Editor’s Note: Several producers/artistic directors of Los Angeles intimate theatres responded to our question: “What to Do With a Hit Show…Extend It or Move It?” The following is the fifth response to LAStageBlog’s question from artistic director of VS. Theatre Company Johnny Clark.
Michael Jordan, unquestionably the greatest basketball player in history, famously had a “love of the game” clause in his contract. This allowed him, unlike other NBA players, to play basketball anytime, anyplace he wished in the off season. When asked about it, Jordan said he just didn’t want any restrictions on when and where and for how long he could play. He loved basketball so much he didn’t want to stop playing. Ever.
To answer Lee Melville’s provocative question, “What to do with a hit show-extend or move it?” we need to start with love. Does everyone involved with the production, the same team that made it great in the first place, love doing the show so much they want to keep playing? If the answer is yes, then go for it. Find a way to make it happen. If the answer is no, or you have to think about it, then my advice is to close the show as scheduled. Better to leave the audience wanting more. Go out on a bang, rather than run the risk of ending on a whimper.
Let’s face it folks, we do small theatre here in LA because we love it. Or we should anyway. We certainly don’t do it for remuneration. Almost all these shows lose money (Bark: The Musical and Jewtopia notwithstanding) as the economics of small theatre simply don’t work. But, we scrape and claw and find a way to produce anyway. We’re stark, raving, mad lunatics. The same discipline that caused you to produce the show in the first place should be applied to a possible extension. If you absolutely have to do it, then go for it. And who knows, you might earn back a few pennies in the process. More importantly, you’ll be glad you did because of the experience. Let me give you a personal example.
In March 2008, we produced John Kolvenbach’s two-hander, On an Average Day. For various reasons, we could only do a five-week run of the show. It had to close no matter what (one of the disadvantages of not having your own space, but that’s another article). The show ended up being a critical and audience hit as we routinely sold out. We were all sad to close and, like Jordan, we wanted to keep playing. We channeled that feeling and energy into a co-production of the Chicago premiere at Victory Gardens Theatre in July 2008.
Of course, as you can imagine, remounting the show in another city, several months later, had tons of challenges. One being we had to meticulously break down the set, store it, then load into a U-Haul and drive cross-country with it. Another being fundraising for an Equity production as there is no 99-seat plan in Chicago. (Thank you again angel investors.) But it was all worth it. The show garnered fantastic reviews in all the Chicago publications, drew a much bigger audience than Los Angeles and was even nominated for a Jeff Award (Chicago’s equivalent of an Ovation). Martha Lavey, the Artistic Director of Steppenwolf, came backstage to tell us how much she loved the show. How cool is that! And while the show didn’t make any money, it ended up being one of my all-time favorite experiences. It was our love of the theatre and that show specifically that made it happen.
Now…can anyone say Off-Broadway?
