By Edmund Gaynes


One question that I get asked frequently is: "What's the difference between producing in New York and L.A.?" "Producing," as in producing live theatrical productions, is what they're talking about. The answer is not terribly simple. I  myself have had to learn and un-learn what it takes as I initially started presenting theatre in New York, then transferred my efforts to L.A., and finally achieving a back and forth balance, putting on productions simultaneously on both Coasts, at both my own theatres and other venues.

Not an easy process necessarily! Once a producer feels he has the handle on how to deal with all elements involved in the mounting of a theatre piece, one is usually inclined to utilize the same methods in a new and different environment. That is usually a big mistake. For instance, a producer whose experience has been in New York theatre really needs to study the realities of producing in L.A. before jumping in.

My personal example would be my first L.A. production, a musical called "TOGETHER AGAIN" at the old Golden Theatre in Burbank. From my New York perspective, I wildly over-estimated the potential business this production could realistically do. I also spent way too much money on everything from posters to sets and lights. The production was an artistic success, but a financial disaster. Fortunately, I was a fast learner, not wanting to take the same beating a second or third time around. My next production, the West Coast Premiere of Stephen Sondheim's "MARRY ME A LITTLE" at the old M.E.T. Theatre in Hollywood, was brought in at a fraction of the cost of my first show, without sacrificing any production values. You just have to learn how to do so much of the work yourself and put together a team of designers, etc., who are not doing this kind of work just for the paycheck.

I'm not saying that money should never be lavished on a production. There are times when it can be justified, particularly when one is working with a well-funded non-profit theatre company with an on-going subscription. Also, if you are doing a major production at a large theatre, you will have no choice but to spend, spend and spend.

My focus here is on the vast majority of theatre in L.A., produced under Actors Equity Association's 99-seat Theatre Plan. Selling tickets is VERY difficult. Getting adequate press coverage is VERY difficult. Consequently, one must responsibly keep the production budget to an absolute minimum because it is never easy to cover costs through ticket sales, even when it seems like you do not need to sell that many tickets. It always turns out to be harder than it would seem to be on the surface.

Therefore, if you are an independent producer with your own personal money or investors at stake, frugality is the watchword. Scheduling five performances per week might seem like a good idea to the New York producer, but in L.A., at least in the beginning, you should begin less ambitiously. Unless you are selling out, I firmly believe you will achieve the same number of ticket sales in three performances as you will in five, while cutting operating expenses considerably.

I have learned a lot not only by actually producing, but also by observing the experiences of the hundreds of rental productions that have played my theatres over the last twenty years. There is a definite pattern. What I hate the most is watching people lose tens of thousands of dollars on their productions simply because either the budgets or running expenses were too large or just through the complete miscalculation of realistic potential box office revenue.

I won't dwell on the aspects of producing unique to New York in this article because L.A. theatre is our focus here. Let me briefly say that among the major differences are the number of support services offered to New York productions that do not exist in L.A. to any comparable extent. Theatre Development Fund supplies Off-Broadway productions with opportunities to sell discount tickets to their vast pool of subscribers at no cost whatsoever. This program alone, coupled with the TKTS half-price ticket booth in the Theatre District, combine to often cushion new shows at the box office until they have hopefully found an audience.

Back here in L.A., we're pretty much on our own, chasing a small, but loyal, theatre-going public. The goal, in producing in L.A., is to get beyond selling tickets to family and friends. Getting into the minds of general theatre audiences can take time, while word of mouth works it's magic. The trick is not running out of money while waiting for this to happen.

I wish good fortune to all the new and up-coming shows this season in the amazing number of live theatres in our city.

Edmund Gaynes
In N.Y.:
St. Luke's Theatre
Actors Temple Theatre
Theatres at 45 Bleecker Street

In L.A.:
Whitmore-Lindley Theatre Center