Starting a theatre company? Get a clear mandate, which would be what slice of the theatre population you are keen on hitting. Remember to focus on specific needs and bear in mind the more original your mandate the greater chance of making a mark. You might find that shock value plays a big part in getting public attention. Recently it was discovered that approaching the burlesque would enliven the audience turnout and it has with some plays produced by in Montreal.
If you are looking for money and are in infancy than you can approach the city for funds. In addition you can approach another producer and co-produce a show. Here is where administration is key in running a company successfully and that is in budgeting. I heard it is best to budget for a 30% turnout. In other words be modest on what you would expect your turnout to be, if you rake in more, the better for you. As a rule of thumb if the play is fast and cheap it is not going to be good and if it is good and prepared quickly it is not going to be cheap. The logic there sounds reasonable, something done well and fast means you would most likely need professional help to get a set up and running without the hassle of poor workmanship or deadlines being missed because the crew slacked off.
Similarly something good and cheap is likely going to take a longer time to pull off. Cheap means having to look around for recycled materials like I did when using cardboard backdrops for the circle dance. It gave the play set a cheesy look but hey this was a low budget fringe play anyway. This was my first production, I thought. So parameters are not always what you would expect them to be and not all your parameters are going to satisfied at any one time.
