A comprehensive text and indispensable reference for all arts managers.


David M. Conte's vast expansion of the Langley classic delivers a broad, comprehensive view of theatre and performing arts management based on the premise that all the performing arts share the same core issues. Mr. Conte addresses the needs and concerns confronting 21st Century managers.

David M. Conte is a theatre manager working on Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. He is also an experienced manager of musicals on the road. Additional credits include work in regional theatre and touring international ballet and opera companies. He is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama.


616 pages, Publisher: Entertainment Pro, March 2007

Now in its 25th year, the Commercial Theater Institute sponsors an annual intensive program in New York for individuals interested in producing or investing in the theatre that attracts people from all over the world. The top working theatre professionals offer hard, factual information to those interested in producing for Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, anywhere in North America, as well as in the United Kingdom. The Commercial Theater Institute Guide to Producing Plays and Musicals now collects for the first time the cream of the crop of that advice, from the noted theatre professionals who participate in the program, in their own words. Interviews, contributions, and a resource directory are included from 30 theatre professionals who have won a total of 45 Tony Awards. Agents, directors, production designers, general managers, fundraisers, marketing directors, producers, and theatrical attorneys all offer invaluable advice in a book that will be the definitive resource in its field.


# Paperback: 288 pages

# Publisher: Applause Books (January 2, 2007)

The Art of Governance is an essential guide for trustees in the performing arts and for the artists, managers, and community leaders who work with them. This book provides the larger context in which trustees govern-the art, artists, history, institutions, and national policies of the performing arts-and also explores more practical issues, such as board development, planning, finance, and fundraising. A wide range of distinguished artists, trustees, managers, and consultants have contributed articles, covering everything from "The Art of Theater" to "Understanding Financial Statements." An invaluable tool for building an enlightened and inspired board, this resource above all recognizes the need of trustees in the performing arts to find a balance between the uncertainty of artistic creativity and the need for fiscal stability.


Editors Nancy Roche and Jaan Whitehead have served on the boards and staff of numerous theater organizations.



Nancy Roche has been a trustee of CENTER-STAGE in Baltimore since 1987, serving as president of the board for seven years and as interim managing director for one year. She has been a consultant on governance for the National Arts Stabilization (now National Arts Strategies), a councilor of the Maryland State Arts Commission from 1992-1999, and has twice served as lay panelist for the NEA. In the summer of 2000, she participated as a theater trustee in the National Critics' Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut, returning in the following summer as a founding member of their week-long Trustees Program. She is a founding member of the National Council for the American Theatre and serves as a trustee and treasurer of the board of Theatre Communications Group. In addition, she serves on the boards of the Roland Park Country School, the Institute for Christian-Jewish Studies, and the Baltimore School for the Arts. She is a graduate of Dominican University and received an MA in teaching and an LLA, both from The Johns Hopkins University.



Jaan Whitehead currently chairs the board of the SITI Company, an ensemble theater in New York led by Anne Bogart. She has served on the boards of The Acting Company, Arena Stage, Living Stage, and The Whole Theatre Company, where her particular interests have been board development and institutional change. She has also been a trustee of Theatre Communications Group and the National Cultural Alliance, an arts advocacy group in Washington, and is a founding member of the National Council for the American Theatre. In addition to her work as a trustee, she has been executive director of Theatre for a New Audience in New York and Development Director of CENTERSTAGE in Baltimore.



Ms. Whitehead graduated from Wellesley College, holds and MA in economics from the University of Michigan, and, early in her career, works as an economist for private industry and the Federal Reserve Board. She received her PhD in political theory fro Princeton in 1988. She taught at Georgetown University for several years but, as her involvement in theater deepened, she made the arts her main work while retaining her interests in economic and political theory. Drawing on this background, she has recently been writing a series of essays on the challenges facing the arts in a commercial society.


# Paperback: 320 pages

# Publisher: Theatre Communications Group (August 2005)

Playwrights, directors, heads and members of ensemble performance groups, producers, and students and budding thespians starting out in the business will find a comprehensive resource to more than 50 festivals throughout the world. Readers will find expert tips to selecting festivals that are best suited to their work, as this directory explains which festivals are performance-driven, fringe, or playwright-oriented; which festivals draw producers with the deepest pockets; and which draw the biggest crowds. Every step of festival participation is covered: contact information, application requirements, auditions and tryout performances, face-to-face meetings and more. Readers will find all the tips they need to travel with their shows, such as customizing a production for the road, packing, budgeting, and obtaining insurance. This book also serves as a full business primer, answering essential questions on negotiating and networking with producers.



Paperback 256 pages (March 2005)

Publisher: Allworth Press,U.S.

The best practices that consistently lead to successful theater operation are now revealed in this comprehensive resource. Culled from surveys and interviews with theater managers and experts in crucial functional areas, this guide provides important tips for all people who work or want to work in regional, campus and community-based theaters. Proven strategies from managers, staff, and volunteer leaders cover virtually every aspect of running a theater - from audience development and fundraising to facility development and community involvement.


Paperback 256 pages (January 2005)

Publisher: Allworth Press USA

Inside the Minds: The Performing Arts Business is an indispensable guide for anyone wanting to learn more about the business behind the arts. In this book, the presidents and executive directors of top orchestras, operas, and theatres from around the country offer their professional wisdom on surviving and thriving in the arts world. Discussing the best strategies for increasing and maximizing the impact of fund raising, ticket sales, corporate contributions, and more, authors reveal the best ways to obtain the financial security necessary for carrying out the artistic mission of any organization. From the challenges of running non-profit organizations today to cultivating and securing audiences for tomorrow, these seasoned arts professionals articulate the finer points on the performing arts industry now and into the future. Topics range from the large national orchestra to the small independent theatre and traverse the art, history and culture of diverse regions and communities. With a wealth of insider knowledge gleaned from years of experience in the field, Inside the Minds: The Performing Arts Business provides readers with insightful and practical information on this rewarding field.


Paperback: 96 pages

Publisher: Aspatore Books (December 1, 2004)

Offers guidelines on raising money, obtaining rights, and bringing a play to the stage, and discusses movie deals, legal aspects, contracts, and licenses.


About the author


Donald C.Farber was born, raised and educated in Nebraska. He graduated from the University of Nebraska, receiving his B.S.in Law in 1948 and Juris Doctor in 1950. In April of 1950, he was elected to the Order of Coif, Honorary Law Society, for high academic achievement in law school.

Mr.Farber has an active theatrical practice in New York City and in other parts of the United States and the world. He represents many theatrical productions, actors, actresses, directors, producers, authors, theatre owners, repertory companies, and persons in every aspect of theatre, film and the other creative arts. He is a partner in the law firm of Farber & Turek, New York.
Mr.Farber is the author of seven books dealing with various business and legal aspects of theatre.
Mr. Farber began his teaching career in 1970 at York University in Toronto, Canada when he conducted a three day seminar for Canada's leading theatre people. He was thereafter invited as a visiting professor to teach a course at York University for Arts Administration students during 1972 and 1973 at which time he commuted weekly to Toronto during the school terms. He has been a guest lecturer at the Drama Department at Brooklyn College and New York University.

He was the Chairman of the Practicing Law Institute Seminar on Theatre Law in 1972 and taught entertainment law at the Hofstra School of Law during the 1974-1975 term. In 1975, he was one of the featured speakers at the Iowa Arts Council Seminar and also at the Hofstra Institute for the Arts. He has been on the faculty of the New School for Social Research since 1974.
In 1982 he conceived of, organized and presented a three-day seminar on commercial theatre producing in New York City, the proceeds of which were donated to FEDAPT (Foundation for the Extension and Development of the American Professional Theatre), a not-for-profit tax-exempt corporation organized for the purpose of furthering theatre.

He also conceived of and planned an intensive course in theatre production for twenty-five highly qualified students participating in a three-hour session once a week for ten weeks. These programs have proven highly successful.


His Homepage: http://www.donaldfarber.com

Anthony Field explores the changing style of theatres including interior design, exterior design, ticket and seat prices, and levels of service, while questionning whether the theatre still exists as a place of entertainment for regular theatre-goers or has become merely a tourist venture. He talks of "the death of the theatre and theatre-going" in the new millennium, laments the loss of good actors, and studies the changing nature of the Arts Council in a Britain which has lost its 'theatre-going' culture.

The book extends from examining the system of playwriting to theatre management to investigating the economic, political and financial aspects of the theatre which make it what it is today and not what it used to be.

Paul Webb provides commentaries on each of the articles, adding his own insight into the topics.



A regular columnist on theatre for the industry's newspaper, The Stage, Anthony Field was, in the 1950s, Chief Accountant to a group of companies involved in West End theatres and cinemas before moving to the Arts Council, where he worked for over 25 years. As Finance Director he controlled a budget of over £100 million, and was on the Board of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. He is Vice Chairman of Theatre Projects Consultants, advising on the construction of theatres, concert halls and opera houses around the world. As a theatre producer he created the Watergate Theatre Club, whose staging of modern dramas helped end the anachronistic censorship of plays by the Lord Chamberlain. Among the shows he has produced have been I'm Not Rappaport, Hello Again and Nixon's Nixon. He lectured at Harvard Business School from 1971-1980 and is Visiting Professor in Arts Administration at the City University, where he initiated the training of arts administrators.

Paperback 204 pages (July 15, 2004)
Publisher: Entertainment Technology Press
ISBN: 1904031269

The only comprehensive guide to the current theatre, dance and opera scene in Ireland both North and South, a must for anyone interested in touring into Ireland or thinking about collaborations and exchanges with Irish companies and artists.


Paperback 208 pages (June 23, 2004)

Publisher: New Island Books

This comprehensive, ready-to-use collection of 44 model business and legal forms will save anyone involved in the performing arts thousands of dollars in legal fees! Written by an entertainment lawyer and producer, Business and Legal Forms for Theater includes samples for every aspect of theater law, including author agreements, commissions, production license, play publishing, and more. Artists, producers, directors, theatrical designers and even box office managers will have everything they need to prepare their own contracts, negotiate the best possible deal, and minimize legal risks. Accompanying CD-ROM includes all forms, checklists, and contracts in both Mac and PC formats.

Charles Grippo is an attorney, producer, and playwright whose plays have been produced by theater companies in New York, Chicago, and California. The author of The Stage Producer's Business and Legal Guide, he lives in Chicago.

This guide brings together the stories, beliefs and experiences of a few seasoned theatre managers. Through them, a portrait and a concept emerge depicting what they have unknowingly practiced throughout their careers. Designed to be a stepping stone for new theatre managers, this book covers a wide variety of topics including budgeting theatre costs, gross potentials and ticket prices, show contracts, settlements and emergency and security procedures. A sample budget, building forms, and show and performance forms are also included. While most of the experiences in this book relate to commercial theatre, many of the ideas put forward can be applied to not-for-profit theatre and facility management.



Paperback, 281 pages, Scarecrow Press (September, 2003),

ISBN: 0810846837

This essential handbook is aimed at students, graduates and all aspirants to stage managership, whether amateur or professional, whether the production is on a large or small scale. The clearest and most practical comprehensive work on the subject that I have seen.The Stage

Paperback: 160 pages

Publisher: Nick Hern Books; 2Rev Ed edition (January 2004)

This title offers a practical guide to starting or running a theatre for young people. From the initial idea to form the company, through the tense days of rehearsal, to the final performance of the first production, it covers all aspects of youth theatre management, production and direction. Topics include creating a company and choosing a venue; working together - building a team, improving technical standards and motivating individuals; and choosing suitable material and assessing scripts. In addition, pre-rehearsal planning, preparation, conducting auditions and casting, conducting technical and dress rehearsals; devising stories or plays; design, lighting and sound, costume and props; and surviving (and enjoying) the first night and the run of the play is also covered.


Paperback, 160 pages, Crowood Press (UK), May 2003,

ISBN: 1861266049

Everything from finding a performance space, to creating a first season, to promoting your company and production, to designing a long-term plan is discussed in detail in this engaging guidea sometimes irreverent, always relevant look behind and beyond the curtain of the modern stage troupe. Through personal experience and the war stories of esteemed stage veterans, the author reveals the pitfalls, passions, and practicalities of the theater industry. Chapters include developing business and budget plans, rehearsing, attracting attention with publicity and word-of-mouth, adapting to growth, and more. For everyone from the budding professional to the avid audience member wanting the ultimate back stage tour, no other book contains the unique insight and sound advice found in this indispensable reference..

The most accurate and comprehensive directory of the performing arts in Britain

Perfect for putting performers in touch with venues and vice versa. Revised and updated every year.

The BPAY provides information on hundreds of Companies & Solo Performers (Dance, Drama, Community, Puppets, Mixed Media Entertainment, Opera), Orchestras, Jazz & Light Music, Light & Dance Orchestras, over 300 Arts Festivals, a wide variety of Suppliers & Services, colleges offering courses for performers and technicians plus entries on over 1,200 Venues detailing everything from stage dimensions and lighting rig to the artistic policy, booking terms and even the distance to the nearest railway station.

This title offers a practical guide to all aspects of this exciting and pivotal job in the theatre, from first receiving the script, through the rehearsal process and production period to putting the show away after the final performance. Topics include: the stage management team - roles and responsibilities; reading the play; working with the play, researching it and making a prompt copy; finding and borrowing props; making realistic stage food and drink; rehearsal process, including technical and dress rehearsals and, finally, stage management in performance.

The stage manager is at the core of every successful theatre production. He/she organizes, manages and runs the rehearsals and the performances; researches and procures the props and furniture; and provides a creative information flow between everyone involved in the production. Job requirements include superb organizational skills, initiative, resourcefulness, flexibility and an endless supply of patience. This handbook is aimed at students, graduates and all aspirants to stage management, whether amateur or professional, whether the production is on a large or small scale. The book takes the reader through a typical production, week by week from running the rehearsals to running the show. Charts and helpful checklists are included throughout, as well as a selection of blank report forms for photocopying. Other topics covered are: who does what within the production team; theatre unions; the job market; and computerization.

Solo artists and performing groups of all types will find everything needed to book performances, build tours, and succeed on the road in the third edition of this classic reference. This third edition has been updated to include information about the revolutionary new ways that performers, managers, and presenters are using the Internet to transform the business of booking live performing events. Special chapters by outside experts provide in-depth information about what presenters need from artists, the technical aspects of touring, the unique demands of touring abroad, and touring through the eyes of the artist. The book includes a Tour Managers Resource Kit and numerous other ready-to-use sample materials, including a contract, letter of agreement, technical information questionnaire, performance checklists, calendars, schedules, tour budget model, technical glossary, and much more.


Paperback - 288 pages, 3rd edition

Watson-Guptill / Allworth Press 2001

Before the curtain rises, careful planning, budgeting and scheduling must be overseen--making even the smallest production potentially complicated. This one-of-a-kind guide simplifies this complex task, giving theater operators, managers and bookkeepers a solid working knowledge of the fiscal, promotional and administrative operations that are crucial to getting a production mounted.
From operating statements and fire safety to advertising and running the box office, this guide helps managers to organize their productions and keep their numbers straight by offering dozens of templates, charts and contracts that can be customized to suit their needs. Best of all, every form and system included has been used successfully in a real operating theater, ensuring readers this advice will work.

The practical, step-by-step guidance packed into this book shows aspiring theatrical producers just how to set up and run a successful stage company. Starting with forming a company, the author explains how to establish and fund a budget; book a stage venue; obtain necessary licenses and insurance; see that health/safety regulations are in compliance with local laws; then cast, rehearse, and put the show on view for the public and critics. Details on the duties of the house manager, stage manager, technical crew, and box office help are all included, along with tips on publicizing and promoting shows.

Gill Davies is the author of Create Your Own Stage Effects and the forthcoming Create Your Own Stage Makeup. A theater-production expert, she lives in Pembrokeshire, England.