Producing has never been harder, finds Matt Trueman , but a start-up fund is paving the way for wannabes to make the jump

How does an independent theatre producer ever get started? Well, consider this: any show needs investors. Investors need convincing with an attractive proposition, which means a strong creative team and an attractive cast. They need convincing too, which probably necessitates getting a theatre on board. How do you do that? Well, it helps to have investors and a decent proposal. How's that for a pile up of Catch-22s?

Of course, it's never as neat as all that, but producing – particularly as an independent – hinges on contacts and the confidence of others, both of which must be earned. You're responsible for almost every aspect of a production, from casting to contracts, all of which require a certain know how. That comes from experience and, as a new producer, it's the one thing you don't have.

Producer James Quaife remembers these conundrums well. Starting out, he repeatedly met with scepticism from established industry figures: agents would question his age and inexperience; investors would ask him to come back to them in a few years, with something bigger and better. He had to ask actors to work at reduced rates. "It's difficult to get people to trust you," he says. "You have to have a catalogue of work – a track record."

Four years on, the 28-year-old is co-producing his first major West End show, Barking in Essex, a new comedy starring Lee Evans and Sheila Hancock. It's a phenomenal opportunity for an emerging producer, made possible by a £50,000 start-up fund (the biggest ever) from Stage One, a charity that supports producers early on in their careers.

"The jump between the fringe or off-West End to the West End is a substantial one," explains Stage One's chief executive Joseph Smith, himself a commercial producer by day. "Mostly that's about money. You can produce a show in a 100-seat theatre off-West End for anywhere between £10,000 and £25,000. You cannot do it in the West End, even in a small theatre, for much less than £350,000."

The start-up fund is designed to make that jump possible. Applicants undergo a rigorous interview process and must match any investment with money raised independently. For that reason, it's only open to producers who have already completed other Stage One schemes.

Quaife has completed the full set, from a three-day intensive workshop about the basic principles of producing, to a long-term mentoring relationship with established producers. He was mentored by Carole Winter and Michael Edwards of MJE Productions, the commercial outfit behind Ghost the Musical and What the Butler Saw. As a result, he heard about a new play in development, Barking in Essex, and after attending an early rehearsed reading, Quaife approached Winter about getting involved. "It was a great play and I could see the commercial potential," he recalls.

They offered him the role of co-producer. But to accept he needed financial capital. "Money talks in commercial theatre," explains Smith. "You don't want loads of different voices around a table; you want a couple of key voices. The more capital people take on, the fewer voices around the table and the more efficient the process."

However, even in the last few years, the requisite sum has increased. A number of factors – the increasing commercial clout of subsidised theatres, the ease of Broadway transfers and an abundance of musicals – have made the West End more competitive than ever, according to Smith. "Even three years ago, a co-producer would need a combined investment of between £50,000 and £75,000. For James to feel like he had a seat at the table, it needed to be £100,000." As such, Stage One have doubled the maximum start-up fund available to £50,000. Quaife is the seventh recipient since the funds began three years ago.

To guarantee that money, Quaife must match the investment – and as Smith stresses, it is an investment rather than a donation or prize, capable of generating a financial return for Stage One. Intriguingly, Quaife has found convincing investors easier than on smaller-scale productions: "You mention the names involved – the creative team as much as the cast – and suddenly people sit up and take note."

The key, says Smith, is to afford the new producer "a voice at the table. Carole and Michael have put James in a position where he's their equal." Quaife is fully involved in the decision-making process, providing invaluable experience at a completely different level. For example, where marketing budgets for fringe and off-West End productions are either non-existent or very small, Quaife says he has "to understand money and publicity on a much bigger scale. There's a lot more to get wrong or right."

Smith points out that while increased competition has not put investors off, it's forced producers to work harder to entice audiences. "We're having to constantly invent new ways of reaching out with discounts and packages." Producing, in other words, has never been harder.

Not that Quaife's going it alone. "There's safety in working with established producers that know what they're doing," he says."Money aside, Stage One provide this stamp of belief and, in this industry, that can outshine capital." Smith notes the benefits to the mentors as well: a new working relationship with "the producing partners of tomorrow".

However, it's not all without risk. Quaife was encouraged to take liability for the production. Should funds run out before the show's contract with the theatre expires, he'll have to cover the costs himself. Fortunately, that's rare – "like an airplane falling out of the sky," jokes Smith – but it rather ups the stakes. "I feel much more empowered as a result," Quaife explains. "It's daunting, but everyone else does it."

And as Smith says: "There's no textbook for theatre producers. Ultimately, you can only learn it on the job."

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