There's one step that, though, that has a number of producers on the fence: the out of town tryout.
Monday, October 07, 2019
Out of Town Tryouts- Yea or Nay? And Why?
There's one step that, though, that has a number of producers on the fence: the out of town tryout.
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This article gives a fascinating look into some of the decisions a Broadway or for-profit theater producer has to make. Cost benefit analysis for try outs versus cold opens is a big think, and can really make or break a show. I believe some producers, think Disney, have flexibility in being able to spend as much money as they want to refine and perfect shows. It’s no secret that often Disney uses it’s own parks and cruises to start some musicals without actually…you know…starting a musical. They do “live action stagings” of their popular and well loved movies in these places, sometimes only scenes, sometimes full length stories, to entertain people. This gives them a launching pad for when they do decide to go to the full production new musical route, and means that there isn’t a fear of “Should we try this to find what works and doesn’t before hitting a major tourist center?” And I think it’s important that it’s not just critics in New York. Broadway is not a New York audience place. It’s an international audience that has traveled and spent a lot of money for what is expected to be a finished product. With a lack of real estate and mounting pressure to make it and give those international audiences a real treat worth their travel, a try out may be the right thing—if you have the money to risk it.
I have always been fascinated with the idea that before coming to Broadway, many shows do an off-Broadway or regional theatre “test run”. I understand the argument that people recommend opening a show somewhere other than Broadway or New York, because of the higher stakes in which Broadway represents, and the potential for a profit loss. Also, the other argument which suggests that an Off-Broadway run provides more of an opportunity to work our potential kinks and correct mistakes without the pressure of a Broadway run over your head. However, more and more shows are doing “cold opens” and start their run on Broadway. It really comes down to money and how much the show can afford. I also thought it was interesting that “Something Rotten” was brought up as an outlier, as they ditched their regional theatre run and went straight to. Broadway because a theatre was open and they were able to take it. In that case, it depends merely on timing. Overall, I think that every show. Experiences different circumstances, and when you are on a production such as this it is important to evaluate the resources you have and the best possible path for the show.
This article does a great job of explaining what an out of town tryout does for a show. It brought up some things that I would never have thought about. It made sense to read about how out of town try-outs are used to ramp up pre-sales or get audience response but when the producers are quoted talking about how out of town tryouts a practice makes perfect situation I was surprised. This is a common-sense idea that I would never have thought about. Out of town tryouts seems like the Previews of a production just expanded into a whole production. Ken Davenport brings up a good point that each show has a different process to Broadway for the reason of how much it costs. This makes complete sense and reminds the reader that there can not be a definitive answer to whether or not all shows should have an out of town tryout or not. I also would have never thought about the real estate on Broadway dictating when a show comes to Broadway or not. This makes total sense but just something I wouldn't think about.
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