A producing house is a

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

which ‘manufactures' its own shows in-house (such as plays, musicals,

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

, or dance) and perhaps does everything from honing the script, building the set, casting the actors and designing and making the costumes. The shows that are produced are then shown at that theatre or sent to others which do not produce their own material (known as

receiving house A receiving house (sometimes called a roadhouse) is a theatre which does not produce its own repertoire but instead receives touring theatre companies, usually for a brief period such as three nights or a full week. The incoming company may receiv ...

s). Some theatres may produce some of their own shows, but also rent its facilities to shows produced elsewhere. These venues are both "producing" and "receiving" houses. Most West End and

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

theatres are not producing houses as the venue solely provides facilities to the incoming show even though the production may stay for many years. Producing houses at the larger end (for example the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

and the

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

) employ hundreds of staff across a multitude of departments concerned with the manufacture of theatre: set design, costume making, wig making, prop making, etc, with full time resident companies of actors etc.

References

Stage terminology Theatrical management {{Theat-stub