Australian theatre has been in dire need of an injection of young and diverse talent for decades now, with both academics and artists alike recognising a lack of diversity both on- and off-stage. Thankfully, community theatre bodies continue to provide improved industry access for young people with a keen interest in the performing arts.
The only obstacle is that supporting these community and grassroots theatre organisations isn’t particularly easy. Even grassroots theatre companies must be registered as businesses and follow the same taxation and employment laws as businesses. So how can grassroots theatre makers equip themselves with commercial skills alongside their potent creative skills?
Here are some basic business management essentials that theatre practitioners will have to master when establishing their own community or grassroots theatre company in Australia.
Lay your business foundations
Theatre companies must be registered with ASIC and must also secure an ABN for taxation purposes. As your company will likely be making equipment and supply purchases right upon starting up, you’ll need to make sure these registration requirements are checked off first.
Similarly, theatre companies can also benefit from taking out business insurance cover. Stage environments can get surprisingly hazardous, with risks of accidents and injuries backstage or even on-stage. If an actor or crew member is injured for any reason, having basic public liability cover can help reduce the risks of incidents resulting in gross financial losses for your company.
Identify your managing officers
Running a business whilst juggling creative projects is oftentimes far too big of a workload for one person to handle. If you’ve ever put on a limited run show during a fringe festival, for instance, you’ll know that having a dedicated marketing manager can help streamline the process of promoting your show and filling seats on every show night.
In the same way, having a dedicated marketing manager for your theatre company can help ensure your company socials stay active round the clock – and all without having to take you away from your own responsibilities as a managing director.
Here’s a full list of roles you should consider adding to your company’s leadership team:
- Production manager
- Financial manager
- Marketing manager
- Creative director
Outline your start-up funds
Even just the costs associated with business registration and insurance can be substantial – and these costs will only just get your company off the ground. From here, you’ll also need an adequate budget to invest in actors, writers, props and sets, marketing funds, and perhaps even rent, if you’re planning to rent rehearsal or performance spaces.
With these operating expenses to consider, it’s definitely well worth collaborating with your elected financial manager to outline exactly how much capital you’ll need in order to get your first project in the works.
You may be able to scrounge up the necessary funds yourself, start up a fundraising campaign to secure support from local arts enthusiasts, or you may even seek to produce your first show on a purposefully modest budget in order to turn a profit.
There is one other option as well, and that is to find partnership opportunities which may allow you to access financial resources or other assets (i.e. rehearsal spaces, performance venues, etc.) with local agencies or bodies. More on this below.
Find your home base and local partnerships
Establishing a grassroots or community theatre organisation isn’t too dissimilar to setting up a production company. The only difference is that whilst film or TV production agencies don’t necessarily need to have a fixed studio space, your theatre organisation does need to have access to your own performance and/or meeting, or rehearsal spaces.
Finding this space can involve building a partnership with a dedicated arts venue, whether this is a privately run venue or perhaps even a local community space like a town hall. For the latter, it can be well worth looking into funding and development programs offered by local council offices in your area.
For instance, Darebin Arts run by the Darebin City Council in Melbourne is consistently putting on theatrical productions within their Speakeasy program. Their FUSE Festival which takes place in Spring also provides ample opportunities for local musicians, filmmakers, and performers showcasing a variety of talents, from puppetry to cultural dancers.
In participating in these programs alongside applying for development grants, you can not only help to establish your theatre company, but also potentially find a more permanent stage for you and your players.
Prep your company calendar with events
Once you’ve got your home base set up and potentially even have some partnerships lined up, then it’s time to finally do what you do best, and get to creating your first gamut of productions. Your first few shows can be in partnership with a local community festival or other event, like your city’s local fringe festival.
This plan of action can make it a little easier to get your company name out there, as you can build on the brand visibility of the festivals you’ll be involved in.
If you’re partnering with local council offices and other public bodies, you can also rely on their social media presence and audience reach to promote your company name and fill seats. Enquire about also getting your show dates included in the events calendar page on their website/s.
Manage your media outreach
Finally, with your enterprise set up and the production engines whirring, the last piece of the puzzle is getting media coverage for your company. Here, communicating with local arts critics is key. The process here is also elegantly simple: send over an email with a little information about your production and a comped ticket for a critic to come and watch your show. From here, you can expect an honest review published on their blog or publication.
You can find local critics via your network, on social media, or by reading through arts publications. You can find independent reviews written by local critics in our archives here at the Australian Arts Review.
Set your theatre company up for success with these business management essentials
Building a grassroots theatre company inherently demands theatre makers hone three key qualities: business acumen, networking, and creative development and strategising.
Establishing a strong team of managing officers that includes creative thinkers and administrative guns can help ensure your theatre organisation can maintain your business foundations, as well as find and respond to all the most suitable opportunities that come your way.
Just take your time to make sure your organisation is built on stable footing. From there, you can really commit yourself to making your own contributions to Australia’s theatre scene.