proposal guidelines

Thank you for considering PW as a producer for your show. These guidelines are provided to inform you of the general procedures for proposing and offer some suggestions on what to talk about in your proposal.

Proposals from shows we have produced in the past are available for you to read online here, but you should keep in mind that all of these were written before we switched to the new proposal system; the questions we ask are different now.

We also want to stress that Production Workshop is not the only space for student projects on the Brown campus, nor is it the only place with financial resources for such artistic endeavors. Student theater has been enjoyed everywhere from our own "Upstairs Space", Ashamu Dance Studio, and Rites & Reasons to the French House courtyard; the Brown Committee on the Arts offers grants on a project by project basis.

For new directors who are interested in getting started but are daunted by the magnitude of a Downstairs Space Production, PW sponsors "Director's Workshop", which occurs once a semester. Ask a board member if you're interested in beginning smaller. And now...

Basic Steps:

Proposal Package

The proposal packet will be given to the mentor (whose name will be listed on the website/posters) by the deadline on the website/posters. This proposal must include:

10 paper copies of your proposal (or if you can submit the proposal via email, just 2 paper copies)
a copy of the script (or if the work is unscripted, a reasonably detailed description of the performance piece)

Interview

The mentor will schedule a half-hour interview with you for the following Saturday. The interview gives the board a chance to discuss the proposal with you. These interviews are not grill sessions. You should feel free to bring your own specific ideas, elaborations and corrections (if any) to this interview.

Decision

The board will meet after all the interviews, with the possibility of reconvening later that night, and let you know our decision as soon as we have made one.

Staff Applications

If your show is passed, the mentor will facilitate the application process for selecting a staff.

Suggestions for your proposal

The Basics

Title, author, director, your phone number (please include this, we will need it to let you know the outcome of the proposal meeting).

Main Body

You should address the following questions:

Please explain the piece/concept and your approach to it.
What is the story of this piece?
What are you trying to communicate with this piece?
Why is it important to do this play at Brown, at PW and now?
What specific plans do you have for the rehearsal process and for working with the actors?
What is your role as leader of this project, and what does that mean?
How do you foresee working with designers? Share with us some of the ideas you plan to bring to the designers. How will you present these ideas and what do you expect from these discussions? What does this project offer that is enticing for designers?

Imperative Staff

If you are proposing a musical, you must have a musical director. If you are proposing as a playwright and don't want to direct it yourself, a director is imperative. If you are proposing a piece that incorporates dance and you don't want to choreograph it yourself, then a choreographer is imperative. The criteria is roughly, "if the show were opening 24 hours from now, what staff would be absolutely essential to do an awesome bare-bones production?" The mentor can help you figure out which positions would be imperative for your show.

If you have additional people (besides the imperative staff) that you would like to work with for your show, we actually don't want to hear about them in the proposal. Ask them to answer the application questions for their position. If your show is picked, the pw board will review the applications with you the next day.

Budget

The maximum amount for a full-length production is $650 ($250 for One-Acts) which includes the cost of amateur performance rights. If the play has been published then you need to budget in the total amount for performance rights for the play (4 nights of performance). Cost for rights can range anywhere between free to $200+. (Whatever the rate, we need to secure rights before the show opens and we need at least an estimate of the fee at the proposal meeting). When you call for rights, make sure you stress that you are producing an Amateur Workshop for a non-paying student audience (see how these word are in bold. this is an important thing to mention. It won't cost as much if you stress this enough).

A detailed budget breakdown is not necessary for the proposal, but you should tell us about the cost of rights. If your show is passed, you will need to produce a detailed budget breakdown before you move into the space.

Please remember that these guidelines are suggestions, not laws written in stone. We recommend taking them into consideration because they cover issues that often surface in both proposal and production processes. The most important part of your proposal is of course your commitment to it, the energy and thought you have invested, and that you are ready to invest in the production process.

Thank you for your interest. We encourage all directors to ask questions of us as board members and to feel comfortable discussing proposals with us.

Please Note

All productions are required to run open auditions.

All plays produced by Production Workshop are cast without regard to race, color, or ethnic identity, except when such identity is central to the production's thematic content. This policy includes the casting of family units.