Guidelines for Producing at the Corpus Playroom
The following guidelines are for all those interested in staging a production at the Corpus Playroom. We hope they will be of some use to anyone concerned how the application process works. If you have any questions not answered below, please do not hesitate to contact Josephine Starte, js711@cam.ac.uk.
PROCESS
1. Firstly an application form must be completed. This outlines the general plot, staging ideas and potential hazards on the set and publicity material as well as providing assurance of funding and obtainable/obtained rights for the production. Contact details for the Director and Producer are also required at this stage. The form must be with our Senior Treasurer, Sarah Cain by the deadline each term.
2. Once your application has been submitted, the director and producer are required to attend a short, informal interview with members of the Fletcher Players in order to discuss their ideas further, and to answer any questions the committee may have about funding or rights.
3. After this, confirmation is needed from the Cambridge Arts Theatre before the Term-card can be finalised, however you should hear back within about a week concerning whether your application has been successful. Once you have heard that your application has been accepted you have to sign a contract with CAT and pay a £100 deposit.
4. The producer and director are then required to attend two more short meetings. The first is a Health and Safety meeting at the beginning of term at which any sound/lighting queries can be answered, and at which there will be at least one member of the Fletcher Players to help with any difficulties or questions you may have about publicity, profits, etc. The second is a Production meeting one week before your play is due to commence, at which potential hazards are identified, and rehearsal slots in the Playroom itself are shared between the two shows that week (early and late). These meeting are obligatory, and it is in your best interests to attend them!
5. Your show is put on at the Playroom, to huge audiences! (Well, the maximum capacity is 80 - remember to quote this when applying for rights as it can decrease the price.)
We also recommend that you advertise your show on camdram.net. Here, you can give details of your show, advertise for applications and auditions, publicise your production, and display details of your cast and technical team. It also has a lot of information about putting on a production, which can be useful to anyone from first timers to veteran producers. We feel it is a very powerful resource for anyone involved in Cambridge theatre at any level, and worth taking a look at.
FUNDING
People often apply to their own college drama societies but funding is also available from the ADC and the Fletcher Players. We encourage people to make their funding applications after considering what kind of budget they will be requiring and after enquiring about the amount of funding that different societies can offer. It is also possible to self-fund, although most tend not to do this. N.B. For Corpus productions, funding is provided by the Fletcher Players.
PROFITS
CAT provide many important services for theatre groups staging a production including printing a term-card, advertising in their theatre, providing front of house staff, providing a box office service etc. for which they take a cut of 8% of ticket sales. There is also a hire charge for non-Fletcher Player shows which is not payable upfront but is rather deducted from total takings at the end of the run. This hire charge is £275 or 1/3 of takings, whichever is the greater. This deducted from takings, and remaining profits are returned to the funding body in the form of a cheque within 28 working days of the end of the run.
PUBLICITY
For the printing of leaflets and posters, this link may help you find a printer in the Cambridge area:
http://www.city-visitor.com/cambridge/printers.html
Three printers who have in the past been helpful and reasonably priced are:
- RCS- Digital Imaging Centre
- Face Media Group
All publicity material must have the CAT logo on it somewhere, available HERE. Any show funded by the Fletcher Players must also include our logo, available HERE.