Online free resource for artists to learn how to do all of the producer tasks

An impromptu session with Anneliese. I’ve been to D&D 2 or 3 times and each time there were many talks scheduled about learning how to do marketing or how to budget for a show or how to do fundraising and while this is great and it’s wonderful that this event exists and provides space for people to share their knowledge but it also shines a light on a need for knowledge that’s missing in the industry.

we discuessed the creation of some kind of online resource hub with video turorials and/or articles and blogs teaching the basics of all manner of theatre producing tasks, such as marketing, fundraising, tourbooking, budgeting etc, for different scales and mediums of show.

Edalia thought it important that it’s set up by an organisation with some clout and national standing so that the resource is seen with respect and something people want to be a part of.

Initially there was a suggestion of it being a curated set of articles and recorded workshops with artists paid £500 - £1000 to contribute to it, but then the question came up of “who are the organisation to curate it, and what power imbalance does that give them.”

Another suggestion was that it could be something anyone could contribute to. The danger then is that it becomes convoluted, overloaded with information and hard to navigate, and i think it’s really important for this to be something that’s accessible and easy to navigate first and foremost.

It’s a seed of an idea. Lots of organisations have made positive content of this nature available but it’s about having a central hub for it that’s the “go to” place to find it. I’d love if at a future D&D people say “here’s what i know but you should definitely check out [This website] as that’s where i learnt everything i know and it’s free and really easy to use.”

There could also be articles on there about how to find projection designers or set designers or stage managers for your work, for example.

The theatre industry is very much lots of separate, silo’d groups operating independently and constantly reinventing the wheel and it would be great if there was a hub connecting them so people could see that wheels already exist and are great. And then they can spend more time refining wheels rather than wasting time coming up with the concept of an axle.