Amateur theaters. Can a private theater be a successful business project?
A well-organized and correctly calculated theater business can be not only pleasant, but also a very profitable pastime, which also brings fame, honor and respect.
Private theater: General overview of the theater business
It is believed that in our country the theater market is already saturated with both public and private theaters, and the end consumer (in in this case– viewer) there is quite a wide choice regarding this service. But actually it is not.
In our country private theaters– a relatively new thing and does not fit into a small business. This is due to the fact that performing arts, unlike, for example, cinema and circus, it is considered a non-commercial project, “art for art’s sake”, which does not bring significant profit.
Sad as it may be, the once respected profession of an entrepreneur - the owner or keeper (and also in some cases - a tenant) of a private theater, is now undeservedly forgotten. Perhaps this is why novice actors, troupes and even theater studios really do not bring their participants the income they deserve and remain something on the verge of a hobby and part-time job for students.
That is why a novice entrepreneur can successfully try himself in this respected and interesting field. Opening of a private theater can become a hobby and the work of a lifetime, not to mention the fact that a well-organized private theater at the same time will be able to provide its actors and owner (entrepreneur) with a decent living and considerable earnings.
What do you need to know when opening a private theater?
Of course, first you need to decide whether your theater will have own premises. This question is fundamental and the answer to it depends on many factors: for example, the size of the city, starting capital, the possibility of a quick, compact and well-coordinated move on tour to other cities, and, finally, the very concept of the theater - will it be predominantly stationary, or, on the contrary, “wandering”.
In this regard, the first place, of course, is , financial issue. Finding suitable and properly equipped premises is usually very difficult.
You can rent it and rebuild it at your own discretion (of course, with the consent of the lessor), however:
- not every landlord will agree to such transformations - after all, in the future, most likely, he simply will not find suitable tenants, and dismantling and the inevitable subsequent repairs will cost a fairly large sum;
- By renting and refurbishing some premises, you are investing your funds “for nothing.”
Another option - building your own premises or its purchase and refurbishment. In this case, it is necessary to accurately calculate - will it be profitable at all?
For example, in small towns, your fairly large investment in real estate will never pay off (or at least for a very long time).
In millionaire cities (and even more so in Moscow) the situation is somewhat different: here any investment will always pay off - even if you have to sell the premises, it will always cost more than the cost of its construction.
But there is another catch when it comes to having your own premises. Its presence implies a certain stationarity of the theater itself. Think about whether such a number of people will be able to come to your productions that will always recoup the costs?
If the answer is no, then it is better to think about buying 2-3 vans for transporting actors and props and starting the business with a non-stationary, traveling theater.
Private theater: The issue of forming a repertoire and acting group
When the issue with the premises or lack thereof is resolved, you can think about repertoire and personnel (acting and supporting) casts.
As you know, there are only a few theatrical genres. For example, vaudeville, drama, comedy, melodrama, musical, tragedy, tragicomedy. Each of them is good in its own way and giving preference to one over the other is simply unprofitable from the point of view of audience sympathy.
By and large, a normal theater should present a production of a work to the viewer. any genre- firstly, for reasons of attracting maximum quantity spectators, and secondly, in order not to turn into an establishment for fans of one particular genre, which will scare off other visitors.
The most important part of starting your own theater business is, of course, casting. Of course, “first-rate” actors simply won’t go to a little-known theater. But this should not scare you for two reasons:
- firstly, by forming a primary troupe of young promising actors or even well-trained amateurs, you will significantly save on fees.
- secondly, fame and glory are, as we know, transitory categories. When your theater becomes more or less famous, well-known actors will come to you.
Ideally, find a beginner, but already formed troupe or even youth theater studio headed by a director- then the question of both forming the repertoire and personnel will disappear by itself - the director will simply do this work for you.
Don't forget about the workers who remain behind the scenes - prop makers, prop men, mechanics, lighting technicians and others, right down to ticket takers and cleaners. Although in this case this factor is secondary - technical personnel are much easier to find than creative ones.
Private theater: Ticket policy
It is difficult to give specific figures regarding the cost of tickets, but this moment price 1000-1500 rubles per good performance is not something out of the ordinary. In addition, of course, it is worth focusing on other theaters, including local ones, if you work in a traveling form. To begin with, in order to attract the public, it is worth setting the bar at 75-90% of the price of local tickets.
Hi all!
Instead of an introduction.
Since distant Soviet times, our society has developed the concept of the eternally poor, low-paid work of a creative worker. And this myth successfully keeps pace with the 21st century. I repeat - happy 21st century! And nothing changes, and cannot change, due to the convenience of coexistence between a creative worker and the theater system.
Even from his student days, the actor is prepared for the fact that life in the theater is not easy: salaries are below average, constant intrigues, acting and director's wars... You can only make money in cinema, on television and, of course, hanging around in all sorts of “hack jobs”. But these warnings not only do not stop young people on the path to great art, but also spur them on incredible strength! Huge competitions for the theater department at the Academy, passions, tears, successes, disappointments.
And now four years of “theater” are over, and ahead there is theatre, cinema, TV, filming, concerts, performances, tours, festivals and... distribution. Not everyone stays in the capital; many go to work in regional theaters, and are immediately faced with a world so different from the usual student world that they blink with their burning eyes in the new space surrounding them.
A year later, provincial actors begin to understand the situation in which they find themselves hostage. As a rule, in the Belarusian outback there is a standard of two theaters: an adult drama theater and a children's puppet theater. This is the first ambush for the actor! If you don’t get accustomed to one theater, it is not possible to move to another due to the lack of one. This situation is perfectly used by employers of provincial theaters for total control and influence on your personality.
Further, in the theater, as in any structure, there is a contract system, by signing which you load yourself with a pile of responsibilities, failure to fulfill which leads to the fact that the employer simply does not renew it when the contract expires. That's all! Go wherever you want, dear comrade! You can go to the capital, but remember that a provincial actor, which you now are, is not very welcome there.
And terminating the contract early at the will of the employer, if suddenly he was not satisfied with you as a professional or did not like you as a person, is easier than a “steamed turnip”. You just have to read yours carefully job responsibilities, and you will understand that it is much easier to part with you if you wish than to hire you.
They don’t shoot movies here, and if they come in to “shoot” a couple of scenes, then main role they won't take it. Extras await you or best case scenario episode. Local television will take part-time jobs for pennies, and radio will do the same. There is an opportunity to lead a drama club at some school, or teach at a college. And, of course, the good old hacks for weddings, anniversaries and corporate events. That's the whole range of your services. They were doing this thirty years ago, and they are still doing this today. Very soon, earning money will become your main form of creativity, and theater will fade into the background. This is the inevitability of actors in any theater. With one difference: in the capital they work part-time according to their profession, in the provinces - as needed. All these ordeals lead only to the end of creative growth, and often to leaving the profession.
IN Lately I began to notice an amazing pattern - very few “stationary” actors come to work in regional theaters. More often, kids come from the street, work and study at this theater, and receive an education in absentia in the process. Hence the incomplete understanding of the profession and the “shtetl” level of culture.
And not every repertory theater can boast of tours in Europe and the countries of the former CIS. Lack of funds, the problem of leaving, and simply the unwillingness of the management to tear their butt off their occupied chair. But the maintenance plan villager fulfilled one hundred percent! Otherwise it is impossible - a plan is a plan. It is not always possible in repertory theater, with its specific concept, to express and develop oneself in creatively. Many people are quite happy with this situation, but there are people for whom it is not enough, and the potential has not yet dried up.
Here I am, having passed copper pipes provincial creative reality, decided on the most ridiculous adventure in his life - he created a private theater, which he called a beautiful word"Province".
Why do I need it?
Firstly, there is still “gunpowder in the flasks”, I’m not disappointed, I’m not tired. Secondly, I don’t want to leave the profession, not stop, but develop. And thirdly, I want to leave behind at least something, albeit not so great in significance, but great in spirit. Some twist their fingers at their temples, others simply don’t believe it, others laugh and don’t see the point. There are fearful and lazy people, stupid and envious people, and sometimes there are even aggressive people.
I often get asked the same question: how? This is impossible! You can not do it this way! Belarus has a tough attitude towards private business, and creative environment the attitude towards those who want, maybe and can, is even worse. I will try to answer all these questions in my article.
Where to begin?
First you need to decide on your task. Why do you want to organize a theater? What functions will it perform in the future? And most importantly, what period of time you will allocate for the life of your brainchild.
There is an excellent option for making money - entrepreneurial venture. Famous artists quickly put on a performance and tour all the regional centers with it. But this option will not work in the provinces, especially in Belarus. Firstly, there is not so much here famous artists so that spectators come to them, and secondly, it is pointless to travel with an enterprise from region to region, it is stupid to go to the capital.
Therefore, the only way for a provincial to earn money is to travel to schools and kindergartens with children's productions. But here you can easily run into trouble from state repertory theaters, since these theaters earn the same money. And invading someone else's territory can lead to undesirable consequences. Don’t forget, they will have more power. In the end, this will lead to inevitable conflicts and constant persecution of your private project. His life will not be long.
I will not focus on this type of creative income, but will move on to the idea of creating my own theater, an idea that is quite complex and lengthy.
A striking example of a successful, in my opinion, private project in Belarus is the Minsk Contemporary Art Theater (SHT) under the direction of Vladimir Ushakov. You can read about him and his leader both in the media and on the Internet. But the capital is not a province. In our case, the conditions are much more complicated. Here we need a unique project that claims to be a long-lived project.
Step one. Selecting the type, genre and direction of the project.
So, you've made up your mind. Well, let's try to create unique theater, your theater, the way you want and have dreamed about all your life.
The first thing you need to do is decide on the type or genre of your work. Of course, you can say: I already decided a long time ago, I like this or that and so on, but think about whether your project will be interesting to the viewer? If so, which one? Will it be able to participate in festivals, compete with other projects, occupy its real niche and earn money? You need to clearly define a perspective for yourself, to see your brainchild in the future. What it will become, how long it will take to develop, etc.
Personally, I spent a lot of effort choosing the right type of theater for me. I rushed from children's to adults, from drama to choreography, from pop to STEM, but I just missed precious time until fate brought me together with an amazing and sought-after production director. Together we did right choice: puppet theater for children and adults. A genre in which you can develop endlessly.
Favorable conditions for our choice are:
1. mobility.
Limited number of actors (up to 4 people),
Small in size and easily transportable decorations,
The ability to perform on any venue (stages, foyers, restaurants and even outdoors),
2. viewing time.
Minimum – 35 min
Maximum – 1:15 min
3. demand.
A genre that will have its audience always and everywhere.
Step two. Perspective.
You have thought well about what you are going to do, you have decided and you can already see your victory, great amount viewers and an incredibly high rating of your project. Do not hurry. We need to realistically assess the prospect.
And the most important thing is further development- earn a name for yourself. This process can take three to five years. I'll explain why. It’s quite difficult to get into the festival: no one knows you, the word “private” initially makes the organizers skeptical. Your application will not even be considered, and without participating in festivals you will not make your presence known.
What to do? Look for funds! It is impossible to borrow, take out loans, seek help, or live modestly. Ask why? I will answer: to pay the fee to the director, artist, composer. This is inevitable if you really want to develop your project. Your application will be more likely to be accepted if they see your name on it famous person. And the viewer will first of all come not to you, but to the name of the sought-after director who, for some reason, took on your project, or the artist who designed your performance.
We need to dwell on this phenomenon in more detail, since private undertakings in St. Petersburg and Moscow were different and had a number of problems that their colleagues in the provinces did not have.
In St. Petersburg, the creation of private drama theaters in Russian capital turned out to be an extremely difficult matter. Long years, despite enough a large number of attempts in this area, a private drama theater capable of long-term successful existence in conditions of competition with the Imperial stage remained a pipe dream for St. Petersburg.
In the first years after the abolition of the monopoly, several private drama theaters appeared in St. Petersburg. The first, in October 1881, was the Korovyakov Russian Theater. His repertoire consisted mainly of classical foreign plays, modern Russian drama, famous comedies and vaudeville, but did not attract a wide audience.
Yes and financial resources, which Korovyakov had at his disposal, were very limited; it was necessary to work without loss. The rent was high. All costs had to be covered through fees. Tickets, therefore, were expensive, which naturally reduced the influx of potential spectators. We had to play almost every day, stage premieres two days in advance, of course, this reduced them artistic level. After just two months, Korovyakov had to close the case.
Another unsuccessful attempt to organize a private business in St. Petersburg was made by entrepreneur A.S. Shustov. In fact, it came down to touring in several productions by the famous St. Petersburg actor A.A. Nilsky. This short-term undertaking would not be worth mentioning if not for one significant circumstance: the private theater, relying on famous artists, would be finally formed by the mid-80s and would subsequently become a very common type of metropolitan theatrical enterprise. As a rule, their lifespan was very short.
Example A.S. Shustov will soon be followed by a number of other private theaters, including the dramatic enterprise of P.I. Kazantsev - a famous provincial actor and director. By the end of the 1884 season, the theater under the leadership of Kazantsev was already quite well known and gained popularity among a certain part of the public. However, this also could not significantly affect the financial position of the enterprise. The funds spent by Kazantsev on creating spectacular performances, renting premises, operating expenses, and especially on inviting famous guest performers, turned out to be insufficient to continue the main activity, and the theater closed. Pilyugin A. Reforms in the Imperial Theaters. 1882. - M.: Gitis, 2003. - P. 101
It should be emphasized that P. Kazantsev’s enterprise became the first private theater in St. Petersburg to last a whole season, which is quite a lot compared to other enterprises in the Russian capital.
Another famous St. Petersburg private theater stands apart - the enterprise G.A. Arbenin and the tour of the troupe of the famous Moscow entrepreneur, “magician and wizard” M.V. Lentovsky in the season of 1884 -1885, focused primarily on operetta, vaudeville and extravaganza.
Only in 1895, 13 years after the abolition of the monopoly, was the foundation laid for a stable non-state theatrical enterprise in St. Petersburg: the theater of the Literary and Artistic Circle, a club of literary and art workers, was opened. As you know, this theater was the longest-running private drama theater in the capital (it operated until 1917). Pilyugin A. Reforms in the Imperial Theaters. 1882. - M.: Gitis, 2003. - P. 102
In general, the creation of a network of artistically valuable, stable private theaters and drama theaters in the Russian capital in the first years after the abolition of the monopoly turned out to be an intractable problem.
More successful in this regard were theaters that invited famous Russian and foreign artists to participate in productions, and farce theaters, which make up a significant part of the theater network of St. Petersburg, as well as operetta. And, as history has shown, in the last decades of the 19th century, in St. Petersburg the activities of precisely these two types of private theaters - the theater that relied on famous actors, as well as light theater, turned out to be the most viable.
The conservatism of the majority of spectators, of course, was not the only reason why the establishment of private drama theaters in St. Petersburg was so difficult. The problems faced by entrepreneurs in St. Petersburg and Moscow during the last twenty years were, to a large extent, very similar.
The first Moscow private theater, as is known, was the drama theater of the artist of the Imperial Maly Theater A.A. Brenko. It burned out almost immediately. And the reasons for such a short existence of her endeavors should not be reduced solely to lavish spending or inept organization. The essence of the problem lies in something fundamentally different: her theater was initially aimed at competing with the Imperial Maly Theater. This was manifested in the formation of the repertoire, and in the attempt to create an acting ensemble of similar artistic merit, and the thoroughness decoration. It is fundamentally important that Brenko sought to attract the same viewing audience.
This is precisely the essence of the problem of most private theaters founded in the capitals after the abolition of the monopoly, which faded away as quickly as they arose. Could these theaters count on long-term existence, and not on one-time success, if their activities were oriented or competed directly with the imperial stage? History has shown that the activity of such undertakings was short-lived. Pilyugin A. Reforms in the Imperial Theaters. 1882. - M.: Gitis, 2003. - P. 111
The famous Russian entrepreneur F.A. was guided by other principles of organizing the creative process in the creation and functioning of his theater. Korsh. Korsh did not focus mainly on the audience of the Imperial Maly Theater, but consciously sought to attract other layers of the potential audience. V.A. Nelidov recalled that Korsh “instilled a taste for theater in that part of the public who had previously either not visited the theater at all, or very rarely.”
This theater was not the same as the state theater, and not the same as the provincial enterprises, and not at all the same as it would be from the day of the first performance of the Moscow Art Theater. And he was by no means typical - he was one of a kind. Orlov Yu.M. Organizational structures Russian drama theatres. M.: Gitis. 1979 - P. 68
Korsh's Russian Drama Theater turned out to be the most durable among the private theaters that arose after the abolition of the monopoly. This is despite the fact that, according to some sources, the Korsh Theater from its founding existed only on income from fees. But the expenses of private theaters were enormous: it was necessary to pay taxes to city authorities, support the chatter, service staff, the theater building, make the decorations, pay royalties to the authors, and in the case of the Korsh Theater - also pay the director N.N. Sinelnikov, known throughout Russia.
M.V. occupies a special place in the development of private theater in Moscow. Lentovsky - his theater "Skomorokh" became the exception when the enterprise lasted more than one season.
Considering private drama theaters that arose in the capitals after the abolition of the monopoly, it is necessary to turn to the principles of the creation and functioning of another type, another model of theater. This is the PARADISE Theater, opened in 1882 by entrepreneur Georg Paradise, which was able to bring a certain novelty to theatrical life Moscow, find your place in the capital's theater market.
This theater operated on the principle of a theater-venue, where tours of famous foreign performers and Russian provincial artists, as well as troupes of famous European theaters. His enterprise lasted for almost two decades. Pilyugin A. Reforms in the Imperial Theaters. 1882. - M.: Gitis, 2003. - P. 119
In those years, as today, anyone could formally become an entrepreneur, even a person without secondary education, completely unfamiliar with theater business, which was actually not uncommon. In the Directorate of Imperial Theaters, most employees, including the director, as a rule, had a higher military education, which included the study of domestic performing arts, painting, music and architecture. Sviridov V.A. Experience of semi-training of junior officers in pre-revolutionary Russia // Military Thought. 2000. No. 5 - Page. 120
It is also important that only an extremely limited number of capital entrepreneurs owned their own building. During the period under review, entrepreneurs built only two theater buildings in Moscow: the Korsh Russian Drama Theater and the International Theater by G. Paradise.
And another significant problem for most private theaters in the first years of their existence is payment for creative work. As a rule, entrepreneurs could not pay artists as much as the Imperial theaters. Those who tried to reduce this difference, or pay no less than in the imperial ones, like A. Brenko, faced inevitable bankruptcy. Pilyugin A. Reforms in the Imperial Theaters. 1882. - M.: Gitis, 2003. - P. 122
However, as history has shown, private drama theaters in the post-reform twenty years actually gave the capital’s stages a lot and, most importantly, a colossal experience of self-development, coming primarily from public initiative and private entrepreneurship. Rapidly emerging and equally rapidly fading enterprises significantly contributed to the development of mechanisms and the establishment of the principle of self-organization in the art market of the capitals. Dadamyan G.G. The struggle of two principles in the organization of theatrical business in Russia // Sat. Stage life and the contract world. P. 27
However, not all theaters built their activities on the basis of enterprises. Many were looking for new organizational and legal forms for their business; they are usually called partnerships of a new type. These are theaters like Moscow private opera S. I. Mamontov, Moscow Art Theater, Theater named after A. S. Suvorin. The troupe in the latter was organized on a share basis by the main shareholder - the owner of the publishing company Alexei Sergeevich Suvorin, as well as P.P. Gnedich, P.D. Lensky. Shabalina T. SUVORINA THEATER // Online Encyclopedia Around the World: [Electronic document]. - (http://www.netoskop.ru/theme/2001/06/21/2662.html). And about the organizational and legal form of the Moscow Art Theater It should be told in more detail, since it was unique in its own way.
In 2016, a new independent theater “Misanthrope” appeared in Kyiv. The team has already made its mark with high-profile multi-genre productions “Three Sisters” and “Invitation to an Execution.” Platfor.ma spoke with one of the project’s ideologists, composer Dmitry Saratsky, to prepare step by step instructions on creation independent theater in Ukraine.
Understand that you need theater.
Creating your own theater begins, first of all, with the thought of the impossibility of working differently. When you realize that there is no other way and, in order to realize your creative ideas, none of the existing platforms suits you, you begin to think, maybe you should create something of your own? To be independent from the market, directors, producers, the state and other “non-creative” factors. Well, then it’s a matter of will and the presence of like-minded people - because this path is very difficult and completely unpredictable.
Make sure that the law is not against your theater.
Today, registration is not such an important aspect of the existence of a theater group. You can work as an individual entrepreneur or LLC, you can join an already existing theater and be a kind of “unit”, or you can do nothing at all and just play performances. The only thing that requires some kind of legal justification is the sale of tickets. But here, too, everything is quite simple: it is enough to conclude an agreement with one of the many ticket operators and sell tickets through them.
If you work as a private entrepreneur or TOV, then you do not have to prove that you are a theater and not something else - the viewer himself will evaluate your work, but if you want to somehow join the state or municipal budgets, then here you will have to face the bureaucratic machine in all its glory.
Although, to be honest, this does not make any sense, since only selected groups can become “national”, that is, subordinate to the Ministry of Culture, there are very few of them - and the title of “municipal” or “regional” theater gives practically nothing in financially. Rather, on the contrary - this is unnecessary attention from the authorities, which means: control over the repertoire, tender purchases of literally everything (even batteries for microphones) and also, God forbid, some commissioned performances for the holidays. In general, only disadvantages. If you don’t have one, no one will give you a room, since theaters haven’t been built here for 80 years. So, whatever one may say, freedom and independence are better today.
Find people.
For an independent theater, people are what they are main factor success, because without a roof over your head, without long-term plans and financial support, the only thing that can make your colleagues follow you is their love for art and their willingness to sacrifice for it. Sacrificing time, earnings, sleep, health - and almost everything they have. And if you find such people, then there is a chance for the future, but if you are looking for people according to some other criteria - in the field of independent theater - you are doomed to failure.
Spend a lot of time looking for money.
In our case, the activity that takes the most time is searching for investments. We ourselves do not have sufficient funds to implement our planned productions, so we simply borrow money and then pay it back during the rental process. But this is our path, and it is quite possible that not everyone needs to follow this example.
Of course, working on a play, especially in the format in which we work, namely multi-genre theater, in which there are stage, musical, choreographic, and lighting components, is a very labor-intensive process. Among other things, since the investment and budget are not rubber, you have to do a lot yourself: from costumes to moving scenery and editing sound or light. After all, the more specialists you attract, the less money remains for fabrics, materials, microphones and the like. You have to save a lot. So, if you, for example, have a friend or relative who is ready to invest in you, do not neglect this help. The main thing is don't let these people influence creative process, otherwise everything will go to waste.
Decide what you want to deliver.
In our case, it was a little unusual: at first we decided to make the play “Three Sisters,” and only after its success we decided to present the theater and announce ourselves as a new group. But in general, you need to do only what you like, otherwise there is no point in creating your own theater. If you are going to adapt to someone, try to catch a trend or the mood of the public, there is no point in creating something new. The main thesis should be: “creativity in its purest form.”
Get busy with rehearsals.
Our rehearsals last 12 hours and few people can stand it! This is because, due to our very busy schedules, we cannot afford to rehearse the performance for six months. When a team has just started its life, it a priori cannot immediately bring in money, which is why each of us (both creators and artists) is engaged in many other projects that allow us to stay afloat. Well, if we consider perfect option- then rehearsals should last exactly as long as necessary, and it is impossible to predict this. It all depends on the genre of the play, on the underlying play, on the director’s inspiration in the end - and here everything is unpredictable.
Find viewers.
There is an opinion that it is very difficult for a new team to attract an audience, since audiences do not even go to famous theaters. In fact, everything is very simple: you need to make people believe that theater is not boring. That this is cooler than a movie, because everything happens here and now. That theater is a place where people, your contemporaries, will talk to you in your language about the problems that concern you. Not to teach, not to demonstrate something, but to communicate! And if your theater is truly alive and truly relevant, then the effect “ word of mouth"will attract more and more large audience. If you are not like that, no amount of advertising will help.
