Spring 2016
Producer’s Guide to the Galaxy
Anything and Everything about Producing
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What Does a Producer Do
Budgeting
Orgsync
Promotion
Program
House Management
Photography
Producing Tips
Misc.
WHAT DOES A PRODUCER DO???
So you’re a producer huh? That means you’re in charge of all of the marketing aspects
and budgeting for a show. This means you create the Warren Posters, dorm posters,
GSU Link/Digital Signage Poster, FB Profile/Cover photos, stickers, tshirts, etc. You also
are in charge of handling the budget and making sure all of the departments are within
their budget. Producers will work closely with SAO on handling reimbursements,
approving designs and coordinating a variety of things. Along with these duties,
producers handle the program, decorating the lobby and coordinating the GSU Link.
Producers are also in charge of the “House”, the actual theater itself and the lobby
outside of the theater. So producers make sure the area is clean for when the audience
arrives. Once the audience arrives, producers will make sure to check people in once the
doors to the theater are open using Eventbrite, which they will have access to.
Obviously, producers have a lot to do. Which is why it’s so important that the head
producers and their assistants work as a team. Making sure to collaborate and share
ideas is an important part of creating an efficient team. All ideas and opinions are valued
and should be respected throughout the course of putting the production up. Head
producers should make sure they include their assistants throughout the process and
teach them about anything they do not know.
BUDGETING
As a producer, you are in charge of the budget of the show. The Treasurer will be the
one to send you the budget and the breakdown for each department so you won’t have
to worry about that. BUT, you will be in charge in making sure everyone sticks to their
budgets and gets approval by you before making any purchases.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE stay UNDER budget. That is so important. Troupe does not have
an infinite money source so it’s important that people do not go over their budget. The
treasurer plans out the budgets to make sure every department has enough for what
they need to get done. If, someone does need to move around money later in the
process, you can decide if and what money will be moved. Make sure to check with the
departments you’re moving money from so that everyone is aware of the situation. You
will be working closely with the TDs if this does happen since they have the best
understanding of the technical needs for the show.
ORGSYNC
Because things are always changing, SAO decided to introduce ORGSYNC. Many people
shudder when they hear the word but it’s only because they are afraid of change. Just
kidding, it’s because Orgsync can be a lot at first. Producers will mainly use Orgsync for
the tab called “treasury”.
Withdrawal Requests
The main thing producers use Orgsync for is withdrawal requests. To get to there, you
will log into orgsync, click “my memberships” and go to Stage Troupe. Next, you’ll click
on the banner tab that says more and you should see a drop down option called
“Treasury” (you will have access to this once the Treasurer gives it to you. If you don’t
have access and you need it, just let the treasurer know). Once you get here, you can see
two options: Budgets and Revenue Funds. You’ll mostly be working in Revenue Funds.
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SDR: SDRs or Small Dollar Reimbursements is mostly how troupe gets things
done. This is when someone goes to a store and buys something for a shop,
KEEPS THEIR RECEIPT and then brings the receipt back to the producers to get
a reimbursement. SDRs are for receipts that are $175 and under (excluding
transportation receipts which need to be $25 and under). If a reimbursement is
over $175, the person will need to receive a check and it takes a few weeks for
them to get it plus you need a lot more information from them.
Purchase Orders: By purchase orders, I just mean knowing that you want to get
something via a vendor that BU works with (like Amazon or Home Depot) and
making the order ahead of time so your items can be paid for directly with Stage
Troupe funds. These you’ll need to do a bit in advance because it takes about a
week for Home Depot POs to be done and 3-5 days for Amazon Orders to be put
in. There are very few vendors that BU has so unless you’re getting something
from Amazon or Home Depot, you’ll probably need to do a SDR.
How to Fill out Withdrawal Requests: To fill out a withdrawal request, you go into
Revenue Funds and click “Create Withdrawal”. You will then enter the Withdrawal name.
So let’s say you’re doing a reimbursement for Harry Potter. You would do the title of the
show it’s a reimbursement for and then the person’s name and the words
“reimbursement” (for example: Romeo and Juliet – Harry Potter Reimbursement). You
would select “Payment Type – SDR”, put SDR in the “Category” drop down and then put
the name of the person it was for in the box that says name. If a person has multiple
receipts, you’ll make a separate line item for each one but if not, you’ll fill out one line
item and for the drop down select “SDR”, you’ll describe what the receipt is for in the
“description” section and then you’ll put in how much the receipt is. You’ll have to
upload the receipt to Orgsync (and for this I recommend getting a scanner app, taking a
picture of it, and then uploading that or just take a picture of the receipt). This process if
very similar for Purchase Orders.
Budgets
The Budgets option is something you will not use often unless you’re given AB funding
for the show. (AB Funding is Allocations Board funding that the school provides and
doesn’t come from Stage Troupe’s actual funds). If you do need to use this funding, you
will click “Manage Budgets”, then click the budget for your show and you can then see
what AB funding was given to you and for what. When you’re filling out the withdrawal
request for something using AB Funding, you have to go through this budgets option,
click on your show, click on the thing that you’ll be getting AB Funding for (it will be
listen under name), and then once you’re taken to the next page, you will click request
payment at the bottom and go from there.
PROMOTION
Since you are in charge of all the marketing and promotional materials for the show, you
should be aware what they actually are.
Warren Posters
These are the big fancy posters outside of Warren Towers. They are beautiful and great
and a lot of people see them so they’re very useful promoting wise but they’re also
expensive. The Warren Poster reservations are usually made for 1 week (the week of the
show) but they can be reserved for two weeks. It costs $165 to print out these bad boys
from Kinkos so try to make sure to get them (from Marketing and Communications at
985 Commonwealth Avenue) once the show is over because they’re great. For more
information about the poster and it’s dimensions and how to reserve it, you can go here:
http://www.bu.edu/marcom/warren/
(Must include somewhere: partially funded by your undergraduate student fee)
GSU Link/Digital Signage Posters
These are the big fancy TVs in the GSU lobby area and also in various places around
campus like STUVI 2 and what not. This is a great way to get out information for free all
around campus. Usually, the day you send in the form (which can be found on this
website http://www.bu.edu/studentactivities/digital/ ), they’ll put up the image the same
day. For dimensions and more information, you can go to this website:
http://www.bu.edu/studentactivities/digital/
(Must include somewhere: partially funded by your undergraduate student fee)
GSU Link Table
Right when you walk into the GSU and look to your right, there are a whole bunch of
tables. THAT’S the GSU Link. The link is something we reserve for the week of the show
and is where you can hand out flyers and sell tickets for the show. A lot of people tend
to not like this form of promotion but if you make it fun, then people will be more
motivated to go. Some examples of things done in the past --- Virginia Woolf: Each
character had a “character color” and we made juice drinks that also had that character
color and we gave those away at the link along with flyers. Make it fun and people will
come. Also always make sure to have the supplies ready for the people who are coming
to the link.
Flyers Around Campus
Use a Kinko’s Request to print the flyers. Kinko’s turnover is two days, but give yourself a
buffer in case anything goes awry. To have flyers distributed to dorms, bring 359 of
them to the Office of Residence Life at 25 Buick Street (have to have stamped approval
from the SAO). The flyers must be divided and labeled as follows:
10 Buick Street:
1019:
575 Commonwealth Ave:
Danielson Hall and Area:
Myles Standish Hall:
Kilichand Area:
South Campus and Area:
The Towers and Area:
Warren Towers:
West Campus:
CELOP Office:
ORL Office:
30
10
22
18
21
31
80
50
50
42
1
3
(Must include somewhere: partially funded by your undergraduate student fee)
T-Shirts
Getting shirts for the show is a fun way to advertise and also get something tangible for
the people working on the show. The two websites we have used in the past for shirts
are http://www.ooshirts.com and http://www.customink.com though I would
recommend using customink (which is a bit pricier) because they’ve been more reliable
in the past. I personally find making t-shirts the best part of producing so definitely have
fun with this!! Thing to note: It takes two weeks for shipping the shirts so make sure to
take that into account.
BU Shuttle Ads
Recently, we’ve started putting up ads on the BU Shuttle. These are a cool way to get
out information out there as well but they need to be completed two weeks in advance
OF THE WEEK OF THE SHOW so it can be hard to get done in time. Definitely look into it
if it sounds interesting. More information on how much it costs and how to go about
doing it can be found here: http://www.bu.edu/thebus/advertising-on-the-bus/
Facebook Profile/Cover Photos
The best type of free advertising is through Facebook! Producers make the profile
picture and cover photo that all cast and crew use for the week of and usually week
before the show. Sometimes the cover photo is the same thing used for the GSU
Link/Digital Promotion posters because they’re similar in size. This is all up to you. It can
be a photographed image or something completely photoshopped. Do what you feel is
right. Same thing for FB profile pictures.
Other
I encourage you all to take advantage of all the resources at your disposal and
implement promotions that aren’t typically done for Stage Troupe productions. This
could range from working with the BU Office of Marketing & Communications
(http://www.bu.edu/marcom) to get a story published in BU Today (Editorial
Department) or press release written (Media Relations Department), to partnering with
other student groups whose members might have a particular interest in your show, to
doing something fun and “out of the box,” such as holding a “Opening Night Party” to
increase attendance at the Thursday night performance. Brainstorm to come up with
promotions that are effective, appropriate for the show, and, if possible, FREE!
PROGRAM
General Purpose and Requirements
Programs produced by Stage Troupe have two purposes: to inform the audience of
important information about the show they are seeing including production and safety
information and to form a piece of the Stage Troupe historical record. Therefore, when
designing a program, you should include information that you'll want to know ten years
from now, like the year the production occurred and where it occurred.
Sample Program (just to view)
https://drive.google.com/a/bu.edu/file/d/0BwUixcu9SrnAanpjeFg2SVRlWnc/view?usp=s
haring
Sample Program (editable document)
https://drive.google.com/a/bu.edu/file/d/0BwUixcu9SrnAcFdzSXdEVFJLNUU/view?usp=s
haring
The program must include:
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Title and author of the show
Anything else required by the licensing agency
“Boston University Stage Troupe Presents”
Stage Troupe logo
Date (including the year) and location of the performances (“Boston University
Student Theater at Agganis Arena”)
FOR SPRING 2016: An Advertisement for Pavement including their logo and the
words "Coffee + Bagels = Love 736 Comm Ave (across from Marsh Chapel)"
A program should include (not optional, but you can control the format):
 A full list of the cast in a format fitting to the show
 A full list of all of the crew including their position
 A special thanks section that includes:
o Student Activities
 The Student Activities Office

The Student Activities Business Office
o Kenneth Elmore, Dean of Students
o The Stage Troupe Executive Board
 Optionally, list them by name and title
o Eric Jacobsen & Steve Marois, Student Group Advisor
 A list of remaining Stage Troupe shows and events for the season including the
dates and location
A program may include (entirely optional):
 Director's notes (but keep them short, no one wants to read two pages)
 Cast and crew bios
 A summary of scenes or acts
 An approximate runtime of scenes, acts, or the show
Bios
 If it is decided to include bios for the cast you must also include them for the
titled positions on the crew
 Have the cast and crew give these to you 2-3 weeks before the show
o Directors Notes: Make these due the same time as bios. Directors are usually
the worst in regards to getting these in on time.
 Must include name, role/position, school and year of graduation.
 You may edit bios for length and for content at your discretion
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o Be sure to indicate in advance that you reserve the right to edit the bios for
length. Providing good guidelines at the outset, e.g. "75 words or less", is a
good way to avoid having to edit for length.
o Avoid the urge to edit for content. If you feel the content is inappropriate,
start by discussing it with the author. If that doesn't work out, bring in the
Director, and lastly, the E-Board.
You should determine, in advance, guidelines for the cast and crew for writing
their bios
o Parent's Weekend show bios must be professional in nature
o All other shows may use a more informal format, however, it is advised that
you do not insult or offend your audience, which may include parents,
administration and other guests
o It's considered bad form in the theatrical world to "dedicate this performance"
in the bio (as that's something the company does, not something an
individual does), but saying "thanks for your support" is fine
If you collect bios for a program it is highly suggested you provide an
opportunity for the author to proofread their own work after it is typed. This
opportunity does not have to be in the final format of the program, but if you
may have to edit for length it would be easier to do that first. Allowing people
the chance to edit helps avoid spelling mistakes, typographical errors, etc. A
common approach is to ask the cast and crew to look over the program, read
their bio, and initial next to it that they saw it. When everyone has initialed it,
you're good to go.
Formatting
 When laying out a folded program allow enough space between your columns of
text that you can still read the program easily when its folded over. This space is
called "gutter space" by most publishing programs.
 You can use a unique program format but please first consult with the Director(s)
and the Treasurer.
 Consistency of style gives you that extra 10% of quality. If you abbreviate Boston
University as BU in one place you should do it in all places. If you call US "Troupe"
in one place, you should call us "Troupe" in all places, otherwise call us "Stage
Troupe" in all places. If you capitalize Executive Board in one place, capitalize it
the same way in all others. If you print "13" as "thirteen" do so in all places. For
numbers, a common rule is spell out the numbers one through ten and use digits
for 11 and greater unless the number is the first word of a sentence in which case
it is always spelled out. Finally, everyone has their own idea of when to use
theater and when to use theatre, but a standing tradition in Troupe is that theater
is the building and theatre is the thing you do on stage, so "Join us for an
evening of fine theatre at the theater". Make up your own rules here, just be
consistent.
HOUSE MANAGEMENT
Managing the Lobby/House
Producers are in charge of managing the lobby of the student theater and the house
(the actual theater where the performances happen). That means before and after every
show, you make sure that these areas are clean and look nice. You will vacuum the
house and sweep the floors of the lobby.
Things to Remember
No food or drink is allowed in the house. KEEP IT CLEAN PLEASE. At least one Producer
should stay in the Producers’ Booth to deal with any audience member that arrives after
the performance has started or, for whatever other reason, tries to enter the house
during the performance
Decorating the Lobby
Producers are also in charge of decorating the lobby, typically to go along with the
themes of the show. So for example, we did a show called Skriker for weekend of
Halloween and the producers decorated the lobby in a haunted house kind of style. The
lobby is also where you’ll put up the cast (and director’s if you’d like) headshots. During
the show performances, producers will have a computer open for people to buy tickers
from in the producers booth and will also have producers at both of the entrances to
the theater to check people in and hand out programs.
House Count
The Producer is in charge of the house and must be aware of the seating capacity of the
house and how many people are in the house at all times.
 The seating capacity of the Student Theater is 101 seats, plus two spots for
wheelchairs. The Light/Sound Booth may be occupied by crew members only.
 No one, including the Producer, is allowed to stand or sit in the aisles or back of
the house during the performance
YOU HAVE TO, HAVE TO, HAVE TO OBSERVE THE FIRE CODE!
Eventbrite
Eventbrite is how we handle all of our ticket sales for Stage Troupe shows. People will
buy their tickets through eventbrite (this is the only way we sell tickets, no cash at the
door) and then they will be checked in to the show before they enter the theater.
Usually you’ll open the house to do this about fifteen to twenty minutes before the
show starts.
Using Eventbrite: Head producers and some assistants, if necessary, will be given access
to the app Eventbrite Manager. This is how we manage and can have people purchase
tickets at the door if necessary (though people can also purchase tickets from a
computer with eventbrite up). It is also how we check in for the shows. The Treasurer will
give the people who need it access and then once the show is over, the producers
should log out from troupe’s account (for security reasons).
Show Codes: There will also be codes for complimentary tickets for people who worked
on the show and member codes for Stage Troupe members to get $1 off their ticket
price. The Treasurer will give these to you about a week before tech week so you can
give those out to the people who need it. Please make sure ONLY people working on
the show get comp tickets and try to encourage them to see the Thursday performance
because that’s when attendance is at its lowest. Also make sure only stage troupe
members are getting the member discount!
PHOTOGRAPHY
So many pictures for so many things wowie.
Poster Photos
So you have the option to do a photoshoot for your poster if you decide to to use
people for the poster. Make sure you coordinate with the Stage Manager about making
this happen if you need the cast. This would also be a good time to do Headshots.
Headshots
Headshots are used in the lobby of theater during the performances. Make sure to
coordinate with the Stage Manager whenever you want these to happen.
Production Photos
Production photos are the pictures taken of the actual show. So usually during the
Wednesday of Tech week, someone on the producing team or someone who’s good
with a camera can come in and take pictures of the performance. Here’s some handy
tips for Dos and Don’ts for taking production photos. Also, you’ll take photos once the
show is over of the cast & crew. Have a plan for this before it happens so you can
quickly get these photos taken quickly and then move on to STRIKE. Usually it’s: Cast,
Cast + Director, Cast + Director + SM, Cast + Crew, Crew, Creative Team. Feel free to
play around with these divisions, you can do whatever feels right.
DO
 Set your ISO to or close to the camera’s native settings. This will prevent grainy
images.
 White balance your camera so the pictures don’t look too yellow or too blue.
 Use’s the rule of 3rds when framing your images. Center framing is an EXCEPTION
and generally doesn’t look good to the natural eye.
 Try to take leveled images. Images from too far below or above don’t work for stage
production photos.
 Know what your capturing. Photography and cinematography is about capturing
action. Any good director will tell you that directing is turning psychology into
behavior. When taking production photos, pinpoint behavior and take photographs
of that behavior, and not just photos that “look cool”. This will make for meaningful
photos.
DON’T
 Don’t use a wide angle lens for ANY type of medium or close up image. It’ll look like
a fish eye.
 Don’t use flash. Ever. Our lighting designers spend a LOT of time setting up and
designing beautiful lighting for our stage. Showcase that! Adjust your camera
settings to the stage lights, they look great!
PRODUCING TIPS
1. Do everything way in advance. Just plan everything in advance. Set deadlines for
yourself and for your team.
2. Be available at all hours. This is not to say that you shouldn’t have a life outside of
Troupe or not be able to sleep, but respond to requests from the crew within 24
hours at most.
3. Make friends at SAO and SABO. They can be helpful and have a ton of useful
information. The better you know them, the easier it is to work with them.
4. Get involved in the show. Most of the work you do can be conducted independently
and only interacting with the Directors and TDs. The cast and crew appreciate seeing
you around at rehearsals and set buildings and it’s a great way to connect with the
world of Stage Troupe. Don’t be the strange person handing out programs at
opening night, be an old friend of the show.
IF AT FIRST YOUR DON’T SUCCEED…
CONTACT THE TREASURER!
MISCILANEOUS INFO
Treasurer Contact Info:
Brittany Kamson
Cell: (818)-370-2416
Email: [email protected]
SAO (Student Activities Office) and SABO (Student Activities Business Office)
1 University Road, Boston, MA 02115
SAO Hours (everyday except Wednesday): 9:00am – 5:00pm
Wednesday Hours: 9:00am – 7:00pm
SABO Hours: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Stage Troupe Account Number
26025