This started as a response to a blog Trish posted about opening a theater.  (see http://kcimprovgeek.blogspot.com/2008/06/what-it-takes.html )

My response got to be too lengthy… and that’s why I have a blog, right? Seriously, though, read hers before you read mine.

Just so you know, this post is somewhat less optimistic than my personality usually likes… but it’s real.

From someone else that’s been there… there’s nothing on Trish’s list I disagree with. My experiences (so far) are of course a little different, but it caused my eye to twitch a little when I saw my week laid out before me on this blog - because not only do you have to do each and every thing on the list… but you have to do them WELL.

I did purchase my building, but did it primarily as a real estate investment. If I didn’t have the rent coming in, and if I didn’t live in the basement, then there’s no way in hell this whole theater thing would pay for itself. The only way I could figure to make it work (at least in the short term) was to make sure I didn’t count on ANY income from the theater. Thank God I have a wife with a good corporate job that is completely understanding about following a dream and contributing to the art of the world.

And even though I have an MBA, which helped me figure out how to do all this non-creative crap, I still made a bunch of mistakes due to the fact that this was my first ever business venture. Those mistakes (and the cost of starting a business) led me to the edge of financial ruin, but through luck and personal grit, the edge is getting a little farther away all the time. As I’ve said on a number of occasions, it seems that there is a reason that most business owners are old white guys. They’re the only ones with the money to be able to start something. This is why my theater might lack the spit and polish of your average million-dollar performing arts venue. No cash for chrome, but plenty of heart and plenty of good entertainment.

Trish… you’re correct. People that want to do this are truly insane… I never claimed mental stability myself. This whole “starting a theater” thing has caused or exacerbated a number of the most fierce non-death issues you can face in society: problems in my marriage, bankruptcy, foreclosure of my previous home, the near evaporation of a social life, and owing money to my family which I swear I will pay back one day.

And I can predict the responses, because I know how I would have responded. I would have said, “Well, those things won’t happen to me. I’m smart enough to avoid those problems.” Maybe you are… but what about all those problems I managed to avoid? There were lots. Zoning… Water meters… the pouring of concrete… insurance… remodeling… the list could go on. These were all areas which could have easily derailed me, but I was smart and/or lucky enough to be able to sail through.

I don’t want to sound like a naysayer, but this gig isn’t for everyone. However, if you’ve read these horror stories and Trish’s, and still have starry eyes, then do it. If you’re got it in your head, then nothing will stop you. I was the same way, and kind of still am, even after everything. How can I resist helping a kindred soul? After all, I think I’d still do it again, because the final product fulfills me in ways that nothing else could do. (OK… one other thing, but you can’t do that all the time, in front of a crowd of paying guests.)

The thing I was the most unprepared for - You’re going to need at least $10,000 in the bank, depending on what you want to do. It took me about that much to get my space ready… from transportation of the seats I got for free to the purchase of the lights & sound to materials to build walls, the stage, the green room, the lobby, the restrooms, etc. I had to have more since I was purchasing a building, but you might not be doing that. You also have to have a strong, yet extremely flexible personality, to be able to make the tough choices, stick by them, and then completely change them when circumstances change, which they do nearly every other day, especially in the beginning.

Unless you’re a lot richer than I am, you’ll need to either possess or know someone that possesses good construction knowledge. Contractors are hugely expensive, and I saved a ton by having a wonderful family with great knowledge. If you look at my hands, you’ll see that they’re lined with scars, some of which came from the demolition/construction process. I had none of those skills, and am now trying to forget the ones I gained. There’s no stress like it. It changed me… I’m more cautious than I was. I don’t jump willy-nilly into projects like I used to. There have been many nights spent awake figuring out a problem, and other nights spent alone with tear-stained cheeks in a room, surrounded by past due notices.

Sound bleak? I think most of the population would be utterly mentally destroyed by this process. It was tough for me, but the whole time, my light at the end of the tunnel was in sight… the dream of a theater… the dream I’d had for over a decade. Each show, event, class, or workshop I host here in my little theater helps make the trouble worth it. Each dollar that comes in the door is one less dollar I have to scrounge for. Each laugh and each smile helps heal the mental strain I remember so well. The year I opened the theater - last year- was the worst year of my life. But I’m glad it happened, because though this year is only halfway through, it just might be the best year… thanks in part to the ol’ Imp upstairs.