Why performers, playwrights, and other creatives should consider producing their own work

Introduction

The reasons to self-produce

#1. Create your own “lucky” break

Everyone in the performing arts knows someone who got a “lucky” break. Someone who was in the right place at the right time, knew the right choreographer, got their play in front of the right director. However, that can mean a lot of sitting waiting for that “lucky” break to come along.

By self-producing, you create that “lucky” break. You don’t need to wait for an opportunity. You can make your own. Stage the play you wrote or cast yourself in a career-changing role. As the producer, you are steering the ship, and you make the decisions.

#2. Increase your visibility

As a performer, there are two ways the casting agent knows you’re right for the job, you audition, or they have seen your previous work. Auditioning is a skill, but if you’re not one of those performers who nails every audition, you’ll be relying on your work onstage to find the next job. Of course, that means you need to be working.

As a director, designer or choreographer, you don’t usually have the audition route, so you have to rely on your work. If you’re starting out, how do you find your first jobs?

Demonstrating that you are a viable choice for a role is a massive part of being viewed as a working professional. Self-producing gives you a way to put your work in front of the industry. If you make a great show, then you can use it as a calling card. You’ll have reviews, recordings and word of mouth to back up your CV.

#3. Self-producers retain artistic control

When you are working for an existing company or another producer, then the vision they give you is the one you have to realise. If your ideas are at odds with your employer, then tough luck.

However, as a self-producer, you choose the content of your work. You choose who to hire and how you present it to the public. If you have a specific vision, you can make that work. If you wish to speak to a particular group, you can make your show specifically for them. You are only limited by what audience you can draw with your marketing and your product.

#4. Demonstrate your skill

Suppose you want to move out of your type-casting, away from the plays you’ve always directed or show you are capable of more significant challenges. In that case, self-producing is a great way to show off your skills.

The advantage of choosing the work and the collaborators means you can put yourself into the job you want now. If you’re a choreographer by self-producing, you can trade up to a full-length solo show today. If you’re an actor, you can show that you can do more than comedy. If you’re a playwright, you can stage the play that no-one thinks is commercial enough.

#5. Show all your talents

Our world likes to put people in boxes. This person is a “this”, and that person is a “that”. For example, there is a risk that even though you are an excellent actor, people won’t take a chance on you as a playwright, director, singer or dancer.

Self-producing allows you to be a generalist, wearing many hats and excelling in each field. It puts you in a position where you can be creative with less restriction. You can place yourself in a situation where you do things others don’t know you can do. You can fulfil multiple roles.

The challenges of self-producing

#1. Self-producing makes you responsible

Responsibility for all aspects of the productions eventually falls at the producer’s door. You hired the cast and creatives. You chose the show. You ran the budget. You created the marketing strategy.

This responsibility is the trade-off for taking control of your career, for making your own “lucky” breaks. You are responsible for your success and your failure. No amount of artistic power can make up for an empty house and a negative bank balance.

You could see this as a heavy load to carry or as a reminder to think hard before you overlook the performer with a media profile. As an encouragement to make sure that each artistic decision is also the right financial decision. A reward for keeping a tight leash on that budget. As a producer, you are responsible, but you are also in control.

#2. You don’t know what to do

From the outside, self-producing may seem difficult. You know you need to manage numbers, make schedules and organise others. The challenge when you start is learning what you need to do and where to find this information?

Firstly, don’t underestimate what you already know. It is incredible what you will have already learned just by being part of productions. The rest of the information is at the tips of your fingers. Research on the internet will help get you started. Read the articles and other resources on this producingtheatre.com and other sites.

You should also sit down with a more experienced producer and ask them for help. Follow the path of someone who has done it. The best part of being a learner is that you have the luxury of learning from their mistakes and hopefully replicating their success.

#3. It requires hard work

There is no getting around the fact that producing is hard work. It takes a lot of time, effort and concentration. You’ll need to keep careful records, talk to people and ask a lot of favours. Selling the production will be a full-time job. Bluffing and faking it will only get you so far.

That probably sounds familiar. A lot like a career as an actor, dancer, playwright, director, lighting designer, right? People who succeed in the performing arts have all worked hard, and while producing is hard work, it is something most people can do.

Hard work never killed anyone, and the potential reward that comes with self-producing is immense. Do the mahi (work), get the treats!

#4. It is often lonely or isolating

As the producer, you often find yourself flying solo. After rehearsals have finished, you’ll still have jobs on the to-do list. Maybe you need to contact the printer, meet the ticketing agent rep, or perhaps you just need to update your budget. Most of the time, there won’t be people around for those jobs. Someone always needs to do the dirty work.

However, more challenging than the work is the responsibility that you’ll carry. You’ll face decisions that might seem like they could break the production if you make the wrong choice. You’re managing the people working on the show. You’ll be making sure that everyone else has what they need to do their best. It’s easy to be overlooked or to overlook yourself.

The good news is that you can develop tactics to reduce this isolation. Try to share some responsibility and make sure you give yourself the rest and resources to do your job. I recommend you also try and find a mentor outside the production who can provide you with a sounding board for decisions and help you find perspective.

#5. You are taking the financial risk

If the production doesn’t succeed financially, it may leave the producer with a stack of bills and no way to pay them. This situation may seem scary, and even with the best of intentions, things go wrong. However, there are ways to make sure that avoid putting yourself in this situation.

The simplest is maintaining tight control of your budget throughout production. Add to that ensuring that you put your best effort into selling tickets. There are also ways to limit your liability using companies. You can also spread the risk with the careful use of contracts and agreements. These are complicated topics, so do your research.

Conclusion

Self-producing is challenging, but it offers you a way to take control of your career, and that is priceless.

Now, with the right help and resources, you stop waiting for your “lucky” break and get on with making it happen.