Term of the Moment: Producer Pep Talk

Producer Pep Talk--when box office numbers start dropping, the producers will sometimes make a misguided move of calling a company meeting to give the cast and crew a pep talk. If someone says that classic line, "We are going to run it!" run to the phones and start calling around for work. The boat is truly listing at that point. Usually the producer pep talk indicates that the closing notice will be posted in the next week or two. The smart stagehand can keep abreast of tell-tale signs of an ailing show--workcalls are cancelled, sound isn't allowed to order new batteries, wardrobe can't order new costumes for swings.