Pop-Up community theater company

Local audiences buying tickets, local businesses sponsoring shows, and arts councils or community foundations that give grants.

Ticket sales and concessions, program ads and sponsorships, and grants once you have a track record. Each show needs to cover script rights, venue rental and sets before leaving any profit.

• Organizing people and schedules
• Directing or stage managing
• Promoting events locally
• Budgeting for each production

• Performance rights: you generally need permission and must pay royalties for published plays, so check with the publisher
• General liability insurance, and whether the venue requires proof of coverage
• Check with your city or county about event or assembly permits and any local business license
• Paying actors may mean workers' comp and payroll rules, so check your state requirements
• Check how grant funders work: many prefer nonprofits or require a fiscal sponsor
• A show can lose money if tickets underperform, so budget conservatively

Startup costs are typically around $1,500 to $8,000, depending on the venue you rent, the play you choose and how much you spend on sets and promotion. These are estimates, so budget each production conservatively.

Monthly revenue is typically around $300 to $3,000, depending on ticket sales, sponsors and grants. These are estimates only. A show can lose money if tickets underperform, so plan each production's budget carefully.

Check performance rights, since you generally need permission and must pay royalties for published plays. Also check insurance and venue coverage requirements, event or assembly permits, any local business license, payroll rules if you pay actors, and how grant funders work.