Going to Grad School to Start a Theatre Company?

[maeda]

I'm not sure if this has been asked before, and I'm sure my situation is a little unusual. I just graduated last month with a Bachelor's Degree in "Japanese Language, Literature and Culture," because I had initially planned to become a literary translator; but for a few years now, I've had this idea of starting a performance company specifically

Comments

[maeda]

I don't want it to be, say, something the actors pay me to be able to take part in; I'd rather it be something the performers get paid for. I don't think it's going to be so successful that we'll make a living on performance alone, but at least it'll be a fun part-time job for them. As a performer with a "developmental disorder," I've slowly realized that while actual treatment is important, being able to do something that makes you happy can make a huge difference in how you cope with even simple day-to-day activities. I don't want it to take the place of treatment for people, but I want it to be a rewarding job for them in many ways.

Also, if we can get enough money coming in, I'd like to be able to give people some sort of annual "treatment grant"-not just to our actors, but to anyone who's been diagnosed with a physical or mental disability and can't afford treatment for it, as a way of helping them until they can pay for it themselves.

I've only helped with acting in and producing shows, so unfortunately, I don't have experience in management. Is this something I should go back to university for, before I even consider my masters? Or can I gain this experience at the same time? I'm sorry, I really don't know as much as I should...

[tisiphone]

As a non-profit you can pay actors to take part in the plays, and you can also draw a salary, as can any other member of your cast, crew, or anyone else. Just because you're a non-profit doesn't mean you can't make money! The main difference between not for profit and profit businesses is that at non-profits, any excess earnings (i.e. what you have left after paying everyone's salaries) go back to the organization's main purpose, such as providing treatment grants, say. At a for-profit, it would either be reinvested in operations or would go in the owner's pocket. There are a lot of advantages to being a non-profit as a theater group, too, like limited tax liability, the ability to compete for community funding and grants, take donations, and so on. You personally won't get rich doing it, but let's face it, anyone that aims to get rich in community theater is smoking something funny anyhow. My best suggestion? Seek out an internship with your local community theater group. See how things are run, find out how much you can realistically expect to make, what goes into a production, and so on. Don't jump into another degree of any kind before you know what you need to know.

[maeda]

Hahahah, I never expected to get rich. But I definitely haven't looked at it from that perspective! You're right, maybe it is better for me to think of my company as a non-profit. It doesn't really matter what goes into my pocket; I already knew I'd be working another job on the side. But I feel better knowing something will go to my actors! And I don't just want actors, since I'm sure there'll be people who want to help out but don't want to be on stage. I'd like it to be open to anyone with any artistic ability, or at least the passion for it. Whether it's music or set or costumes, there'll be a place for all of them!

I've been eyeing a fellowship at a theatre downtown, but the deadline had already passed when I found out about it, so I have to wait. But I'll give it a shot! Thanks for your help!

[sarahkathleen]

What ladykathryn said. :) I'm getting my MPA with a concentration in nonprofit management, and I think what you want to do definitely fits in with a nonprofit, particularly because you want to work with people with disabilities. Part of the reason I went back to school was because I wanted to learn all of the fundraising & financial management skills that are really needed for nonprofits to be successful. There are a lot of people who have the passion for whatever they want their nonprofit to be about, but those people sometimes lack the business skills to keep their organization running.

My program has a full MPA or a certificate. If you don't want to go to school full time or aren't sure about the nonprofit thing, I'd suggest trying out a certificate program that would allow you to pursue the full degree if you like it. (I don't know where you are, but I go to school in Indianapolis, and it's a top rated program for nonprofit management. I'd be happy to tell you more about it specifically.)

The other thing I'd really suggest is that if you're serious about working with people with disabilities and you don't have a lot of experience (you didn't say, so I'm not sure) then you might actually want to intern somewhere that serves that type of client, rather than an arts organization. That would help you really understand the people you want to serve, and it would give you some good ideas about how to tailor the programs that you offer to make them accessible.

[maeda]

There are a lot of people who have the passion for whatever they want their nonprofit to be about, but those people sometimes lack the business skills to keep their organization running.

This!! This is what I'm most worried about. I know I've got the passion and the ideas for my nonprofit, but I don't have that shrewd business mind that people always talk about, and I don't have the skills to even start an organization, much less maintain it.

I only have experience working with people with developmental disabilities like me. But then, I've only helped run support groups for them. I'm a little worried that if I make it too broad and say "anyone with a disability!" I won't be able to help everyone fairly or equally, but I also don't want to exclude anyone. :(

I'd like to go back to school full-time for a MBM, and the college I just graduated from has a program for that (I'm in Maryland, by the way!) but I was wondering if I needed to do more than that while in grad school because it's going to be a performing arts organization. Or if an MBM isn't the best fit for what I want to do, you know?

[roseofjuly]

And maybe as an extension of joining a local community theater group, get active within it and the management of it and see if you can start a wing or offshoot or special program specifically for those with disabilities and then see if you can branch off and make it a separate company (or who knows, it may be successful enough as a part of an already-established community theater group).