A peek into Signature Productions’ play process

Signature Productions plans to presents “Camelot” at 7:30 p.m. Monday through May 11 with 2 p.m. Saturday matinees at the Summerlin Library and Performing Arts Center, 1771 Inner Circle Drive.

Like all plays the community theater presents, “Camelot” was chosen from a survey of audiences. People will also call the theater company and make show suggestions. Signature takes the five most popular and narrows it down.

Signature founder and president Karl Larsen said the classic “Camelot” was one of the top five or six plays that audiences wanted to see.

“And we’re coming off a whole year of not doing a show ... we wanted something we didn’t have to build a set for,” he said.

Other titles considered were “The Secret Garden,” “Children of Eden,” “The Scarlet Pimpernel” and “Les Misérables.”

Just because the name of a play makes the final list doesn’t mean Signature will get around to performing it, he said, adding, “Sometimes you just lose interest in them.”

To be in the top five, plays have to be right for Signature’s target audience.

“The first thing we always look at is: ‘Is it family-friendly?’ ” Larsen said. “We like to do things where you can bring the whole family. Then, is it something everybody recognizes? And is it something our director wants to do? Those are the three things we look for.”

Asked what type of play would be a definite “no” for Signature, Larsen responded, “ ‘Hair.’ ”

“Hair” contains nudity.

After a play is selected, Signature applies online for the royalties, or the legal right to put on the show. Once a theater company applies for royalties, it has to put up a deposit.

Larsen said a couple of shows had come up over the years that were considered but couldn’t be modified to be family-friendly. “Jekyll & Hyde” was one.

Signature production manager Kris Welte said choosing a play takes into consideration more than just what will go over well with audiences. Signature also determines how much the set will cost, if costumes and sets are available for rent and if a director is available.

“Sometimes directors only want to do certain shows,” Welte said. “Maybe we want to do ‘Annie,’ but nobody wants to work with kids. It depends on what the director wants to do. ... Some like to do straight plays only. Some are more inclined to do musicals.”

The hard part is figuring out how many attendees a play is likely to pull in. Larsen said that each year, the percentage of seats sold goes up a little more.

The last shows –– “Hairspray,” “Singin’ in the Rain” and “Oh, What a Night” –– sold out. He said musicals are very popular, and that’s why they account for about 90 percent of Signature’s selections.

“Ten Little Indians,” an Agatha Christie work, was an exception. So were “You Can’t Take it With You,” “The Foreigner” and “Arsenic and Old Lace.”

“But nobody comes to them,” Larsen said. “We just don’t get as big a crowd. They’re cheaper to do. The royalty on a play like that is probably less than $1,000, where (a musical) is $15,000, $16,000, a big difference.”

It takes a lot of people to put on a show. A musical might have 35 actors. The technical crew behind the scenes adds another 20 people. Then there are ticket sellers, which adds about another six.

He said the fact that musicals tend to have large casts was not a real consideration for choosing what to perform.

“We’re just a musical bunch of people,” he said. “We really like musicals. That’s the way we started 24 years ago, and that’s what we’ve continued to do.”

“The Scarlet Pimpernel” is scheduled to be the fall show. A Christmas show is also in the works.

Perhaps most notably, “Les Misérables” has been approved for the 2014 season. It had not been available until recently, and Signature is considering it for spring.

The deposit for “Les Misérables,” $400, has already been paid. Signature also has to put down a $7,500 nonrefundable deposit to secure the library dates.

Larsen said, so far, “Camelot” has cost a little over $16,000.

“That gives you the book, the music –– meaning the sheet music –– and then you have to give it back after,” he said. “So you don’t get anything but the rights. ... Now a show, if you get by with $85,000 or $90,000, you’re doing good.”

He said Signature’s total expenditure for “Camelot” is likely to come in around $100,000.

Signature does not consider unknown plays. It looks only at ones that assure it of at least breaking even.

“You can’t even consider them with the cost of (things),” Larsen said. “Otherwise, it’ll just eat you alive.”

Just because a play is well-known does not guarantee it will be a hit. “Guys and Dolls,” done about 12 years ago, was not a success for Signature. It ended $10,000 in the red, mostly because it required an orchestra.

Another factor, Larsen said, was that Signature was not as well-known to the community as it is now.

“But we made it up on the very next show,” he said. “We look at what our demographics are ... we have to look at the bottom line, no matter what (play) we do.”

Tickets for “Camelot” are $30 for adults, $20 for children and $28 for seniors and students 13 or older.

For tickets, call the box office at 702-878-7529 or visit signature
productions.net.

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 702-387-2949.