I've been told that the mark of a good producer is in his attention to detail. And it’s true. I spend a lot of time worrying about frivolous things. I over analyze everything. If a press release is a day late I get upset. If I don’t book the theater for the exact dates I want I get upset. And those blue suede shoes that I bought for the wardrobe? They better match the pants perfectly or I’m going to be upset.
Attention to detail is a good thing. But sometimes you can get so caught up with it that you forget the most important thing: make the show good. As in the writing needs to be good, and the acting needs to be good. At the end of the day – that’s why people come to the theater. If someone complements me on how nice the set is (or how beautiful the clothes were) then I’ll consider the show a failure. Because if the set stood out over the writing and the acting then we have a serious problem.
So all these details like “what time of the years is best to open,” or “how should I word the press invitations” – give them due thought, but it’s far more important to make the show good. Good shows survive and bad shows die. Period.
Remember, you can produce a hundred mediocre plays and get nowhere in this business. But produce one hit and you’ll be remembered forever.
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