That is an almost impossible question to answer, given that there are so many variables.BillyBob wrote:I was not really sure where to post this question, so feel free to move it.
Can anyone give a general idea of what it costs for a theater to bring in a average to large national touring show for about a 16 show run? I know that there a many variables involved, but I'm just looking for a rough estimate. Thanks.
However, you can come up with a very vague idea by reverse thinking it: Take the Ogunquit Playhouse, for example, which would expect a major show like BETM to produce a surplus:
Total seating = 668.
Estimated average seat price for BETM: $60 ($39-80, but a number of seats will be member concessionary priced)
Maximum take per show = $40,080.
One industry figure I have heard, that determines the break even point for a Broadway-class show, is 80%; hence the production costs are ca. $32,400 per show.
Multiply that times all 40 shows would indicate something in the vicinity of $1,300,000 to cover the basic production costs of BETM (gross take for the run could be $1,600,000).
Of course, that is open to huge variables. Somewhere just south of $1,500,000 would be my guesstimate. Bear in mind the OGP uses a lot of volunteers; the theater expenses are at cost only; and the theater receives a lot of sponsorship and membership donations - so the actual production costs could be lower.
