Before students left for the Thanksgiving holiday break, they received a cornucopia of interesting information covering the subject of New York City’s Broadway theatre industry. IAR faculty member Chris Neuner delivered a presentation that not only gave students a basic understanding of the Broadway environment but also an in-depth look at the business behind it. Chris used his own experiences and original musicals as the example the students analyzed from beginning to end. The first production he detailed was small and started in his hometown in Wisconsin. He brought the students through the history of the play as it was optioned by theatrical producers in New York City. He remarked that, “It’s a for-profit business that rarely profits, and the production is in debt until years after the doors open. Because of this, creating a production and raising the necessary finances becomes one of the most challenging tasks.”

Chris’s second example was a musical satire titled Infertility, The Musical That’s Hard to Conceive. Unlike the first play, this production ultimately was mounted off-Broadway. Chris discussed the intricacies of fund raising, publicity and reviews, representation with a lawyer, a producer, and a general manager, and working with organized labor. He also expressed the need to look at it as a business as well as a work of art. Every production on- or off-Broadway is a ‘company’ or business, and each requires a mapped-out financial plan of cost, profit, and liability. Each also requires a production schedule to take it from the infant stage through release and then hopefully touring and licensing to film. Chris provided a realistic view of behind-the-set activities on productions which people from around the globe come to the Big Apple to enjoy.