and The Insect Play ; and ALD on Company ; To date, no major disasters. Ruthie Neumeier (Costume Design) - CD Comic Potential , ACD Alarm Clock , Co-Costume Teched Seussical, Costume Tech Assistance for Cabaret , currently designing for Directing II, mentoring costumes for Self-Evident Emily Anderson (Costume Tech) Justin Silver (Technical Director) - TD: The Insect Play , The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Batboy . Has worked in the scene shop since his Freshman year Becky Coffey (Assistant Technical Director) Hilary Asare (Props Design) - She procured, crafted, altered and glued lots to provide props for both Much Ado About Nothing and Seussical . She loves to do it, especially in DT, till one in the morning, till her props are as perfect as can be. She wouldn't have it any other way. Kate Naranjo (Hair and Make-Up Design) - Assistant Makeup/Hair design on Seussical . Also, I designed Hair and Makeup throughout all four years of high school. Joshua Wilmoth (Assistant Set Designer/Scenic Charge)

49

Appendix B: Urinetown: The Musical Proposal Sheet APPENDIX B

Urinetown: The Musical Proposal Sheet

50 Appendix B

51

Appendix C:APPENDIX MTI License C Agreement

MTI License Agreement

52 Appendix C

53 Appendix C

14

14 Page 2 is absent because it is an exact replica of Page 3 that the Tufts Financial Office kept on file.

54 Appendix C

55 Appendix C

56 Appendix C

57 Appendix C

58 Appendix C

59 Appendix C

60 Appendix C

61

Appendix D: Production ExpendituresAPPENDIX & DReimbursement Paperwork

Production Expenditures & Reimbursement Paperwork

62 Appendix D

Departmental Expenditures

Department Description Amount Total Spent Budget Net Scenic Steel purchase from Turner 298 Lumber purchase from Lowe's 260.65

Drafting copies at Kinko's 14.45 Lumber purchase from Lowe's 40.26 Lumber purchase from Lowe's 162.44 Lumber purchase from Lowe's 188.2 Lowe's Muslin 131.64 Glass Table 75 Total 1170.64 1000 -170.64

Lighting TRIPP LITE Cable 44.33 Gels/Gobos 63.7 Projector Rental 100 Total 208.03 300 91.97

Costumes Rentals 137 Lost brown camisole 15 Lavender crinoline 25

Macy's Purchases - 11.11 39.99 Hollister Purchases - 11.11 108.5 Delia's Purchases - 11.11 69.99 Gap Purchases - 11.11 93.5 Nordstrom Purchases - 11.11 77.6 Sew Fisticated Purchases - 11.18 66.74 Garment District Purchases - 11.30 149 Gap Purchases - 11.19 65.46 Urban Outfitters Purchases - 11.19 39.97 Urban Outfitters Purchases - 11.19 (2) 163.98 Walmart Purchases - 11.27 120.64 Total 1172.37 1500 327.63

63 Appendix D

Hair/Make-Up 3 shadow, 2 liner, 1 lip first trial 21.94 Dirt 32.95 CVS 32.91 CVS 10.81 CVS 13.55 CVS 10.46 Total 122.62 150 27.38

Sound Batteries 94.48 Batteries 65.92 Home Depot - wire and zip ties 16.48 Condoms & Bandaids 7.64 Total 184.52 100 -84.52

Props Clipboards 4.19 Flashlights 62.47 Batteries 24 Handcuffs 20.6 Fake Money 55.98 Ledger 29.99 Quill 14.9 Trashbags/Spraypaint 17.97 Total 230.1 300 69.9

Production Stamps for first mailing 35.28 Sharpies 2.9 Sharpies 12.47 Masking Tape 8.45 Posters & Programs 820 Envelopes for second mailing 5.21

Total 884.31 800 -84.31

Production Fees Arena Use 470 470 Royalty 440 440 Security 400 400 Rentals 550 550 Scene Shop 500 500 Van 200 200 Paint 150 150 Costume Shop 200 200 Costume Shop Support 75 75 Dry-Cleaning 70 70 Shipping and Handling 143.12 143.12

64 Appendix D

Total Spent Budget Net Total 7170.71 7348.12 177.41

65 Appendix D

66 Appendix D

67 Appendix D

68

Appendix E & E’: BudgetsAPPENDIX Throughout E & theE’ Production Process

Budgets Throughout the Production Process

69 Appendix E

Various Budgets During the Process

Department Ideal Budget Treasurer's Estimate Initial Budget Rights + Rentals 1500 1700 1500 Arena Fees 550 550 660 Programs 330 200 Postal Fees 50 0 Scene Shop Rental 500 500 500 Van 200 150 200 Posters 300 200 Daily Ad 70 Costumes 2000 1000 950 Costume Shop 200 200 Dry-Cleaning 150 150 Set 1300 1250 850 Paint 150 Props 250 200 Hair/Make-Up 50 Lighting 200 400 100 Sound 100 100

Total N/A 6650 6010

70 Appendix E’

Final Production Budget

Production Fees Arena Use 470 Royalty 440 Security 400 Rentals 550 Scene Shop 500 Van 200 Paint 150 Costume Shop 275 Dry-Cleaning 70 Shipping and Handling 143 Total 3198

Money Left for Designers Set 1000 Costumes 1500 Lighting 300 Sound 100 Hair/Make-Up 150 Props 300 Production 800 Total 4150

Total Budget/ 7348 Expected Income

71

Appendix F: TuftsAPPENDIX Community Union F (TCU) Budget

Tufts Community Union (TCU) Budget

72 Appendix F

73

Appendix G: OriginalAPPENDIX Parent Donation G Letter Template

Original Parent Donation Letter Template

74 Appendix G

Torn Ticket II Balch Arena Theater Box Office Tufts University Medford, MA 02155 DATE

Dear Mr. and Mrs. NAME ,

I am producing Tufts University’s only Musical Theatre Group, Torn Ticket II’s SEMESTER major production, SHOW NAME , by WRITERS . As I am sure you know by now, STUDENT NAME is the POSITION of our production. I am writing to ask you for donations to this great show. We have an amazingly talented cast and pit orchestra, and a production staff who have come up with many incredible designs, but only with your help can these designs come to fruition.

Contributing to this show is a great way to show STUDENT NAME your support . This year, we are offering three levels of financial involvement with the show. A gift of $25 names you to the Producer’s Circle, a gift of $50 entitles you to a spot in the Director’s Circle, and a gift of $100 or more designates you a Friend of the Theater. Donations must be received by DEADLINE , and can be sent to the address below. Checks should be made payable to “Trustees of Tufts College”. If you are sending a donation, please e-mail EMAIL so I can anticipate your check and send you e-mail confirmation when it arrives. If you choose to give to the show, please investigate whether your place of business has matching funds for donations, as we are a non-profit organization (tax code 501.3c). No matter what you choose to contribute, we hope to see you on SHOW DATES at the Balch Arena Theater at one of the performances. We thank you in advance for your help with our production and your patronage of the show.

Thank you once again, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

NAME Torn Ticket II Producer, SHOW Balch Arena Theater Box Office EMAIL Aidekman Arts Center PHONE NUMBER Tufts University Medford, MA 02155

75

Appendix H: New ParentAPPENDIX Donation HLetter Sample

New Parent Donation Letter Sample

76 Appendix H

Torn Ticket II Balch Arena Theater Box Office Tufts University Medford, MA 02155 September 27, 2008

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Berliner,

I am producing Tufts University’s Musical Theatre Group, Torn Ticket II’s fall major production, Urinetown: The Musical , by Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann. As I am sure you know, Carolyn is playing Penelope Pennywise in our production. I’m thrilled to be working with her again after Seussical in the spring especially, having seen how much she progressed as a performer in CAP this summer (being a CAP alumnus myself). I am writing to ask you for donations to this great show. We have an amazingly talented cast, pit orchestra, and a production staff who have come up with many incredible designs, but only with your help can these designs come to fruition. You will receive an email from me in the next day or two with more details and photos of our production.

We really appreciated your donation to Seussical last semester. This year, we are offering three levels of financial involvement with the show. A gift of $25 names you to the Producer’s Circle, a gift of $50 entitles you to a spot in the Director’s Circle, and a gift of $100 or more designates you a Friend of the Theater. Donations should be received by October 11th , and can be sent to the address below. Checks should be made payable to “Trustees of Tufts College”. If you are sending a donation, please e-mail me at [email protected] so I can anticipate your check and send you e-mail confirmation when it arrives. If you choose to give to the show, please investigate whether your place of business has matching funds for donations, as we are a non-profit organization (tax code 501.3c). Additionally, donating to Urinetown will ensure you priority seating once ticket sales open up in November – there will be more information pertaining to this in the email you will receive. No matter what you choose to contribute, we hope to see you on December 4 th , 5 th or 6 th at the Balch Arena Theater for one of the performances. We thank you in advance for your help with our production and your patronage to the arts.

Thank you once again, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Sean Hefferon Torn Ticket II Producer, Urinetown: The Musical Balch Arena Theater Box Office [email protected] Aidekman Arts Center 914-980-3366 Tufts University Medford, MA 02155

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AppendixAPPENDIX J: Parent Email J Packet

Parent Email Packet

78 Appendix J

by Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann

Directed by Adam Dworkin Stage Managed by Molly Clarke Musically Directed by Mike Pfitzer and Caitlin Felsman

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Urinetown: The musical Executive Summary

“A sensational piece of performance art, one that acknowledges theater tradition and pushes it forward as well.” - BRUCE WEBER, The New York Times

Just as the fine arts pass through different stylistic periods – Baroque, Romanticism, Impressionism, Cubism, Surrealism, etc. – so do the dramatic arts. It is a fascinating study to look at how theater styles have evolved coinciding with the evolution of American pop-culture. Within the past decade, musical theater has shifted to take on a more post-modern structure. Many theater scholars consider Urinetown to be the first of the successful post-modern musicals and the one that opened the flood gates for Broadway hits such as Monty Python’s Spamalot , and The Producers .

“Of course you’re not supposed to like that title – that’s part of the big, good-natured, and remarkably successful joke that is Urinetown . A terrifically spirited sendup of musicals and their conventions.” -NANCY FRANKLIN, The New Yorker

Modernist musicals are best classified by the canon of Rodgers & Hammerstein, such as The Sound of Music , Oklahoma! , and The King and I – musicals that are primarily based in “realism.” The postmodern show rejects the rules of modernism, focusing on self-awareness and authenticity (think The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Reno 911, or the films done by Christopher Guest such as Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman, and A Mighty Wind ) – the shows comment on themselves and their audiences, breaking ground in a land of strange new honesty about the artificiality of storytelling. The audience’s attention is immediately drawn to this at the opening of the show when Officer Lockstock welcomes everyone to Urinetown – not the place, but the musical.

These methods are part of Bertolt Brecht’s “Verfremdungseffekt (Alienation Effect).” Brecht was an incredibly influential German playwright and director of the 20 th century. One of his primary theories on theater was to alienate the audience from the action on stage, allowing them to watch and interpret play intellectually instead of getting lost in empathy. As you can see, here is a musical, not about a masked ghost in a Paris opera house or an ensemble of chorus dancers, but about a young man senselessly struck down in the middle of his life and unapologetically killed just as he was about to get the girl and save the day – in other words, a death like those in life.

“A wild and happy mix of biting satire and loving parody.” -CLIVE BARNES, New York Post

Urinetown is a tale of greed, corruption, love, and revolution in a time when water is worth its weight in gold. In a Gotham-like city, a terrible water shortage, caused by a 20-year drought, has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens must use public amenities, regulated by a single company that profits by charging admission for one

80 Appendix J of humanity’s most basic needs. Amid the people, a hero decides he’s had enough, and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom. Unlike "conventional" musicals, in Urinetown extreme emotionalism always gives way to cynicism. Every time a romantic metaphor comes up, it is immediately diffused by unexpected literalism. Even the resolution of the plot undermines the idealism with the tragedy of cold hard reality.

“One of the more original musicals to come along in a long time. The brilliant songs develop the story of corporate oppression and popular revolt and comment on the play itself, in hilariously sardonic homages to the Brecht-Weill canon, upbeat swing numbers and rousing spirituals.” -ROBERT HURWITT, San Francisco Chronicle

Set in a Gotham City-like environment, with the influences of Marvel and DC Comics, Urinetown will represent the political cartoon you would find in a publication such as The New Yorker . An editorial comic serves as the perfect vehicle for such a musical – filled with social and political significance. Influences of the style will be portrayed in all aspects of the design, including lighting, costumes and set.

81 Appendix J

Bobby Strong Sketch

Urinetown Directed by Adam Dworkin Costume Design by Ruthie Neumeier

Penelope “Penny” Pennywise Sketch

82 Appendix J

Urinetown: The musical Financial Information

Thank you to everyone who donated any amount of money to Urinetown , it is much appreciated by everyone associated with the production. If you would still like to donate, it is not too late. The senate extended the deadline for turning in checks to help fund student groups. In case you do not have the information anymore, here is a blurb from the letter I mailed three weeks ago:

“This year, we are offering three levels of financial involvement with the show. A gift of $25 names you to the Producer’s Circle, a gift of $50 entitles you to a spot in the Director’s Circle, and a gift of $100 or more designates you a Friend of the Theater. Checks should be made payable to “Trustees of Tufts College”. If you are sending a donation, please e-mail me at [email protected] so I can anticipate your check and send you e-mail confirmation when it arrives. If you choose to give to the show, please investigate whether your place of business has matching funds for donations, as we are a non-profit organization (tax code 501.3c). The mailing address is: Torn Ticket II Balch Arena Theater Box Office Aidekman Arts Center Tufts University Medford, MA 02155 ”

Additionally, I made vague allusions to priority seating for donators, adding that I would provide information at a later date: I asked the Balch Arena Theater Box Office to open up ticket sales to the donators two days earlier than sales will be opened to the public, ensuring the best seating for anyone who helped financially support the production. Ticket sales will be open to donators on Monday November 10 th – Tuesday November 11 th . Please note that the seating will be done on a first come first serve basis when the sales open up on Monday morning. Tickets will then open to the public on Wednesday November 12 th . (The box office is open from nine in the morning until five in the evening.)

Please let me know, before Monday the 10 th , how many tickets you will be purchasing for each of the performances you plan on attending or I can not guarantee that the seating will be available. If you are not able to make any of the Urinetown performances, please let me know that as well.

The procedure for purchasing tickets will be as follows: Anytime during office hours on Monday or Tuesday, any donator can call the box office at 617-627-3493. The box office does not hold tickets, so all purchases will be made by credit card over the phone and they will hold your tickets for pick up on the day of the performance. When you call, feel free to make any specific requests as to your seating, though some tickets may be sold already depending on when you call on Monday or Tuesday (I have included a diagram of the theater for those of you who are unfamiliar). If you do not have any specific requests, I will have instructed the staff to give you prime seating in the house – sections one and five in the diagram. I am going to leave the Balch Arena Theater Box Office staff a list of everyone who donated to the production – if there are any issues with the purchase please do not hesitate to contact me either through email, or on my cell phone (914-980-3366) and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

83 Appendix J

Urinetown Directed by Adam Dworkin Set Design by Andrew Tung

White Model Number One

84 Appendix J

Section numbers in green Row letters in red An example of the seat numbering is colored purple

**To reiterate, I will not be able to hold specific seats as of now. That is something you can discuss with the Box Office staff when you call, if you so choose.**

SCENERY E

1 A 2 STAGE 2 4 2 1 A

1 E A3 1 5 2 2 1 A3 F

F

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AppendixAPPENDIX K: Program K

Program

86 Appendix K

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“Well, Back to the Old Drawing Board.”

When Harold Ross founded The New Yorker in 1925, he aimed to create a sophisticated humor magazine that was a reflection, in word and picture, of metropolitan life. Recognized for its commentaries, criticisms and essays on contemporary living, Ross envisioned that the graphic comics in The New Yorker would share equal importance with the printed text. Often satirical reflections of the popular landscape, the comics in The New Yorker have a particular point of view that offer stinging social commentaries about the world around us. The nature of satire permits them to exaggerate what we expect to be true, removing the notion of logical limitations. The illogical is accepted as true, and accepted in full confidence. Put another way: anything can happen in a comic.

Urinetown latches onto this idea with its ridiculous urination restrictions. Set in a world where a water shortage has plagued the land for twenty years, private toilets are a thing of the past. Public amenities that charge a fee to pee are the status quo, and no one is exempt of the law. This absurd notion is all the characters in Urinetown have ever known, and their unfolding tale ultimately offers a stinging social commentary of the world we live in today.

An homage to the Great American Musical, Urinetown pays tribute to legends like Les Miserables, Fiddler on the Roof, Annie, Chicago, Evita, West Side Story, and The Three Penny Opera, all the while satirizing its own significance as a musical. Try to see what references you can find – you’re sure to catch many of them! And try to imagine what the one-line caption would say about Urinetown if you were to open next week’s The New Yorker to find a cartoon about the show. I’m confident Harold Ross would have wanted it published.

- Adam Dworkin, 2008

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THE BALCH ARENA THEATRE A TUFTS UNIVERSITY DRAMA DEPARTMENT AND TORN TICKET II THEATRE

Sean Hefferon in association with The Silver Family Foundation

present Urinetown The Musical

Book and Lyrics by Music and Lyrics by Greg Kotis Mark Hollmann

Costume Design Scenic/Projection Design Lighting Design Ruthie Neumeier Andrew Tung James Richards

Props Design Hair and Make-Up Design Sound Design Jeff Ryder Tali Cornblath Brady Pierce Kate Naranjo

Stage Manager Costume Technician Technical Director Molly Clarke Emily Anderson Justin Silver

Music Direction & Pit Conductor Music Direction & Vocal Coach Mike Pfitzer Caitlin Felsman

Choreography Alyza DelPan-Monley Directed by Adam Dworkin

Urinetown was produced on Broadway in September, 2001 by the Araca Group and Dodger Theatricals in association with TheaterDreams, Inc. and Lauren Mitchell “Urinetown the Musical” is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI, 421 West 54 th Street, New York, NY 10019

89 Appendix K

CAST

Officer Lockstock ...... MATTHEW GURREN Little Sally ...... MICHELLE WILSON Bobby Strong ...... JARED TRUDEAU Hope Cladwell ...... CASSIE WALLACE Caldwell Cladwell ...... BRETT FISCHER Penelope Pennywise ...... CAROLYN BERLINER Officer Barrel ...... MAAYAN SIMCKES Senator Fipp ...... DOUG COHEN Mr. McQueen ...... CRAIG FLASTER Joseph “Old Man” Strong ...... KYLE CHERRY Josephine “Ma” Strong ...... STEPHANIE KREUTZ Hot Blades Harry ...... MARCOS SASTRE III Little Becky Two-Shoes ...... ANSLEY FONES Tiny Tom ...... JARROD SHAW Robbie The Stockfish ...... ALEXA CHRYSSOS Soupy Sue ...... EMMA SHAKARSHY Mrs. Millenium ...... MADDIE GARBER Dr. Billeaux ...... LILY BERTHOLD-BOND

SWINGS DOUG COHEN, MADDIE GARBER

URINETOWN THE MUSICAL ORCHESTRA Conductor: Mike Pfitzer Assistant Conductor: Christopher Snyder Keyboard: Stephie Coplan Bass: Todd Rizley Drums/Percussion: Ian Henchy Alto Saxophone/Clarinet/Bass Clarinet: Derek Miller Euphonium/Trombone: Casey Fein

Please silence all electronic devices such as cellular phones, beepers and watches.

The use of any recording device, either audio or video is strictly prohibited.

90 Appendix K

WHO’S WHO IN THE CAST CAROLYN BERLINER ( Penelope and Les Mis . Major thanks to the Pennywise ) is a sophomore Drama amazing cast and cre w for putting up major, English minor. She has with her habits of tripping over previously been in two Torn Ticket II everything in front of her and majors: Cabaret and Seussical , in consuming anything with the words addition to playing the Sorceress in "energy" or "guarana" on it, and for the Opera Ensemble’s Dido and their hard work, dedication, support, Aene as (apparently she likes playing and friendship. characters in positions of power). DOUG COHEN ( Senator Fipp ) is This February, she will be playing pumped to be performi ng in the Arena Mrs. Gibbs in Opera Ensemble’s Our for the fourth time! A sophomore Town . Many thanks to her family and majoring in biology, Doug has played friends for all of their love and support quite the array of interesting roles at and to the incredible cast and p-staff Tufts, including a prostitute-turned - for making her life wonderful. Nazi in Cabaret , a troubled teen in LILY BERTHOLD-BOND ( Dr. Dog Sees God , a Spanish worker in Billeaux ) is a sophomore potentially Working , and a horny twelve-year-old majoring in English and Music. in The 25th Annual Balch Arena Though she loved playing clarinet in Spelling Bee . Thanks to the cast and the pit band for Cabaret and 25 th p-staff for an awesome experience, Annual Balch Arena Spelling Bee , she and enjoy the show! is quite excited to be transferring her BRETT FISCHER ( Caldwell love for musicals to the stage in this Cladwell ) is super-excited to be in splendid satire. Much love and thanks Urinetown and to be playing his first to the spectacular cast and crew, and antagonist! This is Brett’s sixth to all of her friends and family! musical at Tufts, and fourth in the KYLE CHERRY ( Joseph “Old arena. You may remember him as Man” Strong ) is a freshman this year having most recently played “Mr. and is proud to say that Urinetown is Mayor” in Seussical and “Hans” in his first show at Tufts. In high school Cabaret . You may also remember Kyle did nothing but act and therefore Brett from last year’s “Not the Disney he’s been in several uninteresting Version Cabaret.” Brett sends out a plays and doesn’t care to list them. huge thanks to his family, friends, There really isn’t much to be said cast, p-staff, and Mhb. Enjoy the about Kyle Cherry—he comes from show! the land of raisins and sunburns CRAIG FLASTER ( Mr. McQueen ) (California) and is looking forward to recently transferred from Columbia a white winter. University and is thrilled to be ALEXA CHRYSSOS ( Robbie the participating in his first show at Tufts Stockfish ) is excited to be performing University. After a year of no in her first show at Tufts. Past shows performanc es since high school, include The Laramie Project , Tommy , where he played Nicely -Nicely in

91 Appendix K

WHO’S WHO IN THE CAST Grease and the Baker in Into the This is her first show with Torn Woods , he cannot wait to get back Ticket, but she has also performed onstage. He would like to thank his with Opera Ensemble, Major parents and sister, and hopes everyone Undecide d, and Burlesque Troupe. in the show breaks a leg (figuratively, Thanks to everyone involved in of course). Urinetown , and I hope you enjoy the ANSLEY FONES ( Little Becky Two show! Shoes ) is super pumped to be involved MARCOS SASTRE III ( Hot Blades in her seventh show at Tufts. Last Harry ) is a sophomore majoring in semester, she could be spotted on Cognitive and Brain Psychology who various stages around campus as is thrilled to be in his first Torn Ticket "Babe" in Working and "Marcy" in II production a t Tufts. His first venture Dog Sees God. Ansley is a senior, but in the arena was in the Directing II she doesn't like to talk about it. She One Acts as “Luke” in The Chalky would like to dedicate her White Substance . He sang in Dido and performance to her family, 45 Mason, Aeneas last year and is currently and, as always, her late fish, Sushi. rehearsing the role of “Simon MADELINE GARBER ( Mrs. Stimson” in the Tufts Opera Millenium ) is a junior hailing from production of Our Town . Many t hanks Montclair, New Jersey and majoring to a wonderful cast and Pstaff! Enjoy in English. Although this is her first the show. show at Tufts, she has been singing in EMMA SHAKARSHY ( Soupy Sue ) the shower and on stage since she was is a freshman and Urinetown is her young and is very excited to make her first show at Tufts. Emma is also the debut in the Arena with Urinetown . shortest person in the show. Emma Interested in journalism, cooking, and enjoys puns, footsie pajamas, and has fashion, Maddie also loves to spend an unhealthy obsession with th e time with the lovely girls of 54 Curtis Divine Miss M, Bette Midler. Emma Avenue as well as her parents, would like to thank her family, her younger brother, and two yellow wonderful roommate Alyssa, and of Labradors. course the cast and crew of MATT GURREN ( Officer Lockstock ) Urinetown , a group that has truly is a freshman who is thrilled to be made it a privilege to pee. making his Torn Ticket debut! He JARROD SHAW ( Tiny Tom ) is a wants to thank everyone for their help sophomore who is absolutely thr illed and support and hopes to continue to be participating in his second Torn working in Tufts Theater productions. Ticket II production. He could be seen T4 REPRESENT! last semester as Vlad Vladikoff in STEPHANIE KREUTZ ( Josephine Seussical . He would like to thank the “Ma” Strong ) is a senior majoring in cast and crew for making this English and music, and she is very experience that much more amazing excited to be a part of Urinetown ! and his friends and family for thei r

92 Appendix K

WHO’S WHO IN THE CAST constant love and support. This one to thank her family and friends for all goes out to all the short people of the their support throughout the years. world! She's sorry she has to say the word MAAYAN SIMCKES ( Officer "hope" a million times in the show - Barrel ) is a sophomore majoring in she figures you'll get the joke after the Community Health and ? . Last year first time. she performed in Seussical and is MICHELLE WILSON ( Little Sally ) crazy excited to be in Urinetown ! is very excited to be in her first show Thanks to the incredible, all-star pee- at Tufts. Michelle is a freshman from staff and to the outrageously talented New Jersey who has previously cast for being so much fun. Super appeared in productions of Pippin, special thanks to her other half, Little Women: the Musical , The Lockstock. You stir that Brighton Beach Memoirs , and Once cauldron…Bette Midler style! Thanks Upon a Mattress among others. She is to her friends, suite-mates, family and so happy to have found a fantastic everyone who tolerated her insanity new theater family at Tufts and to be during the past few months. Enjoy the playing a character for which her show! voice is so uniquely suited. JARED TRUDEAU ( Bobby ) is a EMILY ANDERSON ( Costume sophomore double majoring in Technician ) is a sophomore double biopsychology and music. Urinetown majoring in art history and marks his performing debut with Torn archaeology. One day she hopes to be Ticket II, but he was the assistant just like Indiana Jones but in the mean musical director for Working last year. time she loves making costumes for He also performed in Dido and Tufts theater. Emily especially enjoys Aeneas and will be seen in Our Town ascots, sparkles, petticoats, and spats. next semester. He has performed in Thanks so much to Susanna and all over three dozen shows and is very the amazing and talented women of excited to be a part of this amazing the costume shop for making this performance. “Enjoy the show!” show possible! CASSIE WALLACE ( Hope MOLLY CLARKE ( Stage Manager ) Cladwell ) is so excited to give the is an idealistic sophomore IR major, audience Hope! This is her fifth Torn trying to resist the temptations of the Ticket II production, after star turns in drama department. She's h aving a The Mystery of Edwin Drood , Batboy , lovely time serving on the 3P's Songs from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels , Executive Board as Media Archivist, and most recently Cabaret . Cassie and eventually looks forward to also choreographed Songs from leaving her e-mail unchecked for more Spelling Bee , and dances with the than 7 minutes at a time. She misses lovely ladies of Sarabande. A senior her SM Mommy (abroad) and (Oh Nine!) and a Math major Grandmother (graduated), and hopes (L'Hopital's Rule!), Cassie would like she has made them proud. Thanks to

93 Appendix K

WHO’S WHO IN THE CAST our fantastic cast, oversized p-staff Tufts include The Wild Party, HAIR!, (more to love), and Adam, Mike, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and Caitlin (y’all are sloppy…) for Company. Many thanks to the cast making this such an easy job for her. and crew for all the blood and sweat . TALI CORNBLATH ( Co-Hair and Love to 156! No, vote yes! Mom, Make -Up Designer ) is thrilled to be Dad, Chloe: Thank you for twenty-two painting faces again! She's usually years of unfaltering love and support – seen onstage, most rarely as a human this is for you. female. Other shows at Tufts include CAITLIN FELSMAN ( Co-Music Seussical the Musical, 25 th Annual Director ) is a senior double majoring Balch Arena Spelling Bee, and most in music and anthropology. Hailing recently Madwoman of Chaillot. Co- from Harare, Zimbabwe, sh e has been lifeing with Kate on this production the proud 'token African' in many was fantastic, and she wants to thank productions at Tufts including Passion everyone involved for be stupendous! (Fosca's Mother), Spelling Bee (Rona ALYZA DELPAN-MONLEY Peretti) and Dido and Aeneas (Dido). (Choreographer ) is a sophomore Caitlin is currently in the process of here at the good ol’ Jumbo auditioning for graduate schools to motherland. This is her second pursue a masters in vo cal performance. show here at Tufts and she has had She would like to thank the cast for all their dedicated hard work (and trusting such a blast as the show’s her wacky warmups)! Much love and choreographer. She wants to thank thanks to the Brooksby farm in her suitemates for putting up with Peabody, the one-and-only Emily B listening to Urinetown on repeat Rosen, the largest (and most efficient) every evening, and thanks them pstaff to ever ru le the arena and Adam for their support. And thanks to an for making this wonderful experience amazing cast! “Dancing doesn’t possible. And finally much love to always make you do nasties, look at Michael for so very many things. the book of Ecclesiastes.”-Footloose KATE NARANJO ( Co-Hair and ADAM DWORKIN ( Director ) is a Make-Up Designer ) is a sophomore senior majoring in drama from Los double majoring (for now) in Peace Angeles. Directing credits at Tufts and Justice Studies and Psychology . include Working and The Chalky This is the second Torn Ticket II show White Substance. This past summer for which she’s designed makeup; the he was an Acting Apprentice at the first was Seussical last semester. She Williamstown Theatre Festival where enjoys pretty much every aspect of he directed First Reunion and What theater and had lots of fun playing Happens In Vegas . Last year, he with colored dirt and Tali. She’d like studied acting at the British American to thank everyone who made this show Drama Academy in happen and everyone from the biggest London. Memorable performances at P-staff ever! Enjoy the show!

94 Appendix K

WHO’S WHO IN THE CAST RUTHIE NEUMEIER (Costume would like to say that it has been a Desig n) is a sophomore majoring in pleasure to work with an excellent Drama and…something else, but she production staff, and to be so well hasn't quite figured that out yet. This assisted. He would also like to point is the 5th show she has (well, out that being a lighting designer has officially) worked on at Tufts. The many similarities to godhood: You cast and "pee"-staff of Urinetown are look down from above much of the just wonderful, and she's so glad she time, and when you say “let there be got to work with them! She would light”, it had better be good. like to especially thank Kelsey and JEFF RYDER ( Props Designer ) is a the incredible ladies of the costume freshman and is very excited to be shop. Enjoy the show! working on his first show for Torn MIKE PFITZER (Co-Music Ticket II! He was recently Assistant Director/Conductor ) is a junior Stage Manager for The Madwoman of majoring in music and history. He is Chaillot . In addition to his also the President of Torn Ticket involvement in theatre Jeff is on the II. Past Torn Ticket II credits include directional staff of Leonard musical work on Passion , Seussical , Carmichael Society. He hopes you The Last Five Years , and have as much fun watching Urinetown Cabaret . Congrats to the cast and as he had being a part of it! crew of Urinetown for their amazing JUSTIN SILVER ( Technical work! Special thanks to family and Director ) is a senior Psychology major friends for being supportive through working on his fourth show at Tufts. this insane semester, my SoGo Previous shows include The Insect housemates for their patience, and Play, Batboy, and The Mystery of Caitlin for being a wonderful asset to Edwin Drood . Justin spent his junior this production and to my life. year abroad studying at University BRADY PIERCE ( Sound Designer College London. While overseas Justin and Board-Op ) is a sophomore violated no less than six international English and Poli-Sci double major. treaties governing the sale and Doing sound for Urinetown has been transport of priceless antiquities. Many Legen…wait for it. Taking a break of these objects can be seen in from the stage, he has been tonight’s show. exclusively backstage this semester, ANDREW TUNG ( Set/Projecti ons so you probably won’t recognize him Designer ) is hoping the USPS will from anything. He wants to thank eventually recognize this theater as his Julia, Scott and Sam for teaching him permanent address, seeing as tonight’s the way of Sound. Here it comes show marks this senior Drama major’s now… dary. 31 st production performing, teching JAMES RICHARDS ( Lighting and/or designing at Tufts. He doesn’t Designer ) has returned from a year really do much else, thank god. abroad vaguely disoriented. He Except sing and compose music. And

95 Appendix K

WHO’S WHO IN THE CAST deal with those, Asst. Stage Managers ...... Julia Carlson whatchamacallems…oh yeah, David Gittess Abbie Hill classes. Thank you to his parents Asst. Lighting Designer . . .Diana Friedman and sister, the entire production Asst. Tech. Directors . . . . .Rebecca Coffey staff and cast, Ted, Alex, and 45 Dave Gennert Mason current and past. Kyle Paoletta Light Board Operator . . . . Diana Friedman Sound Board Operator ...... Brady Pierce Microphone Technician . . . . Kyle Paoletta OPENING NIGHT: DECEMBER 4, 2008 Props Mentor ...... Molly Yarn Run Crew ...... Dressers ...... Production Photographer . . . . Ben Samuels House Managers ...... Meg Hammer Sean Hefferon Jeewon Kim Kyle Sircus Theater Manager ...... Joanne Barnett Box Office Workers ......

SPECIAL THANKS

Pat Mahoney and AV Services, Alex Cheser, Kelsey Ettman, Ruthie Neumeier, Matt Galvin, Riley Kim, Sam Adelman, Nathan Leigh, Barbara Grossman, Adam Stahl, Meredith Miller, Margo Caddell, Linda Ross, Ted Simpson, Susanna Brown, Costume Shop Employees, Box O ffice Employees, Joanne Barnett , Torn Ticket Board,

3Ps

96 Appendix K

GRACIOUS DONORS

Producer’s Circle – Gifts up to $25 Margaret and Steve Snyder The Flaster Family The Gittess Family Karen Hoffman The Trudeau Family Sally Pfitzer Joni Chryssos

Director’s Circle – Gifts up to $50 Bridget Reddington The Shakarshy Fam ily John and Ruth Richards Dawn and Larry Fischer Joel Cherry The Cornblath Family Valerie Schurman and William Wallace Laurie and Ken Kreutz Marci and David Cohen and Family The Wilson Family The Simckes Family

Friends of the Theater – Gifts of $100+ Rosa Sastre The Garber Family Georgia Gurren Jim and Diane Berliner Mary Ryder The Silver Family Foundation The Hefferon Family David McBride and Karen Naranjo Steven and Patrice Dworkin Joel Friedman Mia and Greg Pfitzer Charles McCrossan The Neumeier Fa mily Annie Bond The Fein Family Pat Mahoney and A/V Services The entire cast and crew of Urinetown thanks all donors from the bottom of their hearts – for without them the show could not have been fully realized .

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Appendix L:APPENDIX Letter of Gratitude L Sample

Letter of Gratitude Sample

98 Appendix L

Torn Ticket II Balch Arena Theater Box Office Tufts University Medford, MA 02155 March 1, 2009

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Berliner,

The objective of Tufts University’s musical theater group, Torn Ticket II, is bi- fold: first, we strive to produce high quality theater in a college setting; second, we aim to provide a comfortable environment for our members to develop their art and skills. Torn Ticket II’s production of Urinetown: The Musical is officially over – and it was a resounding success. The run of the show (which sold out three out of the four performances, and then sold thirty percent of the standing room) was accompanied by praise from not only students, but faculty members, and Medford/Somerville community members as well. If you were able to make it to Tufts for the production, you saw first-hand the fruits of our family’s collaboration, combined with endless hours of work we put in over the course of our fall semester. The result was a rollicking good time, chock-full of talented performers and designers: from the mastery of difficult choral music, to the precise staging of meta-theatrical numbers, to the brilliant interpretation of a comic strip setting. A production of this caliber would never have been possible without the support that you showed Carolyn, and as a result our group as a whole, both financially and otherwise.

Thank you once again, and I hope that you continue to support the arts at Tufts University.

Sincerely,

Sean Hefferon Producer, Urinetown: The Musical [email protected] 914-980-3366

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AppendixAPPENDIX M: Poster M

Poster

100 Appendix M

101

Appendix N: Inter-CollegeAPPENDIX Correspondence N Template

Inter-College Correspondence Template

102 Appendix N

Dear Dr. NAME,

Please allow me to introduce myself, my name is Sean Hefferon and I am a senior

“Theatrical Management Production and Performance” major at Tufts University. For my senior thesis, I am producing Urinetown the Musical as our major musical on campus. It is my pleasure to extend an invitation to you and your department to come see the final dress rehearsal this

Wednesday.

The students of our department have been talking about wanting to foster a relationship between all of the drama departments/schools in the Boston area for as many years as I have been in school now. Since we are all so passionate about theater, it only makes sense to me that we should all be more supportive of each other’s theatrical endeavors – it’s hard because we, at least, feel out of the loop of what schools are working on what productions, and when they go up each semester.

Adam Dworkin, our director, has done a fantastic job with this production of Urinetown .

I never cease to be amazed at the product he has turned out. As I am sure you know, it is a difficult show to work with – making the alienation, meta-theatrics, and humor in this show work is like walking a tight rope. Adam has gotten our actors and designers coordinated and working so well that it is almost impossible for the production to fail at what it is attempting.

Based on the size of our theater, and the number of departments I am inviting, I can only offer you ten comps to the performance on Wednesday at eight. If you get an overwhelming response and would like some more, however, keep in touch with me and on Wednesday maybe

I can offer your department more tickets based on the other schools’ attendance.

I hope that this finds you well,

Sean Hefferon

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AppendixAPPENDIX O: Performance O Report

Performance Report

104 Appendix O

105

Works Cited

Actors' Equity - Representing American Actors and Stage Managers in the Theatre . 20 Apr. 2009 .

Bailey, Victoria. Personal interview. 3 May 2008.

Berlin, Irving. "There's No Business Like Show Business." Rec. 20 Apr. 1999. Annie Get Your Gun . By Irving Berlin. Rec. 20 Apr. 1999. Angel Records, 1999.

The Broadway League - The Official Website of the Broadway Theatre Industry . 25 Apr. 2009 .

Cohen, Patricia. "Marketing Broadway: Selling Hope for a Song." The New York Times 9 Dec. 2008, Arts sec.

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