Project Fringe 10 – Part 4 – 7.17.09

We are really making progress with Project Fringe. I have a partner in producing this show. His name is Clayton Smith. I have worked with Clayton briefly in producing a reading of one of his plays. Clayton is a bright young grad student in Chicago. He has written for this blog, and it is #2 in the top-ranked pages of the blog. Clayton will be heavily involved in the creative aspects of script formation. He will also play a key role in fundraising and marketing.

Speaking of the creative part, I am down to three ideas, though only two of them are fully formed. I want to get a director involved to help choose the piece. There is a local, young director who has assisted on a lot around town and directed a lot of readings and smaller productions. Next season will mark his directing debut of a main stage at a regional theatre in D.C. I won’t reveal his name yet, but he seems interested, and I will let you know once we move forward.

So a partner is attached, and a director and script are getting closer. Now to work on a marketing plan and budget with my partner Clayton. Stay tuned to see who will be playing the “director” in this adventure and what script will make the final cut.

Project Fringe 10 - Part 1 6.22.09

Okay, I announced earlier this week that I was going to dive into producing a Fringe Show. I got a lot of great ideas and a lot of people interested. I was actually surprised at the number of responses I received from all over the US, and some from people I didn’t even know. It was a huge boost. Now to move forward. I am going to go over the ideas (few actually had a finished show) and move forward from there. There is a lot to consider when moving forward.

First off, if you know anything about me, then you know I want to produce musicals more than plays. I am open to plays, but my passion lies in musical theatre; therefore, I am hoping to find a really good musical. Secondly, I want something that is going to be good. (Great Story and Great Music) I mean really good. I don’t want to put up a show that I am not proud of. The third thing I am looking at is people. Who will I want to work with over the next year to develop this show? They say producing is like marriage. You are together for a long time, so make sure it is someone you can really live with. I want the show to have a life beyond the festival, so the relationship could be for more than a year. Broadway producers of musicals that were written and closed 20 years ago still have to deal with the writers when it comes to subsidiary rights, so I will take picking the writers very seriously.

I am going to try and lay out all the ideas and writers and come up with the best options. Once I narrow down the choices, I will post my top three and move from there. Stay tuned to see what happens with Project Fringe.