Establish a set of bylaws and operating rules to appoint leadership and dictate how decisions will be made. This delineation of responsibility will appoint directors, provide membership requirements and act as a constitution that fully explains the governing principles of the acting troupe. This will avoid any misunderstandings going forward and will provide any prospective members with the regulations and assigned duties they will be expected to abide by if they are accepted into the company.
Decide on a mission statement for the acting troupe. Determine the goals and purpose of the acting troupe's existence, not only for those within the group but for the general public, as well. This will keep the company focused on issues pertinent to the troupe's success and will serve as a standard-bearer for all creative and legislative decisions.
Devise the name and logo for your acting troupe. Make it clever and creative because this is going to be the calling card for your company. Be sure to check if the name is already in use by another business in your area so there won't be any possible conflicts of brand recognition. Once you have decided, register the name with city authorities so that it is protected and you have the right to do business under this moniker.
Register with any relevant theater alliances and organizations that will help lend credibility to your troupe and allow you access to special programs and privileges that local community theater companies can take advantage of to help them thrive. These are a great way to network for ideas, find money-saving discounts on necessary items and gather important advice on how to negotiate the hurdles of putting on live theater events in your area.
Decide on the financial components of running your acting troupe. Choose whether your company will be for-profit or non-profit. This will help you figure out how you will raise money for the troupe to succeed in its mission statement. Non-profits can take advantage of public funding from grants and foundations, while for-profit groups will need to rely on other sources of funding, such as membership dues, selling merchandise, bake sales, car washes and any other creative ways of raising money. Once these decisions have been made, you will need to open a bank account for the troupe so that the money can be managed responsibly and with complete transparency.
Audition actors to join the troupe. Unless you already have a collection of actors that you are planning to use in every production, it will be necessary to invite prospective members to audition for membership. Where these actors come from will depend on your network of connections to talent. Alternatively, post casting calls on bulletin boards in rehearsal spaces, acting schools and trade magazines. It all depends upon how far you want to cast a net to find the next great thespians for your company.
Find some viable scripts. These may originate from the players themselves; in fact, your troupe may only produce scripts written from within the company. This will alleviate any major rights' costs and is the easiest way to proceed. But it may be difficult to get a wide audience to come see something they are not familiar with, and word-of-mouth can take a long time to spread. Producing plays that have name recognition will help with publicity, but then you are dealing with having to track down who owns the rights to that title and negotiating a fee for use. In either case, you must also decide on the size of the play and the genre. Decide what is most cost-effective for the troupe and whether or not it falls under the mission statement.
Find your space. Seek out a theater or rental space where the troupe will operate. This may differ from the actual theater where the production will take place, but, in the meantime, the troupe needs a base of operations to conduct business and rehearse to prepare for each upcoming show on the schedule.