Attending performances in puppet theaters is a popular form of entertainment for kindergarten students and primary schoolchildren..
This is a great way to instill in a child a love of art, as well as develop a sense of beauty in him.
Opening a puppet theater is an interesting idea for organizing your own business with small investments.
Even a person who is not directly related to theatrical creativity can organize his own business in this field of activity.
To do this, it is enough to purchase or rent a room, purchase props, set up a stage and equip the auditorium, and also hire actors.
A puppet theater can be stationary or mobile.
Many organizations successfully combine two types of activities, holding performances in their own premises and going on tours to neighboring cities.
How much money does it take to open a puppet theater?
If the start-up investment of a novice entrepreneur is small, he should think about opening a puppet theater in a mobile format.
In this case, all decorations should be easily disassembled and fit into a regular passenger car.
To open such a theater business, you will need to hire a screenwriter who will develop plots for future performances.
In addition, it will be necessary to organize cooperation with home-based seamstresses who have experience in making glove puppets or puppets.
As a rule, the cost of such props ranges from 3 to 10 thousand rubles (depending on the size, number of consumables used, complexity of the work, etc.).
To open a mobile version of the puppet theater, an investment of 300 thousand rubles will be required. The organization will need to hire several actors, a graphic designer, and an administrator-cashier.
In order to organize a stationary puppet theater, more substantial investments will be required.
The entrepreneur will need to find a spacious room, the capacity of which should be at least 70-80 spectators. The theater must have a wardrobe and a toilet.
The premises will need to be prepared for inspections by various authorities, in particular the fire inspectorate.
To do this, the entrepreneur will need to invite specialists to treat the stage design, as well as other combustible structures, with a special fire retardant compound.
The cost of such a service will depend on the area of the surface being treated. As a rule, the price does not exceed 100 rubles per square meter.
In addition to the actors, scriptwriter and cashier, a permanent theater must also have cleaners, stage hands and a ticket distributor.
Financial plan
Based on very average calculations, 200 thousand dollars will be needed to implement the theater plan. The investment is not small, and the payback period for such an enterprise can take a long time if you approach the matter without enthusiasm.
For outdoor performances, the purchase of vehicles for transporting props, troupe, technical personnel and everything necessary will cost about 150 thousand dollars with minimal plans.
The decorations you need for your first performances will depend on both the focus of your theater and the variety of productions. Often, many things are made from improvised means by technicians and the troupe itself. Especially when the first steps are taken out of sheer enthusiasm and the desire to create. But certain types of technical decorations require investment, since they cannot be created “on the knee”. You have to contact special companies. Thus, about 15 thousand dollars will be required to create your own stock of working props for performances in order to form the backbone of the program.
The marketing program includes a variety of means to disseminate information about the theater's opening and new performances. Expensive advertising methods will initially be unaffordable, but in some cases you can save money.
For example, the media may agree to cover the opening of your project for free. Since this is, in fact, an informational occasion for the cultural life of the entire city. Therefore, you can safely send out invitations to newspapers, magazines and local television and radio broadcasting channels. The same applies to social networks, where groups operate whose purpose is to talk about what is happening in the city, invite residents and guests to free events, and report on new products.
In addition, there are other inexpensive channels. Of course, we are not talking about radio advertising, and whether it will make sense in relation to the work of the theater still needs to be figured out. Posting advertisements is the best inexpensive way to tell ordinary citizens that there is now a new theater in the city. It would be better to allocate about 5 thousand dollars for advertising.
The price of one ticket , as mentioned above, will depend on many factors, ranging from the location of your theater to the average price tag of your direct competitors. But you need to take into account that 60-65 percent of the proceeds for the ticket goes to the salaries of the actors and staff, about 20 percent goes to cover the rent.
How much can you earn by opening a puppet theater?
What kind of profit can such a business bring?
As a rule, to organize one new performance it is necessary to spend about 50 thousand rubles. Investments can be recouped in 2-3 weeks of work if you set the ticket price at 300 rubles.
In capital cities the amount can be twice as high. Several performances can be held per day.
A stationary puppet theater can generate a profit of up to 70 thousand monthly. If an entrepreneur decides to specialize in organizing road shows, his profit may be slightly lower.
Mobile puppet theater will need large-scale advertising. You need to allocate at least 10 thousand rubles monthly for this.
Whatever format of activity a businessman chooses, his main goal in the first year of work should be the desire to gain recognition among the audience, and not the pursuit of excess profits.
Tickets
On the one hand, you need to cover the costs of your project with tickets . On the other hand, since the theater is new, the public is still unfamiliar with your repertoire and the quality of productions. Therefore, it is important not to scare away a potential viewer with the cost of tickets, but, on the contrary, to attract as many as possible.
From the very beginning, you will need to analyze the pricing policy of existing theaters in the city where you plan to perform. Especially if you are going to travel somewhere. Initially, you can set prices 10-20 percent lower than generally accepted. This will not be a dumping move for your future competitors. Because until you create your own public, you will not be able to oppose your project to existing ones.
In the future, when the performances are constant, and tickets are readily sold out, when your theater gains popularity and prestige, the pricing policy can be revised, focusing on the general situation on the market, the solvency of the audience, and costs.
Step-by-step plan for opening a puppet theater
1.Draw up a business plan for opening a puppet theater
2. Register an enterprise. Obtain appropriate permissions.
3. If the theater is stationary, then it is necessary to find premises. It should be spacious, designed for 80-100 people. The theater must be equipped with a dressing room, a bathroom and a room for storing props.
4. Buy props, decorate the stage, arrange the auditorium.
5. Hire: actors, cashier - administrator, screenwriter, graphic designer, cleaner, stage designer.
5. Conduct a good advertising campaign.
Room
It is difficult to rent such premises for a long period of time, because not every owner will allow it to be radically refurbished. In the future, the room without modifications will be useful only for performances, and repairs will cost a large sum of money.
Another option is to purchase or build your own suitable premises with subsequent reconstruction. Before deciding to take this step, you need to consider whether it will be advisable. The costs will not be recouped if the theater business is planned in a small city. In millionaire cities the situation is different; any investment in construction will pay off. Even if the owner later sells the building, its price will be much higher than the investment for its construction. Although there are some small nuances in matters of personal space.
It is assumed that the theater will be stationary if there is room. Will there be such a large attendance for your productions that the costs will be worth it? It may be worth considering purchasing several vans to transport props and actors. Thus, the business will begin with a traveling theater (non-stationary). The cost of one car is around $35,000.
Technology for performing performances in a puppet theater
The main goal of the theater at the opening stage is to gain wide popularity. As artistic directors of theaters say, most viewers come through word of mouth. To popularize the theater, the importance of various advertising cannot be reduced. It should be posted on the Internet, on television, radio, various printed publications, and on banners.
If there is not enough money to create a stationary theater, then you can create a traveling theater. He travels to children's institutions and schools. The main task is to find contact with the heads of educational institutions and interest them. The amount of remuneration for schools and kindergartens is 10%. The performance usually lasts 40 minutes. Tickets for school performances cost 100-200 rubles. On average there are up to 80 spectators. So for one performance you can collect 8,000 rubles. In order to always be in demand and have its own audience, the theater’s repertoire must include performances for children of various ages.
Repertoire and company
It is unprofitable to dwell on any one theatrical genre when forming your repertoire. Because the public prefers variety, and you will need as many people as possible to visit your establishment. Ideally, you should provide comedy, tragedy, vaudeville, drama, musicals, and children's shows to cover as much consumer demand as possible and satisfy the preferences of the masses.
However, such a wide range of representations is not at all easy to achieve. Because an incredible burden will be placed on the actors, and they may not be able to cope. Therefore, the selection of actors must also be taken very seriously.
You shouldn't count on famous actors. They will not agree to participate in a new project without fame, a well-promoted scene and good fees. The theater troupe is formed from young talents who are not yet so ambitious, but can grow together with your theater, through hard work attracting fame both to themselves and to the new stage.
Another option is to find an already formed troupe with its own director and take them on board, especially if they have difficulties finding a place for rehearsals and performances. In this case, you can solve several problems at once. Both the repertoire and the initial difficulties with forming a creative team.
As for people, do not forget that theater is not only about actors, but also about a group that works behind the scenes. These include lighting technicians, props technicians, mechanics, prop makers, make-up artists, and ushers . Some of these positions will need to be combined at the first stage so as not to include an extra expense item. Finding such personnel will not be so difficult.
It is also worth considering in advance the option when your building will be used not only by your actors, but also, for example, by troupes coming on tour. This will create an area of additional income, increased popularity among visitors and will shape the name of the theater, and not just the group of actors who make it up.
Performance script
One of the most interesting genres for a child is a fairy tale. This will be your starting point in your activities. In order to start the production, you will need to select beautiful scenarios for everyone’s favorite fairy tales, starting with the classic Kolobok, Turnip, Little Red Riding Hood and other popular fairy tales. For each fairy tale, you will need to find dolls or colorful costumes, which you can make yourself or order from an atelier.
Toys made by master craftsmen will be cheaper and much higher quality than factory-made analogues, which are rare. In order to successfully start showing the play, you will need to acquire about 8-10 fairy tale scripts; this set will be enough for the first time. However, you should not stop there and expand your repertoire.
In addition to performances of ordinary fairy tales, you should create a number of interesting programs for various holidays and events. For example, scripts for children's New Year's performances with the participation of traditional characters - Father Frost and Snow Maiden - are always in great demand. They will be especially in demand if you offer unique and non-standard scripts that other children's theaters cannot offer. If you decide to start such a business, take our advice and focus on uniqueness. Alternatively, you can change traditional fairy tales and thus make them completely unique. In this matter, you will be assisted by experienced screenwriters, whom you can easily find on Internet portals and on various freelance exchanges.
Before starting a business staging children's plays, it is very important that the scripts should be exciting and interesting for children. Most likely, you know from your own experience how difficult it can be to captivate a child and persuade him to sit quietly in the place of small children. In addition, your actors and you yourself must be prepared for various force majeure events, for example, unplanned scenes involving a child in your play, especially if you will be performing at a client’s home. In such cases, you will not be able to interrupt the performance, and you will have to improvise and come up with new stories with the participation of the little hero.
If you are no longer a beginner, or are confident in your abilities and strengths, then you can go even further in this matter. You can offer your clients interactive children's performances, where children will be the actors. Interactive productions require the direct participation of even the youngest spectators. This will give the child the feeling that he is a real fairy tale hero. And for you, this is a good opportunity to give children more joyful moments, make your business more attractive and popular, and also save on actors.
Equipment
The best solution would be to create decorations yourself or to order. Ready-made puppet theaters are limited in the set of decorations; their scripts are formulaic and not interesting for young viewers. Don’t get hung up on the fairy tale about the turnip; focus on modern trends. Create or buy characters directly for a particular scene.
Puppet theater with marionettes
Decide in advance on the concept of the puppet theater: puppets, booth, glove puppets or magnetic theater. You can also give out a few finger puppets to the children so that they also feel like they are part of the show.
Magnetic puppet theater
Estimated costs for scenery, puppets and equipment:
- Decorations - 5'000 rubles
- Dolls - 4,000 rubles
- Finger puppets - 1,000 rubles
- Total - 10'000 rubles
By default, we assume that you already have a personal car to transport the puppet theater, or use taxi services. Since the purchase of a personal car is not included in the project budget.
Pros and cons of a business idea
Advantages:
- Interesting non-standard project
- Opportunity to work on a project in your free time
- Creative implementation
Flaws:
- Competition with other children's entertainment
- Limiting the number of spectators for one performance imposes restrictions on profits
- The need to constantly develop in order to be interesting and in demand
A traveling puppet theater is an example of creative realization. To monetize a project, talent alone is not enough; you need to constantly attract new customers and remain interesting to viewers. May everything work out for you!
[edit] Transition to simplified tax system
Organizations and individual entrepreneurs submit applications to switch to the simplified tax system in the period from October 1 to November 30 of the year preceding the year of its application. Newly registered organizations and individual entrepreneurs submit an application within five days from the date of registration with the tax authority.
The taxpayer has the right to change the object of taxation of the simplified tax system, if the application is submitted in the period from October 1 to November 30 of the year, then until December 20, preceding the year in which the simplified tax system was first applied.
To change the object of taxation (if a decision is made to change 6% to 15% or vice versa), you must submit an application before December 20 of the year preceding the change in the object of taxation.
[edit] Loss of the right to use the simplified tax system
The conditions under which a taxpayer loses the right to apply the simplified tax system are set out in Art. 346.13 of the Tax Code, the main one of which is the requirement for the maximum amount of turnover of an enterprise (in 2009 the limit was 94 rubles).
The limit of 100 million rubles for OS does not apply to individual entrepreneurs. Therefore, if they exceed it (though this can only be imagined theoretically), then they will not lose the right to apply the simplified tax system. Since 2010, the limit has been 60 million rubles.[1]
