Producing Youth Theatre

By Youth Theatre Arts Scotland

Welcome to our Producing Youth Theatre Toolkit! If you’ve found yourself here, it is likely that you’re looking to learn or develop your production knowledge and skills. We hope this toolkit is a helpful guide to your producing journey.

This toolkit is only a starting point and was developed based on previous experience of producing theatre around the UK, and although the steps are very similar, each producer has their own way of doing things. We encourage feedback, so please share resources with us that you think would benefit the sector.

In a commercial setting, the producer often leads on and actively supports fundraising, but for the purpose of this toolkit we’ll assume that you already have a project in mind, know why you want to produce it, and have the funding to do it. If this isn’t the case, you might find our Membership Support Portal’s Support Zone Five: Fundraising section helpful (this is a members only resource so you’ll need to log in to see it).

What does a producer do?

“Producers themselves often joke that they don’t actually know what a theatre producer does. It’s a broad role – one which requires the individual to wear many hats. A producer needs to communicate. A producer needs to problem solve. A producer needs to be reactive. A producer needs to be creative.” Joe Kerry, Producer, Royal Shakespeare Company

The producer oversees all aspects of a theatre production from start to finish. They are the project managers of the production, making sure everything is in place so everything can run smoothly, from the initial concept to the final performance. They start with the big picture, understanding what the director wants to achieve, and then diving into the details to make it happen.

This means that the role varies from project to project, so this is a non-exhaustive list, but the job of a producer normally includes overseeing the following, or liaising with departments that can, if you’re in a big venue:

Hiring the Creative Team: Bringing together the team that will bring the show to life, including directors, designers, and performers and ensure that everyone is working towards the same vision.
Project Planning and Management: Drafting the schedule and clarifying what needs to be done, by whom, and by when, so everyone’s on the same page.
Fundraising: Finding appropriate funds, making contacts, applying for funds, and bringing in cash.
Sourcing Venues/Rehearsal Spaces: Finding spaces and contracting venues for rehearsals and performances.
Contracting: Doing the paperwork, negotiating, and clarifying expectations and terms.
Budget Management: Creating the budget that covers all aspects of the production, and keeping track of the money.
Marketing and Audience Development: Making sure the work is seen by the audience you want to see it, through use of strategic campaigns.
Tour Booking and management: Getting the work everywhere.
Evaluation and Reporting: Tying up the loose ends and telling everyone how great it was.
Problem Solving: Supporting and guiding the crew through any challenges that arise.

“…more often than not, I think being a producer is about problem solving, whether you’re doing that in advance or in the moment. I think the most important thing is to never see anything as a ‘problem’ only see solutions.” Francesca Moody, Producer

By now you might have noticed that you’ve probably already been doing at least some (or even all!) of the job of a producer in your role.

Schedules

The first thing you’ll do as a producer is to draft a schedule. It’s an outline of your project with each step needed to make it happen on time, with important milestones that need to be completed, including, dates that the tickets go on sale (with any venue brochure deadlines), casting, production meetings and rehearsals.

There is no right or wrong, but most producers work backwards from the date of the first performance so it’s easier to map out how long you need to get there, how long you need for rehearsals, tech, previews etc. to ensure the performance is ready for opening night.

You can find a draft schedule in the resources below.

Budgets

Another key responsibility of the producer is the budget, both drafting it and managing it to make sure the production stays on budget.

Most productions will have several different versions before getting to the final budget, depending on the funding available and the creative vision. The budget is the breakdown of all costs involved in producing the show, covering planning, development/rehearsals, and the performances.

Each producer has their own way of creating a budget, and the layout is a matter of personal preference. What we suggest is to create two versions to begin with, the first with the bare minimum costs, and the second with the ideal version of everything you’d like to have in the production, this can be useful to support fundraising, particularly when it comes to access costs (which we’ll cover in a bit). And finally, a working version of the actual budget.

The budget expenditure is split into categories such as…

Fees and Expenses: for performers, stage manager, creative (director, designer, composer, etc.), and technical (technician, production manager) teams.
Travel and Accommodation: for everyone above!
Production costs: set, props, costume, light and sound equipment hires, venue and rehearsal space hire, etc.
Marketing: materials, photography, printing, design, promotions, advertising, contras to the venue for their input based on the contract, etc.
Additional Project Costs: Access provisions (captioner, BSL interpreter, audio describer), licenses, PRS, workshop costs, hospitality, etc.
Contingency: normally around 5% of the full budget.

It is helpful to have an income projection on the same budget to keep track of funding that’s confirmed or pending as well as a ticket sales estimate.

You can see some example budgets in the resources below.

Agreements, Commissions, and Licenses

Before the performance can take place, there are several documents that need to be in place for the project to ensure everyone is doing what is expected of them, that young people are protected, and that the project is fully compliant with the law.

Agreements

In order to make sure everyone is on the same page, a producer is responsible for negotiating and issuing contracts outlining each party’s responsibilities, a schedule to deliver them, payment, and other terms necessary for the delivery of the project, including causes for termination and how to solve disputes in case either party doesn’t fulfil their part of the agreement.

FACT Liverpool has an open-source template for an easy-read contract, which simplifies the jargon. We’ve included it below.

Commissions

Commissions are agreements to create a play, artwork, or music from scratch. You can commission a playwright to write a new play for your group, or commission a director to devise a new show with the group. The final commission agreement will come out of discussions and negotiation with the artist you’re commissioning, but for best practice in commissioning playwrights have a look at SSP’s Guide below.

Licenses

The Producer also has a responsibility to make sure the production is legally compliant, and that includes applying for and securing licenses, which are formal and official permission to do something. This includes things like using an existing play, using existing music, using a specific location for outdoor work, or permission to have young people in the production.

Young People’s Licenses

In order to have young performers in your production you need a Body of Persons Application to make sure everything is above board for young people performing in the show. Each council has their own process for applying, but in general it is required for all children under 16 and it needs to be applied for at least 21 days before performance. If young people are being paid, they will need individual performance licenses (a more detailed application!).

There is more detailed information here Getting it Right for Young Performers

PPL/PRS

You need permission to use existing music in the performance, PRS/PPL only cover the so-called ‘small rights’, which is for music that has not been written specifically for dramatic presentation. You can still use them in your production, but you’ll need to clear it with PRS and pay their tariff for use. They cover licenses for two forms of use…

Incidental Music (music that is not performed by or audible to a character within the performance. For example, music that plays on a scene change or at curtain raising or closure. That is normally covered by the venue licence but it’s always good to check.)
Interpolated Music (both recorded and live music, which exists within the dramatic world of the presentation. This means that the music is part of the drama and it is audible to characters, even if they don’t directly react to it. For example, a character has the radio on, and a song is playing. This is a slightly longer process as it requires the permission of the copyright owner).

An important exemption: PPL/PRS do not cover ‘grand rights’, which apply to music from musicals specially written for the stage (such as Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, or West Side Story) or musicals conceived for film (such as The Lion King or Mary Poppins). This requires permission from the copyright owners and can be very costly.

We’ve added some resources below about music licensing.

Theatres – PPL PRS – TheMusicLicence

Access

In order to make your performance accessible to as many people as possible, it’s important to understand different access needs.

Having accessible performances can bring a diverse and inclusive audience to your show. They enable anyone who may not otherwise get to attend a performance to experience theatre in a way that is more accessible to them. Some types of accessible performances are listed below, they cater to different access needs and are not interchangeable. For example, while a captioned performance is accessible to some D/deaf and hard of hearing people, it would not be suitable for a Deaf BSL user.

Captioning: Captioning works in much the same way as subtitles. Usually by having caption boxes or screens either as part of the set or separate. This is done live by a captioner (who has prior access to the script and has seen an earlier performance, so they ensure the captions appear on the screens at the same time as the performers speak). Some productions use creative captioning, where the captions are a key part of the production itself and not simply an access tool (eg. Graeae).

BSL Interpreting: BSL interpreted performances will have a BSL interpreter on stage to give an interpreted performance of the show alongside the action of the show. It is important that the interpreter is given plenty of time to read the script and to see the play for them to prepare. Make sure that interpreters can stand in a position on stage that makes it comfortable to watch both the interpreter and the action, and that the interpreter is always well lit so that their movements and facial expressions can be seen.

Audio Description: An audio describer will provide audio commentary alongside the dialogue and action of the performance which the audience members receive through a headset. They provide a visual description and describe details such as characters, sets, props, body language, expressions, and actions to help create a clearer idea of who is on stage and what is happening.

Touch tours: These are sometimes offered alongside an audio described performance. Tours take place around an hour before the performance starts, and allows audience members to be guided around the stage to touch and feel the different textures of the set and props in order to aid their understanding of the show and assist the audio description. Sometimes actors in costumes also take part in the tours. If a tour on stage isn’t possible, there are other resources that can be used, such as tactile model boxes of the set, fabric samples from costumes and/or other tactile resources. Touch tours are sometimes offered alongside relaxed performances.

Relaxed performance: A performance of a show where the atmosphere and environment are more relaxed. It differs from venue to venue, but normally, the lights in the auditorium won’t go fully dark, audience members can leave and come back to the theatre as many times as they need, sound effects won’t be as loud, and lighting or strobe effects might be dimmed or removed.  Relaxed performances are usually aimed at audience members who are neurodiverse, have a learning or cognitive disability, or suffer from conditions such as dementia or Alzheimer’s.

For more detailed information on accessible performances, see Access Theatre’s article What are accessible performances?

Important Documents

There are other important documents a producer needs to draft and keep updated to make sure the project is on track and goes according to plan.

Risk Assessments

Risk assessments identify the risks and the actions needed to mitigate them in before they happen. Every aspect of the production needs to be risk assessed, from rehearsal to performance (and any bits in between, such as workshops). There are many templates available but the standard way is to identify the likelihood of a risk from 1-5 (where 1 is unlikely and 5 very probable) and the impact of it (where 1 is no significant impact and 5 is permanent impact such as serious injury) and multiply those for the risk score. If the risk is serious (5) but mostly unlikely to happen (2) then the risk score is 10 (5×2). Then you add what mitigating actions you will have in place to lower that risk to a 1 so the risk score is now 5 instead (5×1).

It is a useful document as it’s a way to have mitigating actions in place before the risks happen.

We’re happy to share our National Festival of Youth Theatre 2026 risk assessment for you to download as an example to help you complete your own.

Tech agreements

These identify the technical requirements for the production (sound, light, projectors, etc.), what is available at the venue, what will need to be hired/brought in by the company and who will be responsible for operating and maintaining them.

You could use the agreement template below to write this.

Deal Memos

Deal memos are short agreements listing essential info to venues/crew to get started before all full agreements and licences are in place. For example if you want to book a venue for the show but you still haven’t finalised all details, you would have a deal memo with the key info to hold the dates.

You’ll find a deal memo template in the resources section below.

Marketing

Getting the word about your show out to people who want to see it is just as important as the production itself, as you don’t want to end up with a lovely show and no audience. Marketing your show is a massive task. In very small productions the producer would look after the marketing, but wherever the budget allows it is very useful to have a dedicated marketing person, even if only for a few days as they can focus solely on the actions below…

Audience Development: Who is the target audience for your show and how can you get them to the theatre? You should also reach out to previous audience, schools, parents or specific groups that would be interested. Be specific – there is no such audience as ‘everyone’ or ‘the general public’.
Marketing Plan and Timeline: This starts much earlier than the production. Make sure you have time to meet printers’ and distribution suppliers’ deadlines, liaise with the marketing department from the venue(s) for their own deadlines. You’ll need to keep track of what needs to be done (by whom and by when) so the audience knows about your show.
Marketing Materials: From the poster to flyers, to any video clips, photographs and vox pops to share on social media, what is the best way to promote your show? It will probably be a combination of lots of elements.
Distribution: If you’re doing posters and flyers, you need to think about the best way to distribute them. Where are the key places to display them?
Social Media: Social media is its own beast and the best social platform to reach people varies depending on the audience, their age, and location but it can be a very effective way of getting the word about your show out. This is where audience development comes in handy, so you have a better understanding of who your target audience is, and the best way to reach them.

You might find our sample marketing plan template helpful.

Touring

To take your production on the road there is some information you need to have on hand while looking for venues so you can find suitable spaces and start building the tour.

Tech Specs: You’ll need a list of what your show requires in terms of tech and space (from the venue, bare minimum to put on the show, what lighting is available, the size and height of the stage area, etc.). This is key information to have when contacting venues or looking at online tech specs, so you know right away if they’re suitable. For example if you need a stage that’s 10x6m, some venues will be too small and they can tell you right away when they see your tech spec.

Venue Agreements / Deal Memos: Once you find some suitable venues, you’ll need to make sure the dates they have work for your tour. A deal memo lists what is expected from the producer and from each venue when it comes to marketing, ticket prices/deals (template provided above).

Tour Packs: If the show has had a run before and you’re taking it on tour, it is very useful to create a tour pack. These are nice, shiny documents with all the information about the show, including the tech requirements, target audience, previous reviews, audience feedback, and lots of nice images from the production. A tour pack can be very helpful as a first reach out to venues when looking to book the tour.

We’ve included a touring budget template below.

Sustainability

It is becoming increasingly important to ensure that productions are sustainable. From rehearsal to touring there are many ways to make your production greener and sustainable. The Theatre Green Book Sustainability toolkit has detailed information, and we also have a great video conversation on sustainable design that is useful for picking up helpful hints and tips. If you’re interested in exploring more environmental issues check out our Climate Awareness and Green Recovery Toolkit.

We’ve included some resources below about working outwith theatre spaces, and making outdoor theatre.