Editor’s Note: Several producers/artistic directors of Los Angeles intimate theatres responded to our question: “What to Do With a Hit Show…Extend It or Move It?” The following is the sixth response to LAStageBlog’s question by Racquel Lehrman, Founder and Managing Director of Theatre Planners and the Lounge Theatre
As a producer in Los Angeles for over eight years, I find that question is not discussed as much as I would hope. Usually houses that are half full and above are a good sign the show will have a really nice six week run at its 50 to 99 seat theatre. It’s not the “norm” to have sell-out houses and demand for a show to continue in 99 and under theatre, so when this good problem arises, it’s always a challenge to continue… whether it is extending or moving to another theatre.
Ironically, as I write this I’m actually in the process of moving That Perfect Moment, a comedy directed by Rick Sparks, from the smaller theatre at NoHo Arts Center to the Little Victory Theatre in Burbank. The show was selling out almost every performance and there wasn’t a possibility to continue our run at NoHo Arts Center. They were booked with a show right after our six week run, which is a normal challenge most productions face at rental houses.
So this posed the dilemma …just enjoy the sold-out six week run or spend more money, move the show to another theatre and hope your calculated risk will pay off and audiences will follow you. Well, that’s exactly what we decided to do. I felt the pros far outweighed the cons and that the move made sense. I was fortunate enough to have fantastic actors who A) were available and B) 100% committed to giving this show another life. The Little Victory Theatre had the exact dates we wanted and is a perfect location for our audiences, so on a marketing level the theatre made sense. Plus, the entire production team was able to commit to the move and adjust to the dimensions of the new space.
Another important aspect to consider when moving a show is timing. When I said the Victory had the exact dates we wanted, it was extremely important to me not to have a lot of down time between the closing and reopening. Audiences can be fickle and very quickly forget about the show they loved just a few weeks earlier.
We are re-opening within a month of closing at NoHo Arts Center; postcards, advertising and press releases have already been sent out so audiences can find us quickly. That will hopefully help the transition. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that the show takes place during Christmas so it makes perfect sense to continue running in December and on through January. That way, we can take advantage of new advertising markets for our “holiday-themed” show that might not have been available to us during our initial run.
Whether you move a show or extend, it’s always a challenge to keep the production alive. My advice is to weigh all the options and determine if an extension or a move makes the most sense both financially and in terms of timing. And don’t force it. If the stars don’t align, it may be better to close the show on a high note and remount it when the time is right rather than force a move or extension.
