Welcome To Our New Blog - Producing Theatre: behind the sett

There’s a lot that happens in local theatre that audiences never get to see.

The rehearsal room is only part of the story. Before the curtain goes up, there are obtaining rights, budgeting, venue bookings, auditions, casting decisions, rehearsal planning, photoshoots, marketing, set design, costumes, technical planning, programme design, endless emails and a whole lot of problem-solving along the way. And sometimes, things don’t quite go according to plan.

So, I thought it was time to share what goes on behind the sett.

And, with that, make way for Producing Theatre: Behind the Sett, a new series from That’s The Badger Productions, written by me, Lucy, exploring what it really takes to create and produce theatre locally.

A little bit of background

For those who don't know me, I’m Lucy, co-founder of That’s The Badger Productions. I’ve been involved in local theatre for most of my life, but That’s The Badger is something Adam, my husband and co-founder, and I started in 2025 because we wanted to create ambitious theatre and tell stories we were passionate about. Someone who has been alongside us every step of the way is the wonderful Rick Hyland who is not only an incredibly talented director but someone who has guided, supported, challenged and stretched us right from the start.

Alongside Rick, our producing journey properly began in June 2026 with Teechers at Ilkley Playhouse. It was a brilliant, chaotic, exhausting and hugely rewarding way to start. Since then, things have moved rather quickly.

We’re now just over three weeks away from opening night of RENT at Yeadon Town Hall Theatre, our first musical as a company and a considerably bigger undertaking.

At the same time, we’re already planning our next three musicals, because apparently putting one show on at a time would be far too sensible. And there’s even more to come.

We’ll soon be making an exciting announcement about a brand-new piece of work coming in early 2027. It’s a new musical, with big plans, and it’s something I’m incredibly excited to be developing.

So, what’s this blog about?

I wanted somewhere to talk about the things that happen behind the scenes.

Not just the polished posters, opening-night photographs and “BOOK NOW!” posts, but the decisions, challenges, successes, mistakes and occasionally ridiculous situations that happen when you’re trying to produce theatre.

I’ll talk about producing local theatre, working with venues and creatives, casting, rehearsals, marketing, ticket sales, finances, audiences, accessibility, developing new work and everything in between.

And I’ll also talk about why I do it.

Because local theatre is about much more than putting on a show. It’s about creating opportunities, telling stories, bringing people together and giving audiences the chance to experience ambitious work close to home.

I’m not claiming to have all the answers. We’re a young company and I am often learning as I go. I’ll undoubtedly get things wrong, change my mind and occasionally wonder why on earth I thought something was a good idea.

But I think there’s something valuable in being honest about what happens behind the curtain.

So, whether you’re a regular local theatre-goer, someone who has never been involved in theatre before, a performer, a fellow producer, or simply curious about what actually goes into making a show happen… Come behind the scenes with me.

Welcome to Local Theatre: Behind the Sett.

Here’s hoping you enjoy what’s to come! I’d love to hear what you’d like to hear about most.

Lucy 🦡🤍

Lucy Boniface

The Blogging Badger