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Planning is not the fun part, but it is absolutely essential. The more the Producer can free up the Director and performers to be creative, the more fun and success everyone will experience. So plan carefully and early.

Begin by appraising your situation

• How much time do you have?
• What are your financial resources? Do you have enough?
• Appraise your talent pool - performance and production.
• Do you have a venue?
• What do you know about your likely audience?

Budget immediately

• Complete a preliminary Financial Plan to understand your situation (adjust as you make decisions and learn).
• If you need to raise money beyond projected ticket sales, get going right away. For help with ways to raise money see the Amateur Theatre Production Handbook
• Once you assemble your production organization, have each person in charge of a functional area submit budget line item detail (see the Financial Plan for who should submit what).

Schedule

You will need a minimum of eight weeks for a musical and six weeks for a drama from auditions to performance with an experienced Director and a fairly well-seasoned company. For a less cohesive company, plan on twelve weeks for a musical and 10 weeks for a drama from auditions to opening night. Begin planning at lest 14-18 weeks before the first performance. Date your key milestones as soon as possible. For more help with scheduling see the Amateur Theatre Production Handbook

Secure your venue

You have a good grip on money and timing. Now it is time to commit to a venue. Perhaps your company has a venue. Perhaps you get to choose the venue that will be best for your show. Evaluate all possibilities. Use the Performance Venue Worksheet to gather the facts on each performance space under consideration. Try to pick a house you can fill. A sold out show is thrilling for performers and audience.

Set creative direction

One other bit of planning. Set your creative direction so when true production begins, your team can hit the ground running.

• Read the script several times.
• See other performances of the show in your area or on film.
• Consider the expected size of the cast and the audition pool. Can you "flex"the show to accommodate more people/fewer people that the script calls for (check licensing restrictions)?
• How many costume changes can you afford/handle?
• How many set changes can you afford/handle?
• Use the Creative Direction Worksheet in the Amateur Theatre Production Handbook to guide you to a full, documented creative vision. This will be one of your most important production tools.

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