Don't Start a Theater Company!

Backstage this week has a brief essay titled, "Need an Acting Job?  Start a Theater Company."  Please don't, at least, don't start one to get a job. 

"Why open a theater company? Simple: So you can work," author Reginald Nelson writes.  Were it that simple.  A theater company is a small business and as such has all the requirements of a small business plus the demands of artistry.

Add to that two facts--the not-for-profit theater in the US is overbuilt, meaning there are too many theaters chasing too little audience, and the US is just coming out of a recession--and the conclusion is clear.  Without some sort of "angel" providing regular money inputs to a new theater, it's unlikely to be successful.

Of course, our book Stage Money has background on the not-for-profit theater that would be useful for anyone considering founding one.  This blog has a number of relevant essays and facts about the current environment for the not-for-profit theater, including: 

• If You Read Nothing Else about the NFP Theater, Read "Theatre Facts 2009"

• This Recession for One Theater

• The Urge to Merge

• NFP Theatres Saw Trouble Even Before the Recession

• Surveys that Prove the Obvious; NFPs Are Financially Stressed

• Why a Good Theatre Died