Forging ahead - How Grinder will survive the Armaggeddon
There's days I wish I were wealthy enough to play the stock market. These are not those days.
No matter where you look, there's more and more doom and gloom about our immediate collective financial future. Now I'm not a financial expert, and I don't know exactly how bad things are going to get, or what outcomes we can expect from a prolonged recession. I do know that we have a business to run, one that is, at least on the surface, particularly at risk of falling through the cracks of a crumbling economy. I thought it would be a good idea to let all of you know that we do have a plan for ensuring Grinder Productions can weather the financial storm, and to tell you a bit about the strategies we are undertaking to ensure we continue down our path.
Our plan consists of many things that we have already been working on. We'll continue to look for ways to reduce the number of male roles in our shows, so as to capitalize on the substantially larger talent pool of women at our disposal. With fewer people being able to afford to have the time to act, male and female talent pools are likely to shrink even further, so it makes sense to draw more heavily from where we have the best chance of casting our shows in a timely fashion. This may also extend to more onstage opportunities for youth and children as well: we're a heckuva lot cheaper than playing hockey.
We'll also continue to reduce the number of "purchased" shows that we do. As this past summer demonstrated all too clearly, name recognition counts for little or nothing anymore. It's what a play is about and who is in it that puts bums in seats, not the name of the author. While we won't eliminate previously-produced works from the canon completely (that would drive even the most hardened of TV sit-com staff writers off the deep end) it's clear that original works are a viable option at Grinder, and that these shows can make money.
We're also reducing technical rehearsal time, working closer to acheiving two tech days for every show in each of our venues. I'm not entirely thrilled by that (especially as regards the Grand in Fergus, where the tech is much more elaborate), but with rental costs well over 50% of our budget (over 80% if there are no royalties costs) it is essential that we are only in the theatres as long as is absolutely necessary.
We're going to continue to ramp up marketing efforts, a process that has been going on for quite a while now, but will become more and more focal, especially over the winter months.
These are some of the things that we are going to do. Notice that I do say "we." Grinder Productions is not the extension of one man. It is the cumulative efforts of over 300 actors, directors, production people and volunteers, not to mention thousands of patrons over the years. The people of Grinder come from all ages, backgrounds and walks of life, and our greatest successes have only come when we have worked together. Our greatest failures have only come when I have worked alone. We're going to have to work together to keep Grinder afloat in the months ahead. So talk up the company, tell everyone you know how much fun you had at your last show, and how much you're looking forward to your next one. Come on out and see shows yourself, and bring your friends. If there's a night where you're the only people in the audience you'll know just how badly we need your support. And most of all, do not give in to the doom and gloom surrounding us - things will improve over time.
These are the days when we show what we are truly made of.
No matter where you look, there's more and more doom and gloom about our immediate collective financial future. Now I'm not a financial expert, and I don't know exactly how bad things are going to get, or what outcomes we can expect from a prolonged recession. I do know that we have a business to run, one that is, at least on the surface, particularly at risk of falling through the cracks of a crumbling economy. I thought it would be a good idea to let all of you know that we do have a plan for ensuring Grinder Productions can weather the financial storm, and to tell you a bit about the strategies we are undertaking to ensure we continue down our path.
Our plan consists of many things that we have already been working on. We'll continue to look for ways to reduce the number of male roles in our shows, so as to capitalize on the substantially larger talent pool of women at our disposal. With fewer people being able to afford to have the time to act, male and female talent pools are likely to shrink even further, so it makes sense to draw more heavily from where we have the best chance of casting our shows in a timely fashion. This may also extend to more onstage opportunities for youth and children as well: we're a heckuva lot cheaper than playing hockey.
We'll also continue to reduce the number of "purchased" shows that we do. As this past summer demonstrated all too clearly, name recognition counts for little or nothing anymore. It's what a play is about and who is in it that puts bums in seats, not the name of the author. While we won't eliminate previously-produced works from the canon completely (that would drive even the most hardened of TV sit-com staff writers off the deep end) it's clear that original works are a viable option at Grinder, and that these shows can make money.
We're also reducing technical rehearsal time, working closer to acheiving two tech days for every show in each of our venues. I'm not entirely thrilled by that (especially as regards the Grand in Fergus, where the tech is much more elaborate), but with rental costs well over 50% of our budget (over 80% if there are no royalties costs) it is essential that we are only in the theatres as long as is absolutely necessary.
We're going to continue to ramp up marketing efforts, a process that has been going on for quite a while now, but will become more and more focal, especially over the winter months.
These are some of the things that we are going to do. Notice that I do say "we." Grinder Productions is not the extension of one man. It is the cumulative efforts of over 300 actors, directors, production people and volunteers, not to mention thousands of patrons over the years. The people of Grinder come from all ages, backgrounds and walks of life, and our greatest successes have only come when we have worked together. Our greatest failures have only come when I have worked alone. We're going to have to work together to keep Grinder afloat in the months ahead. So talk up the company, tell everyone you know how much fun you had at your last show, and how much you're looking forward to your next one. Come on out and see shows yourself, and bring your friends. If there's a night where you're the only people in the audience you'll know just how badly we need your support. And most of all, do not give in to the doom and gloom surrounding us - things will improve over time.
These are the days when we show what we are truly made of.
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