Invaluable advice from a true professional on
how to run a theatre. (Review by Caroline Smart)
Debra Batzofin has been in the business of
theatre management for 40 years, from early jobs of selling chocolates in the
foyer or cleaning toilets to becoming one of the most highly respected theatre
managers in the entertainment industry.
She’s proof that perseverance is the name of the game. After sitting outside
the Academy Theatre in Johannesburg every night, hoping that someone backstage
would not show up and she would get a chance to do their job, her patience was
rewarded. She was allowed in as a dresser to the production that was running and
then went on to assist with wardrobe on Brian Brooke and Bertha Egnos’s Ipi Tombi at a salary of R28 per week.
She then moved on to her next big break, working with Joan Brickhill/Louis
Burke productions. At the age of 20, she was in awe of what she describes as “all
these crazy theatricals.” Carlo Spetto, the lead dancer and choreographer, nicknamed
her “Miss B” and the name stuck.
In her illustrious career, South African born Batzofin is recognized
for her 27-year working association with Richard Loring at The Sound Stage in
Midrand, African Footprint; her contribution
to the Lyric Theatre; Gold Reef City, and her extensive travels with
productions around the globe.
Throughout the years of working with the
finest theatre venues in South Africa, Batzofin learned the process of theatre
management from start to finish. She is passionate about maintaining high
standards and this prompted Ismail Mahomed to challenge her to share her
knowledge of rights and wrongs in theatre management with the rest of the
theatre industry. As Artistic Director of the National Arts Festival, he
undertook to launch the book at the 2014 festival in Grahamstown.
This is how Beginners on Stage ... Ask Miss B came to be. It is an invaluable point
of research to any budding theatre manager or someone wanting to move into the administrative
side of the performing arts industry.
Sensible, practical and clearly laid-out,
her instructions are borne of her extensive 40 years of experience with top
theatre managements in South Africa. Having been there herself and done it all,
she presents the challenges and provides the answers to them! Along with a fair
dollop of humour or irony. Her strongest point is: “Never be afraid to ask.”
Her advice encompasses a sensible approach
to dealing with theft and the hectic repercussions that can arise if people are
wrongly accused. She encourages a proper understanding of the auditing process and
its requirements. She impresses the need to understand the value of complimentary
tickets and when it is appropriate to issue them. She stresses the importance of the special
kind of person it takes for a good Front of House Manager whose job is to make
sure the audience is happy while ensuring the production goes up on time
The self-published handbook received support from the Nedbank Arts
& Culture Trust; DWR Distribution; Splitbeam; and Tsogo Sun. The book is designed so that it is easy to read and can be used
on a daily basis by managers and students alike. Future plans are to make it available
for schools and colleges. “After all,” Batsofin says: “I didn’t write it for
myself!”
Beginners on Stage ... Ask
Miss B ISBN: 978-1-78280-282-2 is available at R100 (plus postage and packaging)
from the website www.AskMissB.com – Caroline Smart
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