Nov 24, 2011

The Many Flavours of Suburban Theatre

I'm making a lot of calls and sending more than the usual billion emails this week, trying to secure venues for BULLET: A Superhero Comedy. We're going to tour the show to outer-city suburbs like Melton, Cranbourne and Whittlesea. The differences in expectations and interaction are interestingly varied.

The joyful calls are when the venue manager gets very excited about the project. The idea of a show for youth, where otherwise there is none, really gets them revved up. An original idea (not a re-staging of a licensed show) that started in the city but is delighted to come out to the 'burbs gets these venue managers going on how much more they'd love to see out their way. They love the cultural injection, the family friendly nature of the show, and how easy our show is to run. They're all too happy to make accommodations for our ticketing system (trybooking.com) and their venue prices are reasonable. They're also happy to have a hire! These managers are warm, encouraging and really care about giving their community events to enjoy.
Then there's the 'insiders only' groups. They see anyone beyond their shire or council as outsiders. It's an odd kind of reluctance, or more an indifference to what we're doing. All venues in the area are booked up by local amateur theatre groups, no, sorry, there's no leeway to squeeze in between rehearsals. The managers aren't interested in giving me alternative locations, and the Events and Facilities co-ordinators in the councils find my enquiries a tiring hassle. Probably the worst offenders in these groups are the ones that simply don't return my calls. I give up on these areas with a sour taste in my mouth.

Third are the prohibitively expensive, charging over $1000 for a 100-200 seat venue with minimum use times of 4-8 hours. These places are flat out unfeasible, usually none too keen to negotiate, and in some cases, snobby. They must be getting regular concert or high-end productions and don't need our little radio play. I hope so, otherwise that's a lot of expensive, empty space.
Last are the really sweet, lovely people and places who just can't accommodate our needs or costs for perfectly legitimate reasons, like, "Our chairs are erected by a nice old man who has to be paid more than you can afford" or "Oh, we don't have a PA system, you'd need to bring your own."

It's a strange and varied mix out there. Costs range from $50 per hour to $2000 with a minimum of 8 hours only. Some demand we use and pay their front of house, an usher, a stage manager and a techie, each with a minimum 4 hour call, with $5 per ticket going to their booking fees. Some ask only for a techie. Some just ask for a bond and that you don't smash the windows. Some of the managers are great people, happy to chat and keen to have original, interesting theatre. Some couldn't give a toss and find the whole concept of a phone conversation the most gall inducing thing they've ever encountered.

Good luck out there, Producers! If you find a good venue, stick with them.

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