I’ve spent pretty much the entirety of this short, but somehow endless month deep in a hidey hole of show production preparation on LAYOVERS. (Side note, go follow us on instagram! Also tell me how freaking good that website looks.) So much so that I’ve barely had time to think about what to write for this month’s missive much less, you know, actually write it.
As the month comes due, however, I realized that the nuts and bolts of show production are potentially exactly what I should be writing about. I know there are many folks out there itching to produce their own work, but it’s a daunting task that involves real, tangible risk, and no one out there is offering a road map*.
So, to that end, here we go.
Welcome to the first installment of Show Production 101!
But first, a little bit about me and my history with producing works of circus. What makes me qualified to speak on this subject? Possibly nothing, though I have produced and directed more than a dozen shows (non-inclusive of student showcases) in as many years. Some of them have done regional tours, one of them has been performed entirely by children, some of them have been commissioned by international festivals. You can read about a few of my favorites here.
I started producing circus shows in college with my school’s fire and circus group. When I joined as a freshman, they were doing two fire shows per year. By the time I graduated we had added two indoor, theatrical shows per year to the list. Why is this relevant? Because it gave me something I’ve realized many potential circus directors lack—hands on experience in a low-risk setting.
In college I didn’t have to worry about filling seats because all our shows were free. I didn’t have to worry if the choreography was bad because I knew some of it definitely was, and our audience wasn’t paying to be entertained. In college I did have to worry about inter-club drama, which thankfully is not something that I’ve had to worry about much as an adult.
This sandbox experience gave me not only experience, but the confidence (whether earned or not) to believe that I could do this in the real world, for real money because I’d done it before. And confidence, as we know, is, if not the whole game, certainly a large part of it.
So. Let’s dig in.
Disclaimer: These are of course my opinions based on my own experiences and you might have different ones and that is absolutely fine. If your opinion is different that doesn’t mean I’m saying you’re wrong. It’s just like, my opinion, man.
SHOW PRODUCTION 101
TYPES OF SHOWS
The type of show you’re producing is going to determine much of what comes after because different types of shows have vastly different needs with respect to budget, rehearsal time, venues etc. In my years of consuming circus, I’ve found that I can generally fit shows in to one of three categories: cabaret shows, narrative shows, and plug and play shows.
Cabaret Shows:
I define a cabaret show as a string of unconnected feature acts either played through or often introduced and hosted by an emcee. There might be some sort of group intro or finale, but not necessarily.
Cabaret-style shows are probably the most common style of show for a reason—they require far and away the least amount of planning resources from both the performers and the producers.
For most cabaret shows all the rehearsal is done by the performers in their separate spaces, on their own time.
Narrative Shows:
A narrative show is a show that has been written and rehearsed to stand as a cohesive unit. It has a distinct beginning and end, and a thread you can follow throughout, though it may not be telling a specific story. Acts have been written or heavily amended specifically to fit the show. There are probably a good number of group acts, and many, if not all, of the performers will perform multiple disciplines throughout the show.
Narrative shows are the hardest kind of shows for independent producers to create—they require vast planning resources from both the performers and the producers.
While artists may rehearse solo acts on their own time, narrative shows require space and time for potentially many months of group rehearsals.
Plug and Play Shows:
A plug and play show is a hybrid falling somewhere on the spectrum between the other two types of shows. In a plug and play the majority of acts are standalone acts that may have been augmented slightly to fit the theme of the show (ex: set to new music) and are tied together thematically or narratively by some sort of overarching framework. There is minimally some sort of a group intro and finale.
For many producers a plug and play is a nice middle ground. It allows you to present something more cohesive than a cabaret, but without the level of work and rehearsal time required of a narrative show. For this type of show there is usually a short, but intensive group rehearsal period leading up to the show. Plug and play shows also allow you to make casting changes over time without greatly having to revise the show.
Much of the decision on what type of show to create may be decided for you before you even start based on the resources you have at your disposal, or the circumstances that are allowing you to create a show in the first place.
If you get to choose, however, and you’ve never produced a show before I think a cabaret style show is a great place to start. It allows you to dive into the nitty gritty logistics of show production (Budgets! Timelines! Venues! Insurance!) while asking a minimum of your performers and other resources, such as rehearsal space and time.
And there you have it—installment one of an indeterminate number of issues of Show Production 101! I was planning on starting this series with discussing timeline and budget, but as I was writing realized that the type of show is going to determine a lot of that as well, so why not start at the very, very beginning?
I’d love to hear your questions and comments on types of shows or any other aspect of show creation so that I can discuss them in future installments!
Until next time! Thanks for being here!
*Eric Bates has recently written and published The Contemporary Circus Handbook through Modern Vaudeville Press. I highly recommend it, but it is geared more towards folks producing at a more international level/places with arts funding.
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