Class Handouts
Class Notes April 13, 1998
Taken by Amy Baldwin,
Thanks Amy!
Tonight our guest is Glen Poppleton of Dodger Touring, also known as "D-Tours".
He started out at the Wang Center in Boston, was company manager of shows including "Tamara", and has had seven years as Director of Sales. 4 or 5 phases of his job as a booking agent for touring companies include:
1. Sales-interesting people in the shows, get interest and a commitment 2. Routing the show-making sure the jumps are feasible with no open weeks. 3. Negotiating the deal-they spend 3-4 months just negotiating. 4. Engagement management-working with the marketing people, sales. Example: Titanic went on sale in Boston for 1999, 15 months in advance. Road tour operators responded well with $175,000 sold the first day. Tour operators arrange bus/theater outings , hotel packages. 4 weeks at the Wang - they want it to be perceived along with the big shows. Strategic marketing. 5. Mediator-interpreting contracts between the producer and the presenter. Understanding the intent, translating.
The New York connection for the road markets: bringing Broadway to hometowns. There are 60 principal markets in the U.S. Producers solicit outside producers to provide the product. Presenter is the person who puts up money to bring in a show, from small businessmen to corporation. Agents-there are 4-5 booking agencies: Wm. Morris, Columbia, the Booking Group, Dodger...
Presenters want to have a big show like Phantom which can anchor a season. It helps to increase sales for the whole year.
There are two types of deals: the "4-wall" deal where you bring in an entire product where they provide the walls, and a "basic" deal where they cover the advertising, theater, rent, ushers, box office, etc. A new arrangement is a "modified 4-wall" where the producer provides the show, the presenter provides the theater, labor, advertising, etc, and the profit- risk is 90-10% with 10% risk or profit to the producer. National Tours: equity contract must have more multi-week than single-week bookings. Bus and Truck: has more single than multi-weeks. In the spring of '97 we were working on the '98-'99 season. Looking at what shows were on Broadway, what can we do to keep going for the year. There aren't that many to choose from. Pace owns part of the Booking Group so Jekyl and Hyde is out. 60 markets =90 weeks. Pace controls 25=32 weeks. Dodger needs 60 weeks to make a profit.
How is the money spent: For example: $300,000. $50,000/week goes to payback for capitalizations. After 50 weeks, the $50,000 becomes profit. $250,000 goes to running expenses. Total $300,000/week is needed to stay out and break even. We only had 50 weeks of a tour, and each week has a chance to make a profit. The King and I was 90-95% sold. Q: Is there a market for straight plays? The market is shrinking, but star appeal helps to sell, as does Broadway cache. They are also much less costly to run.
Possibilities for the season: "The Life" "Steel Pier" "Titanic" "Once upon a Mattress" "Forum"-they tried to book it in the 1st season but needed a star. Whoopi was the 2nd replacement for Nathan Lane, with higher recognition. Every theater wanted it with her, but not when she pulled out.
It helps to have a show running concurrently on Broadway during the tour.
Q: What about shows that don't have a Broadway company? It helps to have a star, such as Tyne Daly in "Gypsy". Be careful surveying presenters-sometimes they tell you what they want, not what the audience wants. Test the market, but don't guarantee a star, because they might not want the show if you end up with someone else. "Peter Pan" with Cathy Rigby-57 weeks with no Pace markets. Played all of these markets before; good strong, family show. "Ballyhoo"-warm, funny meaningful play. Small show makes it profitable. The cost is only $175,000/week. They didn't win this one. Canceled because there wasn't enough interest. "Anne Frank"-The Booking Group had already sewn up the rights. They ended up with: Titanic, Peter Pan, Footloose, ongoing Beauty and the Beast... "Footloose"-they decided it is too good a show to go to Madison Square Garden. It should go to Broadway and have a chance at the awards.
Booking for a season starts in May. September you start selling, holding dates. Sept.-January, getting commitments. In February you can cancel a tour responsibly. Q: How much is lost by trying to get a tour booked, and failing to sell it? Only about $10,000 for time and materials. Booking agent works on spec-no commission money until the show opens. Timing. Introducing a show in February with a big star, you can pick up available weeks from shows that have canceled. You find things that you want and that are interesting. You can go into a Pace market, but present outside their series, unless they buy your show for their series to help their season sales.
Coming into the business of booking tours, it is a two year training process to really understand how it works. We'll look at "The King and I" route sheet for an example of a booked tour. The last week booked was Philadelphia. There was only one week open week in Philadelphia. It can't be right next to another big show, not on a holiday, and possible to get to within reason, from the last date. If you leave an open week you lose $400,000. That's 7 weeks of profit lost. It is a jigsaw puzzle to get things together. June/July we ask for availabilities, and try to fit them together. Deal memo-intent to do business, negotiated items up front. Highlights the big issues that go into the contract. Deal Memos between the presenter at the theater and the producer.-sent out in March and April. The commission is a fee plus a percentage. Usually $5000-$7000 per week and a small percentage of the producer's profit (out of the producer's share-1-10%.) Deal terms determine the break even in each market. Staffing, budgeting, crew for the load ins, etc.
Guarantee plus a percentage of the net adjusted box office receipts, gross, less credit and commissions, sales commissions, plus 10% of first $. The producer gets a percentage above the break even. The producer and presenter split 40%-60% of profits.
You as booking agent want the producer to come up with marketing materials. We deliver the materials . The sponsor can make a commercial. $1/ticket goes into restoration of the theater. 10% subs. commission for putting together a series of 5 musicals covers flyers, etc. 10% commission on groups includes related sales commission. Telephone sales, internet sales, deposit, advertising commission-15% on electronic or print ads with a cap. Merchandise-15% Booking agent maintains a relationship with the theater and ensures likelihood of collecting guarantees. Q: How negotiable is the guarantee? We rarely accept a decreased guarantee, unless we are desperate to fill a week. Total fixed undocumented expenses is the one negotiated the most. Presenter claim their overhead, rent, operation, administration, etc. Price scale for tickets- we spend a lot of time negotiating those prices. We really try to push them as high as possible in relation to other shows on their season. The markets are hungrier-demanding Broadway fare sooner and sooner. Capture the momentum.
Q: A show coming to NY of a pre-NY tour. Is that bookable? Such as a 10 week out of town tryout? Yes. Use a star, recoup some costs in advance, generate outside interest. Q: Smaller shows? Venue? 1000 seat theaters? Are you booking those? Many theaters have a second space, medium size shows can play there. Plays, smaller musicals. They need a $90,000/week guarantee to break even. Q: How many weeks do you need? 10 weeks, depending on the tour Q: How much does a start get for these tours? (Other than perks) Salary +%age of gross or gross over capitalization. $25,000 + 10% over $600,000 in sales. You can negotiate a number of ways. Not in the royalty pool. Q: One nighter costs for a small theater? Agencies exist who handle one nighter attractions. Depending of the star-$5000-$35,000, depending of the attraction. Mandy Patinkin gets $35,000 +%age, 40 dates / year, non-negotiable.
A primary market is one with a strong subscription series with 1
Broadway UniversitySM and © Entertainment U, Inc. and its related entities. All rights reserved. Any reproduction, duplication, or distribution in any form is expressly prohibited.
Please read: Terms of Use Agreement