MITF Festival Manual
We intend these notes as helpful hints for applicants to the Festival.
The
2010 MITF application can
be downloaded from here.
Read this manual carefully before filling out the application.
E-mail inquiries are welcome for any clarification we can provide.
Phone calls and faxes are discouraged.
Deadline and event dates to be announced!
Please read through this manual before downloading the application. An application fee of $30 should be sent with the application in the form of a certified check, cashier's check, personal check, or money order, in U.S. funds, collectible on a U.S. bank. Write the name of your show on the memo line of your check or money order made payable to "Midtown International Theatre Festival."
We will e-mail successful candidates with an invitation to join the Festival by April 1st. The official schedule will not be released to the production until contracts are signed and all fees are paid.
Our philosophy is based on a paradoxical combination of selectivity and diversity. We welcome any kind of stage play, musical or otherwise, new or classical, mainstream or specifically focused on an ethnic or cultural niche. The classics are as alive today as they ever were, and we are always interested in new productions of classical plays. We also encourage plays of all racial and sexual stripes, as well as plays in all genres.
The chief restrictions on submissions are the length of a show and its amenability to being done with minimal scenery in a festival setting. Otherwise, three things make up a successful entry in the MITF: a good play, a competent producer, and a marketing plan. We must see all three in an application in order to make an offer to be in the Festival.
You must choose one of the following financial plans when you apply to the festival, unless you are submitting a staged reading (see Staged Readings). All entries must go through the selection process. Click here to see a financial breakdown.
We pay any box office monies due within four weeks of the close of the Festival, or of your approval of accounting, whichever comes later. The Festival makes no requirement for participation in future royalties from any works performed under its auspices.Plan A: Easy on the Wallet
Plan B: Theatrical Entrepreneur
Plan C: The Commercial Division
Short Subjects - click here for manual
NOTE: The following kinds of shows are NOT eligible for Plan A: solo shows, shows from outside the tri-state area, sketch-comedy, or improv groups. For shows under 60 min., see Short Subjects.
Under Plan A there is a non-refundable participation fee of $500 for 5 performances (for Theatre Row the non-refundable participation fee is $700), payable upon signing the contract. The festival only guarantees that you will get the first three performances initially scheduled. The remaining performances will be released to you depending on the results of the advance sale.
You must meet a minimum sales goal to make money back from the box office. We call this the "guarantee." For a 90-minute show, the guarantee is 40 percent of the total seats in all the performances you were assigned, regardless of whether they sell. If a show doesn't make this guarantee, the show doesn't owe any money, but nor does it make any money. If a show does make its numbers, we split the excess revenue over and above those numbers with the show, 50/50. For a 90 -120-minute show, the guarantee is higher: 50% of the total seats in all the performances assigned. You receive half of any revenue over and above the 50% guarantee.
Guarantee Under Plan A, by Venue and Running Time
| Venue/Size | Running Time | Guarantee (tix/perf.) |
| The Beckett on Theatre Row/99* | 60 – 90 min. | 40 |
| The Beckett on Theatre Row/99* | 90 - 120 min. | 50 |
| The Clurman on Theatre Row/99* | 60 – 90 min. | 40 |
| The Clurman on Theatre Row/99* | 90 - 120 min | 50 |
| June Havoc/98* | 60 – 90 min. | 40 |
| June Havoc/98* | 90 - 120 min. | 50 |
| Dorothy Strelsin/56 | 60 – 90 min. | 24 |
| Dorothy Strelsin/56 | 90 - 120 min. | 30 |
| WorkShop Main Stage/65 | 60 – 90 min. | 26 |
| WorkShop Main Stage/65 | 90 - 120 min. | 33 |
| WorkShop Jewel Box/30 | 60 – 90 min. | 12 |
| WorkShop Jewel Box/30 | 90 - 120 min. | 15 |
*Plan B shows receive preference for these theatres.
NOTE: Solo shows, shows from outside the tri-state area, sketch comedy, and improv shows must opt for Plan B only. For shows under 60 min., see Short Subjects. Producers who sincerely think their shows can sell tickets should consider this plan. The total budget is still considerably less than that involved in renting a theatre.
Under Plan B, there is a participation fee of $500 (for Theatre Row the non-refundable participation fee is $700). You also pay a theatre usage fee up front: $6.00 per seat per performance, for a 60-90 minute show; $7.00 per seat per performance for a 90-120 minute show. For Theatre Row the theatre usage fee is $7.50 per seat per performance, for a 60-90 minute show; $9.40 per seat per performance for a 90-120 minute show. However, you receive 90 percent of the gross, and you can have as many performances as you wish, subject to approval of the Festival.
Per-Performance Costs Per Venue Under Plan B
| Venue | Size | Cost (60 – 90 min.) | Cost (90 – 120 min.) |
| The Beckett on Theatre Row | 99 | $743 | $931 |
| The Clurman on Theatre Row | 99 | $743 | $931 |
| June Havoc | 98 | $588 | $735 |
| WorkShop Main Stage | 65 | $390 | $488 |
| Dorothy Strelsin | 60 | $360 | $450 |
| WorkShop Jewel Box | 30 | $180 | $225 |
This is a lot more than it would cost under Plan A, but the participant keeps 90 percent of the door, allowing the show to break even on Festival costs by selling only half-houses.
MITF's Commercial Division is the Rolls-Royce of Festival options!
The TBG 99-seat theatre is home to MITF’s crčme de la crčme. To our knowledge, no other theatre festival in the area offers the extended rehearsal time or personal attention that come with the Commercial Division. It comprises up to 5 shows in rep with the following benefits (compare with other financial plans):
*You keep 90% of the door
The Commercial Division financial package is a variant on Plan B (participation fee plus theatre-usage fee). The participation fee is $1000. The theatre-usage fee is $8.00 per seat per performance, to reflect the higher cost of the theatre and the fewer performances given in it. You receive 90 percent of the door. Your total Festival commitment, including application fee, is $8158 (not counting production costs, of course). You need to sell 454 tickets at $18, or a hair over half a house for 9 performances, to break even on your Festival costs.
* More Amenities
TBG Theatre has a 29'-deep stage, some of which we curtain off for storage of flats or bins. There is also storage backstage. We will make your storage fit, within reason. There are 2 spacious dressing rooms, as well as a backstage toilet and shower. The lobby is also bigger than many Off-Broadway lobbies and can be used for receptions and the like.
* More Time for Changeovers
In the Commercial Division, there are at least two hours between shows. You may get in the theatre at least an hour before your start time, and take at least an hour to clear out afterwards.
* Time to rehearse all day and/or night
The Commercial Division is a workshop for ambitious shows, but it is also a chance to apply a final coat or two of polish, or even do extensive rewrites during production. If you want, your cast can come in at 10 am and continue to work till your evening curtain. This experience can truly help you develop your show. Extra in the theatre time comes at no extra cost.
* An extra week of performances
After all that development, you'll want to showcase your show at its best! Not only does a 4th week of performances give you more time to develop your work, but you and your colleagues in the Commercial Division will be the last shows standing in the Festival, so you won't be competing for attention with other shows. This is the week you can focus on bringing in industry or press to promote the results of your hard work. Your closing performance could even be a backer's audition.
* Higher ticket prices
The base price for tickets in the Commercial Division will be $18, just as in the rest of the Festival, so you may perform under the showcase code if you want. But we won't stop you charging more money if you want to; certainly the market will bear $25 a ticket, for a well-honed production, especially during the final week. This allows you to produce under a higher AEA contract, if you wish.
The Festival opens the June Havoc Theatre (98 seats) for staged readings, at only $250/performance - audience admission is free. The only qualifying criterion, other than that the presenters cooperate with festival policies and procedures, is that the scripts be dramatically interesting (they are reviewed by at least one artistic director and by our Festival staff). This is an opportunity for playwrights and others to hear new work for the first time with an eye toward eventual production...maybe even back at MITF!
These readings take place on weekday afternoons, but we promote them through our regular publicity channels. Production values must be minimal: we expect participants to start and end on time and make appropriate use of the space.
We have had sponsored staged readings and special cultural events in the past. Whether we have these again will depend on the level of sponsorship that appears before the events are planned.
Participation in the Festival is an excellent opportunity to test-drive your script in the center of one of the two great theatre districts in the world. The exposure you’ll receive from industry and press will help the show in future incarnations. All this in a friendly and supportive environment! Click here to see testimonials from previous participants.
The MITF is big enough to expose your script, but not too big that you get lost or forgotten. Since we are "the festival that cares," we promise to do our best to communicate any and all information and resources we feel will help your production reach its fullest potential.
We have detail-oriented management and a paid, year-round staff that gives special attention to each individual show. We can be easily contacted by e-mail and usually respond within 3 - 4 business days. All communications are sent out in a timely fashion...starting months before the festival opens. We prepare the performance and rehearsal schedules as soon after getting commitments from the participants as possible. You will receive all the information you need without having to ask for it.
All participants in the Festival may be comped into any show in the Festival, on a standby basis. This is an excellent way to support your fellow MITF artists, to network and to cross-promote.
We also provide space at Where Eagles Dare rehearsal studios to hold receptions during the Festival. The Festival is glad to let you use these studios for free, provided you staff the reception, cater any food, and clean up afterwards. We'll even throw in a case of beer for your party! Reception-goers are also ticket-buyers, and if you plan this for your opening, people will spread the word and bring friends back to your show.
See Appendix 5 for a list of specific things the MITF provides.
We aggressively pursue international productions! International applicants include not only groups with international artists but also groups wishing to submit plays written by an international author or a play dealing with international themes.
It's tough to come to a strange place and put on a show. It's better if you have a local company that is willing to co-produce your show (including marketing). But even out-of-towners can make it here -- and, after all, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.
We have an artistic director responsible for international plays: Susan Rankus (susan.mitf@gmail.com). She will help you with the logistics in bringing your show to New York City (housing, visas, financing, etc.). Whatever services we provide, they won't make up for not having a local production manager. All participants, like locals, are responsible for all aspects of production and publicity for their shows, as well as travel expenses and accommodations.
There is an early deadline for international applicants to give you the following advantages:
1) Scheduling
preferences. You have the advantage of choosing your schedule and number of
shows. If you are flying in from out of town or from another country and it's
not in your production budget to stay in
New York City a whole month or do a full 6 shows
and you wish to do only 3 shows on only one weekend, then just note your
preference on your application and we will do our best to accommodate you.
2) More time to prepare. You'll have more time to research,
plan, promote, raise money, find grants, and get sponsors.
3) More time to utilize our help. We'll be sending you resources and info on everything we can think of, including:
International shows must opt for a financial plan other than Plan A.
If selected, your show is scheduled into one theatre for a predetermined number of performances over 3 weeks. (If your advance sale goes well, you'll have a chance to add more.) Performances generally start no earlier than 4:00 p.m. and no later than 10:30 p.m. on weekdays and run from 11 am to 11 pm on weekends. (Staged readings are in the early afternoon on weekdays.)
We distinguish among 3 kinds of slots, according to their popularity: premium (Friday or Saturday night), average (say, Tuesday night) and, let us say, less-than-average slots (Saturday morning, for example). When we make up the schedule, we assign everyone an equal value of slots. The only ground for appeal is to point out obvious errors, like 2 slots on the same day (unless you asked for them) or no weekend slots.
Note: This section applies to Plan A shows only.
Only the first half of your performances will go on sale during the Advance Sale. Productions that don't sell at least 25 percent of the total number of seats on sale, by the end of the Advance Sale, risk losing remaining performances. As soon as you meet your 25 percent minimum, we will release the rest of your performances and put them on sale to the public. The minimum amounts to roughly 10 - 25 tickets per performance, depending on the size of the theatre. If you do not meet your minimum, you risk losing performances to either a Plan B show, or a Plan A show that is selling exceedingly well.
Example: You have been given 5 performances in a 40-seat theatre. Only the first 3 performances are put on sale for the Advance Sale. You must sell a minimum of 30 tickets before the Advance Sale ends to secure your last 2 performances.
Minimum Advance Sale for Plan A, by Venue (based on 5 performances with 3 put in the Advance Sale)
| Venue/Size | Minimum Advance Sale |
| The Beckett at Theatre Row/99 | 74 |
| The Clurman at Theatre Row/99 | 74 |
| June Havoc/98 | 74 |
| WorkShop Main Stage/65 | 49 |
| Dorothy Strelsin/56 | 42 |
| WorkShop Jewel Box/30 | 23 |
The MITF handles all aspects of selling tickets. Tickets are sold by phone and on the Web. Once the festival has opened, patrons can buy tickets at the MITF box office, sold by MITF staff. Every performance has a detailed box-office report, made available to you after the festival closes.
You are required to have a house manager who is responsible for the following duties:
Your house manager should also have authority to make any decisions concerning your show in the absence of the production's producer. We strongly recommend the house manager be a member of the producing team - he or she must be present at all performances to sign off on the box office report. Critics and industry are comped, provided they make reservations through MITF or meet AEA showcase guidelines. All MITF participants are comped into most shows as long as there is room (restrictions apply to Short Subjects). Any other comps are entirely at the Festival's discretion.
Under the showcase code, Actors' Equity Association (AEA) permits union members to perform provided the producer agrees to certain restrictions. We will do nothing to violate these restrictions, but individual producers must make their own arrangements, including filing all the appropriate paperwork on time, with AEA to produce under the showcase code.
MITF does offer the insurance AEA requires. AEA showcases are required to purchase volunteer accident insurance, which covers AEA members' risk of accident during auditions, rehearsals, and performances. The Festival buys a blanket policy to cover all showcases in the MITF. Shows that wish to participate in the policy pay a nominal sum (in recent years, $4.55 per volunteer member of the company, whether AEA or no) to share in the coverage. (A volunteer is anyone in the company not being paid more than expenses.)
The MITF publicizes the Festival and coordinates all press relations, including interviews and critics' attendance. We publish brochures and other marketing materials as well as several E-blasts. However, we expect each production to do its own publicity, in addition to the above.
You will be asked to submit publicity photos and PR materials so we can send complete press packages to print and broadcast media. You must publicize your own show through mailers, handbills, posters, or ads. The more you promote your show, the larger your potential audience.
Production values must be kept at a minimum to accommodate all festival productions. The festival caps the maximum cast size at 12 people so no show is too big for its venue. Plays in the Commercial Division have a little more flexibility in all technical elements than those prescribed below.
The following is general festival technical information that applies to all venues. For more detailed technical specs, look up the theatre you are interested in the MITF Venues section.
Storage
To keep as much of the stage space usable as possible we need to restrict scenery elements and storage. In general, all stored items must be taken with you every night. However, the festival provides stock pieces, as follows:
The June Havoc and WorkShop Mainstage Theatres allow two stackable bins for backstage storage.
Quantities are subject to change. Updated scenery specifications are sent via email to festival producers at least one month before the festival opens.
Lighting
Our resident lighting designer designs a general rep. plot for all participants to use. There are warm and cool washes, back light,side light and areas. Our LD also includes various specials for everyone to use, but does not design for individual shows. It is absolutely forbidden to refocus or change color on any lighting instrument during the Festival, subject to fines.
A Venue Manager is on hand in case of technical difficulties, but each company must assign an individual to run the lights and sound. There is a dimmer check at the beginning of each day.
Sound
Each venue has a full sound system. There is at least one CD player, and additional inputs are available to add additional equipment (you must provide your own cables). For space and safety reasons, you must leave the booth in the same condition you found it – taking any additional equipment with you after each show. There are no mics available, nor are they needed in any of our venues. Your sound op needs to have technical knowledge of the playback equipment and mixing boards that are available to them. The festival will make a pre-show curtain speech notifying patrons of emergency exits and asking them to turn off cell phones.
Costumes
There is no costume storage in any venue. You must transport costumes to and from the theatre every night. If you have a period show with large costumes, you must make arrangements to store the pieces outside the theatre. We recommend wheeled suitcases for easy transportation.Tours of MITF venues are made available after your show has been confirmed. The theatres are all very busy, and it is not possible to walk in without an appointment.
TBG Theater in the Theatre Building (99 seats)
The Beckett in Theatre Row (99 seats)
The Clurman in Theatre Row (99 seats)
June Havoc at the Abingdon Arts Complex (98 seats)
Dorothy Strelsin at the Abingdon Arts Complex (56 seats)
MainStage in the WorkShop Theaters (65 seats)
Jewel Box in the WorkShop Theaters (33 seats)
Where Eagles Dare Studio Blackbird - see Short Subjects manual
TBG Theater (99 seats): 312 W. 36th St., 3rd Floor.
This theatre is only available to shows choosing Financial Plan C - the Commercial Division.
The stage and dressing rooms will be open to each show at least an hour before show time. All storage must be approved by the festival well in advance of tech. Storage is kept backstage and under the risers. All flats must be stored behind a curtain that is hung approximately 2 - 3 feet from the back wall of the stage. There is a crossover backstage, not behind the curtain. TBG Theatre has a computerized light board and complete sound system with a mixing board (additional outputs available) and stereo speakers.
The Beckett (99 seats): Theatre Row, 410 W 42nd Street
There is no green room at Theatre Row, but shows will be allowed in the theatre half an hour before their showtimes.
There are costume racks in the dressing rooms to be used at the time of your show only - you may not leave costumes on these racks overnight.
All props and additional technical elements must be stored in a maximum of 2 plastic storage bins (you can get them at K-Mart relatively cheaply) and they must stack on each other. Plastic bags, crates, or cardboard boxes are prohibited for safety reasons. Everything must be labeled clearly - the festival is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
The Beckett comes equipped with a Strand 300 console light board. Each show must provide its own disc - a backup disc is also recommended. The sound system includes CD and mini-disk playback. There are two Radian 8 250w speakers, one 18" Single Subwoofer, and two amps with a Mackie 1402 14 Channel Mixer.
You are welcome to bring in musical instruments, but be aware there is no storage for them.
While Theatre Row has been soundproofed, due to the festival setting there will always be a little bit of a problem with bleeding. The Festival venue manager regulates the volume of all sound cues and music to help keep the sound from bleeding, but it is ultimately up to your house manager to keep external noise down.
The Clurman (99 seats): Theatre Row, 410 W 42nd Street
There is no green room at Theatre Row, but shows will be allowed in the theatre half an hour before their showtimes.
There are costume racks in the dressing rooms to be used at the time of your show only - you may not leave costumes on these racks overnight.
All props and additional technical elements must be stored in a maximum of 2 plastic storage bins (you can get them at K-Mart relatively cheaply) and they must stack on each other. Plastic bags, crates, or cardboard boxes are prohibited for safety reasons. Everything must be labeled clearly - the festival is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
The Clurman comes equipped with a Strand 300 console light board. Each show must provide its own disc - a backup disc is also recommended. The sound system includes CD and mini-disk playback. There are two Radian 8 250w speakers, one 18" Single Subwoofer, and two amps with a Mackie 1402 14 Channel Mixer.
You are welcome to bring in musical instruments, but be aware there is no storage for them.
While Theatre Row has been soundproofed, due to the festival setting there will always be a little bit of a problem with bleeding. The Festival venue manager regulates the volume of all sound cues and music to help keep the sound from bleeding, but it is ultimately up to your house manager to keep external noise down.
June Havoc Theatre (98 seats): Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex, 312 W. 36th St., First Floor
There is a green room to be shared with all MITF shows. It will be equipped with makeup and dressing facilities. The green room is open at all times during festival hours, but is neither adjacent to the stage nor equipped with a monitor.
There is a costume rack in the dressing room to be used at the time of your show only - you may not leave costumes on these racks overnight.
All props and additional technical elements must be stored in a maximum of 2 plastic storage bins (you can get them at K-Mart relatively cheaply) and they must stack on each other. Plastic bags, crates, or cardboard boxes are prohibited for safety reasons. Everything must be labeled clearly - the festival is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
The June Havoc comes equipped with a full computerized ETC 125 Express light board. Each show must provide its own disc - a backup disc is also recommended. The sound system includes CD and mini-disk playback. High and mid-range speakers are 400 watts, subwoofers are 1000 watts. Amps and speakers are Audio Reality equipment. Mixing board is a Behringer UB2442FX.
For musicals in the June Havoc, we offer a Yamaha P80 electronic keyboard or equivalent (a full-size, 88-key instrument) with an amp. If you need to use other instruments, be aware there is no storage for them.
While the Abingdon has been soundproofed, due to the design of the structure there will always be a little bit of a problem with bleeding. The Festival staff regulates the volume of all sound cues and music to help keep the sound from bleeding, but it is ultimately up to your house manager to keep external noise down.
Dorothy Strelsin Theatre (56 seats): Abingdon Arts Complex, 312 W. 36th St., First Floor
There is a green room to be shared with all MITF shows. It will be equipped with makeup and dressing facilities that are very limited. The green room is open at all times during festival hours, but is neither adjacent to the stage nor equipped with a monitor.
There is a costume rack in the dressing room to be used at the time of your show - you may not leave costumes on these racks overnight.
The Dorothy Strelsin has a fully computerized ETC 24/48 Express light board. Each show must provide its own disc - a backup disc is also recommended. The sound system includes CD and mini-disk playback. High and mid-range speakers are 400 watts. Amps and speakers are Audio Reality equipment. Mixing board is a Mackie 1402.
While the Dorothy Strelsin has been soundproofed, due to the design of the structure there will always be a little bit of a problem with bleeding. The Festival staff regulates the volume of all sound cues and music to help keep the sound from bleeding, but it is ultimately up to your house manager to keep external noise down.
Main Stage Theater (65 seats): WorkShop Theaters, 312 W. 36th St., 4th Floor
There is a green room to be shared with all MITF shows. It will be equipped with makeup and dressing facilities that are very limited. The green room is open at all times during festival hours, but is neither adjacent to the stage nor equipped with a monitor.
There are two costume racks in the dressing room to be used at the time of your show - you may not leave costumes on these racks overnight.
All props and additional technical elements must be stored in a maximum of 2 plastic storage bins (you can get them at K-Mart relatively cheaply) and they must stack on each other. Plastic bags, crates, or cardboard boxes are prohibited for safety reasons. Everything must be labeled clearly - the festival is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
The Main Stage Theater comes equipped with an ETC computer light board with 98 channels. Each show must provide its own disc - a backup disc is also recommended.
For musicals in the Main Stage, we offer a Casio Privia electronic keyboard or equivalent (a full-size, 88-key instrument) with a built-in amp. If you need to use other instruments, be aware there is no storage for them.
While the WorkShop Main Stage has been soundproofed, due to the design of the structure there will always be a little bit of a problem with bleeding. The Festival staff regulates the volume of all sound cues and music to help keep the sound from bleeding, but it is ultimately up to your house manager to keep external noise down.
Jewel Box Theater (33 seats): WorkShop Theaters, 312 W. 36th St., 4th Floor
There is a green room to be shared with all MITF shows. It will be equipped with makeup and dressing facilities that are very limited. The green room is open at all times during festival hours, but is neither adjacent to the stage nor equipped with a monitor.
There is a small costume rack in the dressing room to be used at the time of your show - you may not leave costumes on these racks overnight. There is only room for a maximum of 4 people in the tiny dressing room.
The Jewel Box Theater comes equipped with a Microvision computer light board with 98 channels. Each show must provide its own disc - a backup disc is also recommended.
While the WorkShop Jewel Box has been soundproofed, due to the design of the structure there will always be a little bit of a problem with bleeding. The Festival staff regulates the volume of all sound cues and music to help keep the sound from bleeding, but it is ultimately up to your house manager to keep external noise down.
Non-musical plays should not be under 60 minutes nor over 90 minutes. No musical should be over 120 minutes, including intermission, if any. For shows under 60 min., see our Short Subjects manual.
It is not unusual in a festival setting to do an abbreviated version of your work in order to fit within the time limitations. The MITF promises its audiences medium-length shows: long enough to feel satisfied and short enough for the average summer festival-goer's attention span.
THEATRE ROW: There is one hour between shows at Theatre Row, which allows each production 30 minutes in the theatre and dressing rooms before and after their show.
COMMERCIAL DIVISION: There is two hours between shows in the TBG Theater, which allows each production one hour in the theatre and dressing rooms before and after their show.
ALL OTHER VENUES: There is 30 minutes between shows, which allows each production 15 min. to load-in and 15 min. to load-out between performances. If your show runs over its allotted time, you throw off the schedule for the whole day. In a festival setting this can be disastrous. You will be fined for each time you run over, the amount to be determined based on the amount of time the production runs over. If it happens more than once we reserve the right to cancel your remaining performances.
Your load-in and load-out schedule must include the audience getting into the theatre as well:
If you have a show that has an 8:30 GO and comes down at 10:00 pm, your schedule would be like this:
You will receive a tech time slot that runs 3 times your running time (for example, if your show is 90 minutes, you have 4 hours and 30 minutes). During this time you should get the blocking set, run all tech elements, and determine your "load in and load out" plan of attack to execute a smooth curtain.
It is possible to buy extra tech time when it is available. Rent for extra time in the theatre after the festival has loaded in is at favorable rates. All space rentals are payable in advance by check or cash.
The MITF staff does its best to ensure that all festival participants cooperate. Sweet smiles and encouraging words are great, but sometimes negative reinforcement in the form of a fine is in order.
These fines reflect simple rules meant to reinforce the Festival philosophy of cooperation, which stems from the collaborative nature of the medium. There are fines for the following infractions:
The Festival assesses fines out of the producer's share of the gross. If a show hasn't accrued enough ticket sales to cover a fine, the producer must pay before a further performance.
The following is additional information that may be handy, especially to newer producers:
• Formatted for the stage
• Typed
• Bound
• Complete (no outlines)
We are also concerned about whether the production company will be compatible with our production practice. Playwright-producers abound Off-Off-Broadway. But theatre is a collaborative art form, and plays should be put on by teams. These teams are led by producers, who may or may not be authors of the plays they produce.
A producer doesn't have to be the person putting up the money. Commercial producers often don't put their own money into a show: they spend Other People's Money (OPM). But every production needs someone whose principal job is running the production itself. The application asks for that person's name and a thumbnail sketch of his or her history.
A large amount of the audience for the MITF is your friends and relatives, but also subscribers and people from individual companies' mailing lists. The MITF does its own marketing and PR, through extensive press releases (to get free listings, features, and reviews), as well as advertising in TimeOut NY or other media, like Facebook ads and Google Ad words. But only you can bring in your own captive audience. So how you intend to get those people into the theatre is a subject of great interest to us.
Marketing 101 - A Crash Course
There are many aspects of marketing. For the purposes of the Festival, marketing isn't press and publicity -- it consists of all the ways you can go out and sell tickets. But whoever is concentrating on marketing must work closely with whoever is handling your press and publicity, as these are also ways of communicating with your audience. The purpose of a marketing plan is to connect you to your audience. Only when you know your audience can you go after them to bring them into the theatre. And saying that your audience is merely "people who like good theatre" isn't enough. They have to like the kind of theatre represented or promised by your play.
These two people (marketing and press agents), if you are lucky enough to have two, should at least agree on who that audience is! For example, if you have a gay play, you will want to reach out to as many gay groups (through the community center in Greenwich Village, for example) as you can; you will also want to reach out to all the gay publications, both in print and on the Web, and any gay or receptive radio and TV shows. You can tell these media people your story and make special offers, like coded discounts. None of this good work will happen if your press and marketing people don't agree that you have a gay play.
So your marketing plan should therefore start with the script. If you haven't figured out what your play is about, you'll never figure out who its audience is, and your marketing efforts will never get moving. The more specific your audience, the easier it is to sell.
Once you know what your play is about and have figured out who might want to see it, you can start brainstorming ways to connect to that audience. A play in two Festivals, for instance, On the Couch with Nora Armani, dealt with the life of an Armenian-Egyptian woman. It was logical to go after people in the Middle Eastern community, both individually and as groups.
The next step, then, is to write a brief teaser -- one sentence only -- about your play. "An inside account of life and lunacy in a Broadway box office" tells you all you need to know about the play to get your interest going, if that's the kind of play you like. (The title, Do You Have Anything Closer?, in this example, helps too.) You now have an idea about whom to approach to come see the play -- anyone actively involved in the theatre, for one (this play sold tickets to groups of box-office workers, for example, and developed huge buzz in the theatre community at large). We will use your teaser on the ticketing Web site and in the Festival press release.
Next you need a more descriptive blurb, longer than your teaser but easily digested. Forty words is a good number. This blurb will also go in the press release and on the ticketing Web site. If you can sum up your play in the teaser and blurb, you are well on the way to meeting your other marketing goals.
The ticketing Web site lets people in the know get a special price if they know a certain code we build for you. There's no point in publicizing this code to just anyone -- we might as well just charge less. There's a lot of point in publicizing the code to particular groups, who are thereby energized to come see your show because they are special. If these groups are really your target audience, they'll tell their friends and acquaintances and build buzz for you.
You can also create tie-ins with businesses. Let's say you have an ethnic play. It's logical to talk to restaurants of the same ethnicity about co-promotion. This co-promotion can involve something as simple as trading an insert or ad in your program for display of your postcards at their cash register; or you could ask the restaurant to provide wine or food for a reception after your show, and then tell your audience that anyone coming to the show on a particular night gets an invitation to the reception (see Benefits) before or afterwards.
Appendix 4: Financial Breakdown
Shows that sell lots of tickets make money; shows that don't sell enough tickets make no money.
The Festival pays the following expenses:
We do not charge hidden fees for insurance, fireproofing, use of a dressing room, etc. We do not ask or expect shows to tip venue managers, who are paid employees. Producing theatre in New York is not for the faint of heart, but we try to tell you about all costs up front.
The participants pay all other expenses associated with their productions, including the following:
*Theatre Usage fee varies for each financial plan and theatre.
Appendix 5: Division of Responsibilities
What the MITF provides:
What each group must provide:
What each group may provide:
We've touched on the need for consideration by participants toward others in the Festival. The theatre is full of divas, who think their work is more important than that of anyone else.
What is a diva? A diva is someone who thinks his or her talent demands obeisance. It shines like the sun, outdoing the pale, wintry gleams cast off by its fellows.
We don't appreciate divas, nor do we tolerate disruption. Anyone who is unable to control his or her divahood (and let's face it, we can all be divas, given the chance!), should find another outlet for it.
While Off-Off-Broadway has its share of divas, it also has a population of hardworking professionals. Equity showcases, after all (which form the core of Off-Off-Broadway), are merely professionals working for no pay.
What is professionalism? Professionalism is speed, as anyone will attest who has watched an ice-skating display that combined amateurs and professionals. Professionalism is consistency: in all fields, the amateur is sometimes brilliant, but the professional is always good (or at least consistent). Above all, professionalism is never having to say you're sorry.