Re-Entry.mp3
Money in Roman Theatre
About 240 BC
The money flow system used in the theatre today is very similar to what the romans did when they put on theatre. The playwright would find someone to purchase his script and the producer would than pay for the show. The actors would be paid for their time and the audience paid an admission fee to see the show. The producer keeps the profit made from the show and the playwright usually will request that every copy of the script be returned to him. The reason for the playwright to hold on to all of his plays was because copy wright laws were non-existent at this point and if someone held onto a copy they could sell it to a producer for their own profit.
There was likely a theatre schedule for shows to be put on in the large theatres and only on special occasions a show would get additional performances. During a festival or a prosperous year a show might be free for the public to attend. The jobs of a producer, playwright, and actor were completely different jobs, and one would likely never take on a job other than their own.
The Actors were usually lower class and struggled to make a living. The playwrights were usually freemen and a valid member of society. The Playwrights would make a livable income on just writing plays but likely wrote other things as well to bring in more income. The Producers usually were very high class and powerful people. For smaller scale productions or street theatre the system probably worked differently.
The major plays put on in Rome were very popular and likely always made a profit for the producer. If an audience member was caught attending without paying they would be dealt the same punishment as they would for steeling. The flow of money for Roman theatre can be likely seen in some theatre company today.
