In the Spotlight: David Richards, Joey Parnes, and Jim Glaub (left to right) discuss how they produce and market Broadway plays and musicals.
On April 5, some fifty Tisch Drama students and alumni attended "Producing Broadway," a panel discussion presented by the Broadway Speakers Bureau. Operated by the Broadway League, the Bureau exposes emerging theatre artists to careers off stage—from producing and company management to publicity and casting, and more.
At "Producing Broadway," moderator Eva Price and a panel of theatre professionals shared their experiences and insights about mounting, managing, and marketing musicals and plays for commercial theatre. Joey Parnes, lead producer of A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, the 2014 Tony-Award winner for Best Musical, said "there is no moment" when he knows if a show is ready to be produced. When he does decide, his guiding impulse isn't whether or not he thinks the project will be a hit. Instead, he goes with his gut, or how he feels about a show. "You'll spend a lot of time developing and watching a play, so you'd better love it," he advised.
General Manager David Richards, compared producing plays to musicals. Like financial realities, Richards told students that size matters. Collaborating with a playwright and a director on a play is very different than working with a musical's large creative team and cast. "Size impacts the way we collaborate," said Richards. "It informs every decision."
Jim Glaub, who leads Broadway web, social media, and video production campaigns at Serino/Coyne Advertising, chatted about social media's role in building an audience. He and his team hope that all of their shows become "global brands" like The Lion King and The Phantom of the Opera. That doesn't happen often on the high-risk Great White Way, but Glaub is convinced that digital content is—and will continue to be—a major factor in spreading the word about Broadway shows.
He's got his eye on Snapchat and plans to create original video productions that will extend the theatregoing experience before and after a performance. He suggests that social media makes it possible to create "third act" experiences that "circle" audiences back to a show. [J.McG]