THE BUSINESS OF SHOW BUSINESS

A guide and instruction book for community, university, college, high school and other local amateur groups with theatrical projects concentrates on the how-to of presenting individual plays or seasonal series of productions. First things first- and the selection of the play (or plays) to be given is discussed along with working out -- and balancing- a budget, checking the dates of performance against other events, organizing and printing the tickets, running a good box office, direct mail and other media promotion and working out an attractive playbill. With the show on stage comes the way in which to handle the public, how to make use of reviews, attention to legal matters and liabilities, books and periodicals useful to such enterprises, some proven ways to save money (ingenuity in stage sets, furniture, and props, local manufacture of cosmetics and make-up, etc.). And on to the final reckoning -- bookkeeping and the correct kinds of records to keep on the shows' set-up and results. Helpful for new organizations, a tickler for established groups.