I sat down to write this earlier this morning, not quite sure what I could blog about that you all would find interesting. I thought, uh, where do I begin? What do they want to read? What could be informative or helpful for the blogosphere theater peeps? Should I talk how I really talk, or should I talk like people expect producers to talk? Yeah, that wouldn’t be me at all. So now, roughly 5 hours later, I’ve opted for true Heather-speak…real, honest, and occasionally some bad words. OK, more than occasionally. After all, Neil LaBute is one of my faves.

Producing. Yeah, who knew? I had been a performer my whole life. I loved it and worked a lot, but I always had my eye on the entire picture…things that actors aren’t supposed to concern themselves with like sets, lights, ticket sales, blah blah blah. Little did I know that my interest in the big picture would open up conversations and connections with contacts who would eventually give me my start in producing. You never know where someone is going to end up, so I can’t stress enough - BE GOOD TO PEOPLE. Boy, do I have stories for you…but I’ll save THAT for another time. Sooo…BE. GOOD. TO. PEOPLE….trust.

I started producing and directing locally in LA at a theatre where I had performed previously. Those guys really took a chance on me, and I will never forget that. It was during this time that I decided producing was my thing. And I wanted to start doing it on the Broadway as well (And people definitely thought I had a touch of the cray-cray.)   But I’ve discovered if you take positive, forward steps toward a goal every day, shiz can happen. It’s true, so trust that. If you arm yourself with every single piece of knowledge from every single place or person who will share their experience, then hey, you are red ta go. Don’t be afraid to ask questions…be a sponge…absorb, absorb, absorb.

So, that’s what I did…became a question-asking sponge. In order to understand what the hell I was doing, and what I wanted to do, I did my research. And up came CTI- the Commercial Theater Institute in NYC. Perfect.  If you wanna learn how to do something, go be in the place where the people who are doing it can teach you, right? Seemed like a no-brainer to me. So that’s what I did. And that’s what I would recommend to anybody who might even be the slightest bit curious about that side of things. PRICELESS information. I swear to God that Jed Bernstein (who runs CTI) has the answer to every kind of question one might have about producing commercial theater. And he brings in the real movers and shakers of the theater producing industry to speak and/or instruct.

So I dragged my sister (who isn’t even involved in theater, except for being at every show I’ve ever done) to the spring CTI workshop weekend in NYC…uh, woulda been nice to have had one in LA at the time…oh wait, yeah, make sure that all happened AFTER I came through lol…it’s coming to LA, people- take advantage of that! Well, that weekend changed my life. For real. I know it sounds dramatic, but it did. I learned things, I met people, and then I learned even more things. So many answers to my questions. Things I didn’t even know went on when I was an actor, how things got done etc…so damn eye-opening. And I left that weekend thinking, yeah, I totally need to do this.

I was gathering all of this information, and I started to put it to good use optioning shows and developing them in the LA area. LA is a fabulous place to develop a show. Of course, LA and NYC are two COMPLETELY different markets…but that’s what’s important…knowing your market. People think LA isn’t a theater town. Well, if you’re comparing it to NYC, then duh. But that doesn’t mean that great theater doesn’t or can’t happen in LA. Some of the most talented people live in LA…oh it’s true…and I worked with and met so many of them as I was coming up as an actor. So this tells me that great work can be done. The trick is getting people to come see this great work. That’s the producer’s job, to think outside the box, be creative…that’s why we all got into this business, right? To be creative? Eh, maybe not all of us.

If I had to break down much of what I have learned so far in my experience as a producer, it would look like this:

1. Be loyal to those people who are good to you.

2. Know your market. Know who that person IS buying a ticket to your show. And start thinking like them. That’s how you’ll figure out how to get to them.

3. Never apologize for who you are. (I mean unless you’re a douche, then by all means APOLOGIZE, please.) But, you are fabulous being you, so as long as you move through the world as a good person, don’t apologize for the package you come in, or the choices you make.

4. Don’t make rash decisions. Think out every move carefully. In essence, every show being produced is its own business/company. A lot of steps need to be taken in order to hang the “OPEN FOR BUSINESS” sign on the door. Rome wasn’t built in a day…so give every step the thinking time it deserves.

5. Face time. I know, I know. That networking thing…but it’s a necessity. So…show your face at events, readings, shows, everything. If you wanna be in the game, you’ve gotta play it.

6. A smart producer doesn’t pretend that he/she has all of the answers. A smart producer knows how to find the person who does.

7. Never let your ego get in your own way. Ego can ruin everything. The learning never stops…or at least it shouldn’t.

First and foremost, though, if you are an actor reading this… NUMBER EIGHT. That random lighting guy that you don’t talk to when you pass him in the hall can make your ass look ugly on stage. That sound man can make you sound like shit. That costumer can make you look fat. And that third chorus girl from the left that you forgot you were rude to in the show you were starring in could be producing some day…and she definitely will not forget you….which brings us back to. BE GOOD TO PEOPLE.

A producer always has to be 12 steps ahead of everyone…huh, interesting that I just chose ahem, “12″ steps..lol…But I have definitely learned that by being good to people, you have taken care of more of those ‘12 steps ahead’ than you could ever imagine.

Heather Provost is a Tony and Drama Desk Nominated Producer most recently represented with Neil LaBute’s Reasons To Be Pretty, the musical [title of show], and the upcoming comedy Under My Skin.