The Theatre Industry Is A Community

One of the reasons I have chosen to make the theatre industry a centerpiece of my career is because the industry really is a community.I first began to understand how communal the industry is as a lawyer.  It’s incredibly common in contract negotiations for a theatre lawyer to decline to accommodate a requested contract term because the lawyer does not want to set a new precedent for the theatre industry. Theatre lawyers know that it’s in everyone’s best interests to maintain industry standards, within reason. If theatre producers and creatives constantly have to reinvent the wheel when putting together a production, everyone suffers from the resulting uncertainty.That’s not to say that there are never innovations in theatre deals. Over the past 20 years, we have seen producers introduce the concept of amortization into theatre deals, to help shows recoup; we have seen general managers try to tighten the reins on house seats because so many of the best seats in the house go unused every night; and of course we all know about the premium seating phenomenon. But, on the whole, the industry embraces change judiciously.Later, I began to recognize that other members of the industry also recognize its communal nature.  For example, I have come to learn that theatre producers make an effort to schedule the opening night performance of their production on a night when no other production is opening. That way, there is no competition for reviewers or page space, and people in the industry don’t have to choose which opening to attend. Most producers believe that this practice is in the best interest of their individual productions and of the industry as a whole.Contrast that with the television industry, and it’s penchant for competitive scheduling. Or the film industry – didn’t something like eight films open on Christmas day last December?In the theatre industry we understand that a rising tide lifts all boats. Just one of the many things I love about my work.