Producing theatre at the local level has its inherent challenges. Few, if any, community theatres or schools have the kinds of budgets that Broadway producers do when they’re putting on a show, which calls for creative thinking on sets, costumes, and staging.

Though this challenge is nothing new, technological advances on Broadway—particularly in the last 20 years—have raised the bar if local theatre artists want to aim for Broadway-like aesthetics. From sets with elaborate mechanization for lightning-fast scene changes to keyboard parts in the pit that require complex programming and equipment, local theatres face a host of new challenges when producing a newer show.

Should small theatres shy away from newer titles when planning a season?

Danny Henning at Music Theatre International (MTI), a leading licensing company for musicals like Les Misérables and Ragtime, says absolutely not. “Technically demanding shows may seem daunting, but it creates an incredible opportunity for creativity and growth.”

Fortunately, there are also a host of new resources available to help smaller theatres tackle difficult shows, many direct from the licensing companies themselves. For Samuel French President Nathan Collins, he aims to empower theatre companies by bringing theatre licensing into the 21st century. “Samuel French’s commitment to innovation requires that we invest in developing and adopting new technologies for use in the theatre community. By working closely with playwrights and theatre producers of all sizes, we identify and solve pain points in the licensing and performing process.”

One of the easiest places to get help these days is in the orchestra pit. Most Broadway musicals now feature multiple keyboard parts in their orchestrations, designed to run on systems with complex programming to achieve a variety of patches (or sounds) and effects. The typical setup? A keyboard connected to a computer running software like Apple’s Mainstage. For local theatres, Samuel French offers programming for keyboard-heavy shows, like Rock of Ages, Heathers, and Chess. All you need is a musical keyboard and a Mac computer. MTI and Theatrical Rights Worldwide offer similar programs.

There’s also help for theatres that cannot amass full orchestras to begin with. Systems like MTI’s OrchExtra and Samuel French's SFTracks use technology so theatres can augment live musicians with a keyboard-operated system to fill in for any missing instruments, while syncing with the tempos and vamps of the live players. It’s a particularly ingenious solution for theatre companies that may not have the physical space for a full orchestra, or access to enough adequately trained musicians.

As for special props and costumes, MTI offers a Community Marketplace connecting theatres that have these items available for rent and sale to theatres in need. From the complete design elements for Peter Pan to a can of Ultra Clutch Hairspray, MTI’s marketplace is a go-to resource—and a place to find inspiration and connect with other theatre-makers around the country.

MTI, specifically, licenses two shows that rely heavily on specific puppets (Little Shop of Horrors and Avenue Q), so they have a complete set of professionally-made puppets for both shows available for rent.

Trouble with sets? Both MTI and Theatrical Rights Worldwide recently partnered with the world-renowned design and production specialists at Broadway Media Distribution to create Broadway-caliber projections—both still and animated—for many of their most popular shows. Each show comes with projections to cover all scenes and settings called for in the script, meaning theatres using them have the option of using projections as their entire set or as an enhancement to their existing design.

And it’s not all bells and whistles. Samuel French has gone back to basics and updated script distribution. With a growing number of people reading on phones and tablet devices, Samuel French leads the pack in bringing work to the digital space. Their Abbott interface renders many plays and musicals in Samuel French’s catalog available for purchase or rental on your mobile device, tablet, or computer.

“Abbott came from the commitment to ensure that everyone has instant access to great plays, while also protecting the work of all the talented playwrights we represent,” Collins tells Playbill. “We wanted to be able to have safe, immediate ways to be able to share our authors’ works with everyone, from an artistic director to a student who needs a copy for their scene study.”

Abbott’s growing library of available titles even includes plays from outside Samuel French’s catalog; they currently have works published by Nick Hern Books, and more publishers will join in the future.

Users can access Abbott for research (or pleasure), but the program also features tools for industry professionals. A dramaturg can take notes in the margins that then become bookmarked throughout the script for easy reference; stage managers can highlight lines by selecting them individually or by selecting a character; actors can use it for memorization help by using the blackout feature; and artistic directors can build lists of favorites and create digital libraries of plays under consideration. These capabilities put Samuel French far ahead of what is available to current Broadway actors.

MTI offers a similar system on a platform called ProductionPro. In addition to making a digital script and score available, ProductionPro gives directors and choreographers a place to store choreography and staging notes so that their performers can work on all aspects of their role in and out of the rehearsal room.

Speaking of choreography, MTI also offers a new way to officially license original Broadway choreography for select shows, including Annie, Hairspray, and Legally Blonde. Co-founded by Tony-winning director-choreographer Jerry Mitchell, Paul Canaan, and MTI, The Original Production offers not only the rights to the show's full original Broadway choreography, but hours of video instruction on the steps themselves and insights into the choreographer's inspiration for those steps as well—the videos for both Hairspray and Legally Blonde are led by Mitchell himself.

Both MTI and Samuel French also offer revised versions of shows in their libraries that have been adapted to meet the needs of different productions, either allowing for different cast sizes, younger performers, or fewer technical demands. Want to do Grease at a high school? Samuel French has famously had a parent-approved school version script for years. MTI offers three versions of Ragtime, including the original Broadway version, an adaptation designed for high schools, and a version of the show that toured the U.S. and played London’s West End—perfect for companies looking to minimize cast size and scenic needs. MTI and Samuel French both offer adaptations for middle school and younger kids to perform.

There's also help beyond the actual performance itself. Managing your own online ticket selling platform can be a heavy load for a small theatre, but ShowTix4U offers an easy-to-use online ticket selling marketplace tailored for theatres. The simplest method is to use ShowTix4U to sell general admission tickets, but theatres also have the option of inputting their venue's seating chart and allowing patrons to choose their own seat. They also offer representatives to take orders over the phone at no extra cost.

But, of course, when thinking about the audience experience, you can't forget about the program. Getting a Playbill with that iconic yellow header is a beloved Broadway experience, and PLAYBILLder makes that same experience available to local theatres worldwide. Theatres can use the simple PLAYBILLder interface to build a Broadway-quality program, engage and build their audience, share their Playbill virtually, promote the show through social media, distribute physical programs, and much more.

Theatre is and always has been a creative art form, which makes it a perfect place to work on a demanding piece, even if the circumstances might seem insurmountable. Combine the resources available to assist theatre companies with the brilliance of local theatre artists and companies will discover there is no need to fear the technical demands of any story they want to tell.

Logan Culwell-Block is a musical theatre historian, Playbill's manager of research, and curator of Playbill Vault. @loganculwell

This piece was updated September 13, 2018.

WATCH AS GOODSPEED MUSICALS PRODUCES LARGE-SCALE MUSICALS ON A SMALL STAGE WITH NO FLY SPACE: