Producer’s Point of View: The Calling
How do you know when you want to be a Producer? How do you get the calling?
Do you wake up one morning and have a strong affinity for cravats? Do you look around your living room and think “you know what this place needs? An Olivier Award”?
The fact of the matter is what makes someone try to become a producer is different depending on what type of producer they are or their background. I was an actor who spent more and more time focussing on other aspects of productions, like how busy the house was or the marketing campaign, the lighting design or the costume budget. I quickly found I was much more interested in the whole process, from the budgets and contracts to the visual design and dramaturgy.
By chance, I had zero experience of producing yet found myself with the rights to the stage adaptation of Hi De Hi and with some knowledge of business and theatre, I decided to jump in the deep end and just do it without any prior thought that it could be a disaster or that I might not know what I’m doing...luckily it wasn’t a disaster and gut instinct made up for whatever I didn’t know.
The calling is something that may never go away. You may walk down the street and think to yourself “that building would be great for a site specific piece”, you may hear a story and your brain goes “this needs to be a show, this is your next mission”.
For a lot of people I talk to, that is exactly how they fell into it. They had a vision for a show or an urge to produce. Self-producing can be seen on all levels of theatre production from the tiniest of fringe to the largest of number 1 venues. I was advised early on in my career, not to sit at home and wait for the phone to ring, but to create my own work. For a lot of first time producers, that’s exactly what it is; it’s creating our own work because we have an opportunity or a vision of a show.
One thing is clear though, it’s not for everyone. Once you’ve gone through the process, you’ll either think “that was fantastic, what project’s next?” or you’ll think “that was madness, I’m never attempting that again.” The buzz of having a project work and be seen can be exhilarating but the process to get there can be full of obstacles and battles to overcome along the way.
Self-producing work can be even harder if you’re directing or performing in the work as well. Producing is a full time job and requires a lot of attention, so then having the added pressure of either directing or performing in the piece as well can be an overload - not unachievable but a lot of work. Famously there are many directors or performers who have produced the work in order to create employment for themselves.
If thinking about self-producing for the first time, my initial advice is always to bring onboard a co-producer or consultant who has more experience and can help guide you through the process. There are a wealth of books on the subject and courses too. But be warned, once you’ve got that bug, you may well find that you are a producer at heart.
