The Cost of Making Theatre

Each season at Music Theatre Philly, we are proud to put on quality productions that let our young performers shine brightly on professional stages. After months of long rehearsals, our productions become whole when we move into a theatre and add that special magic that comes with lights, sets, costumes and the audience. 

As a parent or actor, you know firsthand the work it takes to prepare for a role. But what happens behind the scenes? In this blog, we’ll give you a glimpse into what it costs to produce a show at Music Theatre Philly. 

We do our best to keep our productions affordable for families so that we can make room for every child who wants to step on stage. With rising prices nationwide and cuts to arts funding both locally and nationally, it's important to us that you understand how your tuition helps to keep our vital program alive!  

Rights and Royalties

Before a season even begins, we apply for the licensing rights for a musical. These must be granted before we have permission to produce a show. Once approved, the licensing company will determine a royalty fee per performance based on factors like the size of the venue, ticket prices, expected audiences, etc.. In addition to the royalty, we must then purchase scripts, musical tracks and other copyrighted materials directly from the licensing company. 

For each show, that fee typically ranges from $3000 - $4500.

Director and Designer Salaries

All of our directors and designers are professional artists with years of training and expertise in their field. We pride ourselves on paying them competitive rates so that we attract top talent who are not only creatively gifted but are thoughtful educators. A production director spends typically 4 hours a week in rehearsal at our studio plus additional hours preparing the material they teach each week. A single production has a Director, Choreographer, Music Director, Stage Manager and Designers who build sets, make costumes and light the show. 

For a given show, we spend approximately $15,000 for artist salaries. 

Materials, Supplies, and Other Items

A full production requires us to build a set, make costumes for each individual actor, create props and other items to keep our studio clean and our actors safe. We do our best to keep these costs low. If you look closely, you might have recognized our “studio blocks” which have appeared on stage in almost every MTP show. Our growing costume stock allows us to repurpose items for different shows. 

For all sets, costumes, props and other items, we spend upwards of $3000 per show.

Venue Rentals

The final step in putting on our big productions is finding a theatre! We have been so lucky to forge partnerships with the Wilma Theatre, the Independence Seaport Museum and the Drake Theatre. All of which offer comfortable seating, quality lighting and sound equipment, dressing rooms and technical staff who assist our designers and directors. The Wilma is a union theatre which requires us to compensate their staff in accordance with their union’s rules and regulations. 

A week's rental costs between $18,000 and $25,000.

Total Production Costs of a Show: $35,000 - $45,000

This number excludes MTP’s general operating expenses like our building’s rent, utilities, administrative staff salaries, insurance and all the other business expenses it takes to run MTP. 

If you or your child has participated in any of our productions, you know firsthand that the experience is priceless. They can carry the confidence they gain, the skills they hone and the community they discover during a production process through the rest of their lives. 

We hope you will continue to support the arts in your community by enrolling your children in our programs or making a donation to our scholarship fund.