What would be an accurate performance cost for a theater play?

Question

Hello, i am working in a theater company and i want to sell some performances at elementary schools and also some workshops with the theater students in High School. We work in Latin América, so I dont know how are the costs in the USA or Canada

How much do you charge for performances/workshops in USD?

thank you very much

Answer 1

Most people have answered a per-ticket price, but I think you want to know how much you should charge a school to bring your troupe in. The amount varies from theater company to theater company, and also varies with the size of the show, number of performances, whether the show is subsidized by a government grant, etc.

Your best bet is to research children's theater companies or educational theater companies and see if they have per-show prices listed on their websites.

As an example, I've linked the Great Arizona Puppet Theater company which does school shows. This biggest for 500 people or less ranges from $400 - 600 per show, the next for 150 people or less ranges from $170 - 350 per show, and the smallest for under 80 range from $160 - 250 per show.

Answer 2

I work in the third largest school system in America. If you want to sell your show to schools, contact the Curriculum office, or the superintendent's office, and ask to speak to the Director of Performing Arts for the district. S/he can give you information about getting your show into the elementary schools, and your workshops into the high schools.

As to costs, that varies from state to state. You'll need to do some research. Try doing a Google search with the two letter state abbreviations followed by "dpi." For example: "nddpi" will get you to the North Dakota Public Schools website. You can do that for every state.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

I'm a theatre teacher and former member of a company that toured educational shows. I think that in many districts you'll have more luck contacting arts teachers or principals at the schools themselves to sell your shows than by contacting district administration.

Prices do vary. Touring shows in my area charge from $300-$1000 per performance.

I will tell you that getting money from schools is very, very hard. We don't have much. I am obviously a BIG advocate for the arts in my school, and even I have trouble asking my principal to find $300 in our meagre budget for something like this--we're just stretched so tight everywhere.

I suspect that you are going to have a very difficult time getting enough money to pay your artists and cover your costs if you depend on school budgets alone. May I suggest that you look into corporate sponsorships and/or grant monies? Often, schools who are interested in having you will know some businesses or grant funds that have worked for them in the past and may ask for your help in soliciting these places again. You should also have some $ sources in mind yourself for those schools without experience finding the money for themselves.

Answer 4

Are you asking what to charge the CAST, or what to charge the attendees?
US costs for performers are usually about $65 per show, and tickets for attendees here range from $12-$35 depending if it's "dinner theater" or a matinee with no food served.
You will find that the majority of attendees know someone in the cast and will pay whatever (within reason) to support their family or friend.

Answer 5

A lot of it depends on your costs. If you don't rent an expensive venue to stage your play, you can charge less than if you pick an expensive theatre. If you use a play that has small or no royalties, you can charge less than if you perform an expensive play.

I work with a community theatre company that charges $12-$15 per show. We do a combination of pricey and less-expensive shows, so that might be a good estimate for you to use.

Answer 6

It depends on where you perform them and where the seats are. if you performed it on Broadway, i would say anywhere fro $50-$175, but if it is only a community theater thing, i would say anywhere from $10-$20. I hope that helps