As I select my first commercial project, I have created a check list of four vital criteria:
(1) Commercial Appeal
(2) Operating Costs
(3) Artistic Merit
(4) Investor Interest
Each day this week, I will cover one topic and, using well known examples, explain how my thought process would work in evaluating a property.
Artistic Merit:
It is so important to produce and/or invest in works that you love and can be proud of. To produce is to balance the business with the creative. Well-known producer David Stone (Next to Normal, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Wicked) said, “Every time I thought I knew how to create a hit, I failed. But every time I produced out of love, I had a hit.”
When evaluating a work for its artistic merit, I often look at a few specific areas:
1. Material and Creators: Good composers/lyricists/playwrights more often than not write good plays and musicals. The best theater starts with great texts. Some of my favorites include: Christopher Durang, George and Ira Gershwin, John Guare, Kaufman and Hart, Tracy Letts, Eugene O’Neill, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, William Saroyan, Tennessee Williams, etc.
2. Directors and Creative Teams: Good material will be elevated by a strong director and his or her creative team. Whether a traditional revival or new, innovative premiere, the best creative teams interpret works in intelligent, exciting, and insightful ways. How a story is told is as important as what story is being told. Some of the best working in the theater today include: Nicholas Hytner, Kathleen Marshall, Diane Paulus, Bartlett Sher, Susan Stroman, Daniel Sullivan, Michael Wilson, etc.
3. Actors: As the famous saying goes “90% of directing is in casting and the remaining 10% is fixing your casting mistakes.”
When all three of these elements come together, you have a show to be proud of and one that both critics and audiences will hopefully want to see.
(1) Commercial Appeal
(2) Operating Costs
(3) Artistic Merit
(4) Investor Interest
Each day this week, I will cover one topic and, using well known examples, explain how my thought process would work in evaluating a property.
Artistic Merit:
It is so important to produce and/or invest in works that you love and can be proud of. To produce is to balance the business with the creative. Well-known producer David Stone (Next to Normal, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Wicked) said, “Every time I thought I knew how to create a hit, I failed. But every time I produced out of love, I had a hit.”
When evaluating a work for its artistic merit, I often look at a few specific areas:
1. Material and Creators: Good composers/lyricists/playwrights more often than not write good plays and musicals. The best theater starts with great texts. Some of my favorites include: Christopher Durang, George and Ira Gershwin, John Guare, Kaufman and Hart, Tracy Letts, Eugene O’Neill, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, William Saroyan, Tennessee Williams, etc.
2. Directors and Creative Teams: Good material will be elevated by a strong director and his or her creative team. Whether a traditional revival or new, innovative premiere, the best creative teams interpret works in intelligent, exciting, and insightful ways. How a story is told is as important as what story is being told. Some of the best working in the theater today include: Nicholas Hytner, Kathleen Marshall, Diane Paulus, Bartlett Sher, Susan Stroman, Daniel Sullivan, Michael Wilson, etc.
3. Actors: As the famous saying goes “90% of directing is in casting and the remaining 10% is fixing your casting mistakes.”
When all three of these elements come together, you have a show to be proud of and one that both critics and audiences will hopefully want to see.
RSS Feed