Software for the Theatre

Before I make any New Year's resolutions about what belongs here in the Theatre area of Suite 101, this week we'll stray into what might be covered in other areas (Computers PC among others Mac) -- software for the theatre.

On the Mac end of things, Alan D. Schaefer, a production manager of Shea Center for the Performing Arts in Wayne, NJ has taken it upon himself to assemble all the information he could find on a variety of software at his Macintosh Software for the Theatre site. His site is broken down into eight categories: Drafting & Design, Script Writing, Box Office, Management, Audio, Rental & Inventory, Lighting, and Costumes. In each area he discusses the software choices with the knowledge of someone who has actually used it, and he's not beyond making recommendations based on his experience (in a number of instances he actually prefers software that is no longer available -- outdated, but still more useful than the more recent "bloatware"). He also has some suggestions for alternatives to dedicated software. He also thoughtfully provides links (where available) to the companies who produce the software.

On the PC side, it doesn't seem like anyone has made our lives quite as simple. Scott Naef's theatre-link.com site (formerly Scott's Theatre Links) links to four pieces of various software with some very basic descriptions. And Playbill On-Line's Theatre Central has links to a number of software sites, but with little description.

The University of Wisconsin-Stout provides a short list (with links) of software for both platforms.

Happy New Year -- go see a show!

Go To Page: 1