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Where Does the Money Go?

GCTC is a non-profit company with a voluntary staff of very dedicated people.  Even with an all-volunteer workforce and performers, the production of a live stage play can be very expensive.  Ticket sales to the shows cover approximately one third of our annual operating budget, the balance must come from donations from individuals, companies, and grants.  So, where does the money go?

Live Stage ProductionsMASH

  1. Copyright - Copyright fees vary dramatically from show to show.  We must pay a fee for the rights to publicly perform any show and these fees can range from $50 to $2,000 per show.  There may also be charges for each performance and the size of our audience.  In addition to these fees, there may be extra costs associated with purchasing music scores and digital accompaniment material.  These extra costs can easily be more than the original copyright fees.  It is not uncommon to have several thousand dollars invested in the rights to a musical before any actual production begins.
  2. Sets – Sets must be built for each show.  Our dedicated group of volunteers is wonderfully talented at building sets, but we must still purchase building materials like lumber, fasteners, paint, wallpaper, etc.
  3. Props – Sets must be furnished with props.  Props include anything that is not permanently attached to the set.  This includes any furnishings, decorations, or items that the actor may carry or use during the performance.  We try to borrow as many props as possible, but often times we must rent or purchase certain props.
  4. Costumes – Costuming costs can vary greatly from show to show.  The actors can sometimes provide their own costumes, but some shows require specialty costuming or period clothing that must be custom-made or purchased.
  5. Production Costs – All shows have a certain amount of general production costs.  These costs include marketing, lighting, and sound.

Anyone can see that putting on a live stage play can get pretty pricey.  Our goal is to put on a quality performance at an affordable price.  If we try to fully fund our productions with ticket sales, we would need to increase our admission price to a level that may be unaffordable to many people in our community. Strong financial support from the community helps keep ticket prices within reach of all.

Youth Camp

A second major destination for our patron’s money is our annual Youth Drama Camp held every summer.  This is a week-long, day camp for children entering the 3rd thru 8th grades.  The children learn all of the facets of putting on a live stage play including acting, singing, dancing, set construction, costuming, etc.  At the end of the camp, they perform the selected play to a live audience. Patron funds are used to provide scholarships to those children that may not be able to attend the camp otherwise.  The camp normally has around 100 children in attendance.