What is a Producing House?

A producing house (also called a producing theatre) is a venue that creates, casts, rehearses and stages its own productions, rather than mainly hosting touring shows from elsewhere. It takes full creative and financial control of its work, from the first idea to the final performance. Producing houses are common in regional theatre, opera and dance.

How a producing house works

Each production goes through these stages:

  1. Programming: the artistic director chooses the season, commissions writers and hires directors.
  2. Design and build: designers create the set, costumes and lighting, and workshops build them on site.
  3. Casting and rehearsal: actors are cast and rehearse, usually for three to six weeks.
  4. Technical rehearsals: the show moves on stage for production rehearsals with all technical elements.
  5. Run: the show plays for several weeks, and may later tour or transfer.

Running rehearsals, builds and performances across several rooms at once needs careful scheduling. Many use Crescat for theatres and opera houses.

Producing house vs receiving house

A producing house makes its own shows. A receiving house mainly hosts shows made elsewhere, such as touring productions and concerts, often changing shows every few days. Many venues do some of both. Producing houses carry more financial risk, because they fund each production before a ticket is sold.

Departments in a producing house

  • Artistic and literary team
  • Production management and stage management
  • Set construction and paint workshops
  • Wardrobe, wigs and make-up
  • Lighting, sound and video
  • Marketing, box office and front of house

Frequently asked questions

What is a repertory theatre?

A repertory theatre is a type of producing house that stages a season of its own productions, traditionally with a resident company of actors. Many regional theatres began as repertory theatres.

Can a producing house host touring shows?

Yes. Many producing houses also host touring productions or concerts between their own shows, which helps fill the calendar and bring in income.

What is a co-production?

A co-production is a show made jointly by two or more producing houses or companies. They share the cost and creative work, and the show usually plays at each partner's venue. Co-productions let smaller theatres stage larger shows than they could afford alone.

Related terms