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Making a Broadway Musical

Key Players: The Production Team

by John Kenrick

(Copyright 2000, Revised 2020)

Who is involved in the making of a Broadway musical? With the exception of a few technical positions (such as lighting and sound design), these roles have existed in varying forms since ancient times.

Producer

Producers raise the money and have the final say in all Broadway musical productions. In the past, solo producers (Florenz Ziegfeld, David Merrick, Cheryl Crawford, etc.) could single handedly raise the funds for a new production, and consequently had tremendous input into the creative aspects of a show. Many important Broadway musicals began because a producer had an idea and then hired the composer and writers. Now, producers don't come into the process until a show is already written and tested. In addition, because productions now cost tens of millions, it takes dozens of producers to raise the funds for a show – making it impossible for any one of them to exercise real creative control over a project.

Since the 1990s, corporate producers like Disney have the financial resources to bring musicals to Broadway with no need for investors. They can control every aspect of a production. However, some corporate producers have proven inexperienced in budgeting and key creative areas, leading to some financial disasters. The well received musical adaptation of Shrek had a decent run but lost money -- in large part because its weekly expenses were far too high.

Investors

Traditionally, Broadway investors contributed no more than a few thousand dollars each to a new show -- so no more than a few dozen were needed to fund a production. Each investor was entitled to a pair of opening night tickets, a return on their investment if the show was a hit, and a tax deduction if the show failed. Today, individual investors usually contribute hundreds of thousands each, and know that (with most new musical losing money) there is little chance they will see much profit. They want the prestige of having a show business connection that allows them to purchase house seats. As a courtesy, all Broadway producers make prime house seats available to each other for purchase – and every producer can get these choice seats for their investors (who pay full price for prime seating).

General Manager & Company Manager

General managers handle the ongoing business needs of a production – paying salaries, dealing with cast and company problems and complaints, purchasing supplies, and keeping the show on budget. Good management makes it easier to pay off a show's initial investment and start making a profit -- or to survive the inevitable seasonal slump in ticket sales. Because experienced general managers at the Broadway level are in high demand and often oversee several productions at a time, they hire a Company manager to personally handle the day-to-day needs of each production. Anyone who works in any capacity on a professional production wants to be on the best possible terms with their company manager -- they can be the most useful friends, especially when scheduling time off or solving an administrative headache.

Stage Manager

This is the battle commander who makes sure the elements of every performance come together successfully. For starters, the stage manager (SM) schedules rehearsals and coordinates the handling of all scenery, props, and costumes. For Broadway productions, the SM also maintains a master script that notes all revisions, as well as staging and technical cues. After opening night, this master script becomes the "bible" which all future performances abide by.

During actual performances, the SM is in charge of everything that takes place on stage and backstage, overseeing every actor, set, technical issue and prop. If a cue is missed or a performer takes liberties with the material, the SM is expected to correct things – and only if necessary, call in the director and/or the producers to help keep egos in line. Thanks to wireless communication, stage managers are no longer glued to their traditional backstage command podium. Now, the stage manager and a team of assistants (ASM's) can be anywhere they are needed, using wireless communication. Some Broadway stage managers prefer to move throughout the theatre during each performance, checking in on different aspects of the production.

House Manager

Talk about hard working people who get almost no credit! While the stage manager oversees the cast and crews, the house manager takes care of everything that happens on the audience's side of the curtain. Aside from making sure all public areas of the theatre are clean and safe, house managers are in charge of the ushers, box office managers, theatre custodians, ticket takers, bartenders, souvenir sales team and anyone else working in the "front of house." During performances, if a theatergoer has a problem, (noisy neighbors, ticket disputes, health crisis, etc.) the house manager steps in.

Dance Captain

For Broadway runs, national tours, and major regional productions, a choreographer cannot be on hand to oversee regular performances. So a reliable and experienced dancer is selected to supervise the musical staging. As a musical runs on, dancers can easily miss a step or become unsure about nuances in the staging – and a sharp-eyed dance captain will quickly set them back on track. They also train replacements. If a musical is a huge hit, the dance captains often go on to restage the dances for regional and foreign productions.

Casting Director

With encyclopedic memories, casting directors stay up-to-date on the ever changing pool of acting talent in show business. They must maintain massive contact files and be ready to call in a wide selection of performers to fit any particular role. When a director or producer wants to audition an actor (including major stars), the casting director arranges it – usually by contacting an actor's agent. Actors (and their agents) make a point of getting their resumes and photos in front of as many casting directors as possible. Top producers of the past often had full-time casting directors of their own, but most casting directors today are free agents who work for a variety of producers.

Advertising

Producers hire an advertising firm to design a show logo, posters and window cards, print and TV ads, and all other advertising materials. Theatrical advertising is so specialized that only two or three New York firms handle every show in town.

Press Representative

The more press coverage a show gets, the better – both before and after it opens. The Press Representative maintains contact with every newspaper, magazine, radio and television station, making sure that a show gets as much coverage as possible. They arrange interviews, suggest special interest features and create publicity events. Press reps also make sure the critics are invited to previews and given VIP treatment.. They also try to dispel any negative rumors ("Miss Bankhead hasn't touched a drop since we started rehearsals!") that might lead to negative coverage. New York's newspapers and and local TV stations provide far less coverage of theatre than in the past, and social media is a hydra that can bless and curse with no reliability. So press reps face an ever evolving and increasingly challenging task.

Actors and Crews

Thought we'd never get to them, did you? For many years, the performers in musical theatre were divided into two distinct camps – singers and dancers. With the rise of the director-choreographers in the late 1950's, it became important for Broadway-level performers to sing, dance and act. As late as the mid-1960's, it was possible for chorus performers to make a fulltime living in the theatre, but since then stage work has become so uncertain that most professional performers have back-up careers as waiters, bartenders, administrative assistants, etc.

The stage crew handles all matters involving sets & stage equipment, the lighting crew maintains and operates the lights, the house crew handles ushering, concessions and maintains all pubic areas of the theatre. Here we can include the orchestra -- though I suspect musicians, a justifiably proud and independent breed, would cringe at being lumped in with anyone else. All of the cast, musicians and crew members belong to unions that protect their interests and provide benefits.

Next: Key Players - The Creative Team