Running Theaters, Second Edition

Advice Culled from Interviews with More Than One Hundred Experts in the Field

In Running Theaters, management consultant and author Duncan M. Webb reveals the best practices that consistently lead to successful theater operations. Culled from surveys and interviews with theater managers and experts in crucial functional areas, this guide provides important tips for all people who work or want to work in regional, campus, and community-based theaters. Updated to reflect changes in the field, this second edition includes information on recent programming trends, marketing in the digital age, and the evolving role of theaters in economic and community development. Chapters discuss topics such as:

• Front- and back-of-house operations
• Managing nonprofit and commercial renters
• Building and managing a board of directors
• The financial management of theaters
• The necessary skills and attributes of a successful theater manager
• The unique opportunities and challenges of operating historic, outdoor, and campus-based theaters.

Every theater manager needs this invaluable guide filled with the proven strategies of managers, staff, and volunteer leaders covering virtually every aspect of running a theater—from drawing audiences and fundraising to facility development and community involvement.

Duncan M. Webb is the founder and president of Webb Management Services, a management consulting firm serving the arts and cultural industries. He has spent forty years in the field as a consultant, teacher, speaker, author, and producer. He lives in New York City.

Praise for Running Theaters, First Edition:

“An astoundingly comprehensive primer for the entire field. Duncan has captured the essence and complexity of our business. A must-read for those new to the field and for those of us who have grown the field. Absolutely first rate!” —Judith Allen, Vice Chair, North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center Foundation
 
“Running Theaters is essential reading for those involved in performing arts management and consulting. The author has enriched the book by including many insightful interviews with top practitioners in the field who share their lifelong and varied experiences with the reader.” —Richard Pilbrow, Chairman, Theatre Projects Consultants
 
“This book is an arts management consultant on the shelf—it will be well worn by those turning to its pages for roadmaps, models, best practice, and professional networks for many years to come.” —Bill Reeder, Dean, College of Visual and Performing Arts, George Mason University
 
“One rarely has an opportunity to get their hands on best practices in our industry without paying for an expensive study. I wish there had been something like this available when I first started out in the industry.” —Robyn Williams, Executive Director, Portland Center for the Performing Arts