What Does It Take to Build a Company?

January marks our 3 year anniversary of the start of Fighting Chance Productions and I’m thrilled that we’ll be celebrating with our production of Forbidden Broadway, our second show in our 2009/2010 season. This time last year I would never have thought we’d be presenting a season of shows, but here we are, doing so with great joy and excitement.

Fighting Chance Productions was born out of a desire to see new and exciting work on the Vancouver stages. To give new directors, actors and designers an opportunity to hone their crafts on shows that they cared about. I’m so proud of the fact that we’ve been able to do that. Since starting we have had several different lighting designers, costume designers and set designers come on board to help us with our productions. This does not even include the 100+ actors who have had the opportunity to appear on stage in one of our productions – and the great thing is, they keep auditioning. We auditioned over 130 people for our next production, The Wedding Singer coming up in May. People ask, where we find the actors that we do, because they haven’t seen them before. The truth is, I feel, if you put on shows that people want to perform in, they will come out in droves to appear in them. I have nothing against the tried, tested and true performances that we see on stages in the Lower Mainland. I certainly believe there is a place for all theatre, however we try to pick shows that will attract performers who want to be challenged and who want to be seen in roles, not just in the chorus.

There seems to be a common perception that Fighting Chance Productions is a successful company that is making money hand over fist. This seems to be common because I keep hearing that we must be doing just this. We are apparently a company with a mass marketing machine, and that’s what drives people to our shows. The truth is, we are a company run out of an apartment. That our mass marketing machine is me, sitting at my laptop. For every financial success we have had (Rent, Dog Sees God, The Laramie Project, The Musical of Musicals: The Musical), we have shows that struggle financially (The Distance from Here, tick… tick… BOOM!, some girl(s), Catholic School Girls, One Good Marriage.) One thing I am proud to say though is that we have always continued to have critical successes. Our audiences leave thrilled with the work that we put on, and vowing that they will return – and I’m thrilled to say that they do!

It’s not inexpensive to put on a show, and at Fighting Chance we truly try to compensate our artists (both on-stage and off) as frequently as we can. A show like Rent with 25 sold out performances may seem like a financial success, one that might be able to put us in the black for at least a year. However, if you take into account just how expensive it can be to mount a musical, you’ll see that breaking even is a success. Take into account your band, your lighting, your costumes, your set, you theatre rental costs, technician costs, stage managers, an honorarium for your cast and for your crew, miscellaneous expenses such as program printing fees, a props budget and a publicity budget (which some people say should be one third of your total costs) and you’ll see the costs starting to quickly mount. After that, you’re hoping that you’ll be able to break even and then have some money to pay off old debts, from shows that weren’t able to get the audiences as easily. Following that, of course, you’re going to want to make sure you put some money aside for the future, so you ensure that you’re not in this same position a few shows down the road. All in all, the costs can be staggering. When you’re looking at the sold out houses you may have dollar signs in your eyes, but those quickly fade when the invoices and receipts start to come in.

But, would I change a thing? Absolutely not. I have derived more joy from Fighting Chance Productions than almost anything in my life. The people who, time after time, come back and tell me how much they enjoy working for our company and how they want to do it again is amazing. I am thrilled to spearhead our company and I am thrilled to welcome a board of directors in January, 2010 who will help me maintain the amazing work that our company has become known for. I will be introducing them to you very soon, and I am thrilled about the calibre of board we have been able to acquire.

I’ve also put together an artistic advisory committee. These are people whose artistic vision I believe in and who, believe in the company. They are actors, producers, directors, and production team members whose vision melds with mine and whom I am thrilled to have on board as well.

This is all in the effort to continue to have FCP grow, and mature as we head into our fourth year of operation. We’re a growing company, and I am thrilled that you continue to be a part of it. I sincerely wish each of you all the best in 2010, and I look forward to seeing you out at one of our shows soon!

Ryan Mooney

Artistic Director, Fighting Chance Productions