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[Suzanne Gilad ](/)

[About ](/about)[Producer ](/producer)[Author & Editor ](/author-editor)[Speaking ](/speaking)[Philanthropy ](/philanthropy)[Notes ](/notes)[Glossary ](/glossary)[Contact ](/contact)

Reference

# Broadway & Theater Producing Glossary

A working dictionary of Broadway producing, theater finance, and arts philanthropy — written for students, producers, and the merely curious.

Broadway has its own language. Walk into a production meeting and you’ll hear about _capitalization_ and _recoupment_, general partners and limited partners, weekly running costs and front-of-house grosses — terms that mean something very specific inside the industry and something fuzzier (or wrong) outside it. This glossary is the version Sue Gilad wishes had existed when she first started raising money and reading offering documents: plain English, written from inside the room, with the context that turns a definition into useful knowledge.

Each entry is short on purpose. The goal is to get you from “I’ve heard that word” to “I know what it means and when it matters” in under a minute. Where a term connects to a larger topic — investing in a show, fundraising, scholarships, the producer’s role — the entry links out to a longer guide so you can keep reading without losing the thread.

New to producing? Two good starting points are [What is a producer in theater?](/glossary/what-is-a-producer-in-theater) and the long-form guide [Broadway Producing 101](/l/broadway-producing-101). For the money side, the guides on [how to fund a Broadway show](/l/how-to-fund-a-broadway-show) and [investing in Broadway](/l/investing-in-broadway) cover capitalization, recoupment, and the realities of backing a show in practical terms.

The glossary grows as new questions come up in mentoring sessions and reader notes. If a term you expected isn’t here yet, it probably will be — and if you’d like to suggest one, the [contact page](/contact) is the fastest way to get it on the list.

## A

-   [ATPAM (Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers) ATPAM is the labor union representing professional managers and press agents who oversee the business and communications of Broadway and touring productions. ](/glossary/atpam)

## B

-   [Bridge Loan (Theatrical) A theatrical bridge loan is a short-term financing arrangement used to cover immediate production expenses before the full capitalization of a show is raised. ](/glossary/theatrical-bridge-financing)

## C

-   [Capitalization Capitalization is the total amount of money raised from investors to cover all costs required to open a theater production. ](/glossary/broadway-show-capitalization)
-   [Creative Team The collective group of artists, including the director, designers, and writers, responsible for the artistic vision and execution of a production. ](/glossary/creative-team)

## M

-   [Most Favored Nations (MFN) Clause A contractual provision ensuring a party receives terms equal to the best terms offered to any other comparable party in a production. ](/glossary/theatrical-mfn-clause)

## P

-   [Producer A theater producer is the chief executive who oversees a production's financial, legal, and administrative health from development through closing. ](/glossary/what-is-a-producer-in-theater)

## R

-   [Recoupment Recoupment occurs when a Broadway production earns enough profit to pay back its initial investors their full original capital contribution. ](/glossary/recoupment)

## T

-   [Theatrical Offering Circular A theatrical offering circular is a comprehensive legal disclosure document detailing the financial terms, risks, and structure of a Broadway production investment. ](/glossary/theatrical-offering-circular-definition)

## W

-   [Weekly Grosses Weekly grosses are the box office receipts reported by Broadway productions each week, detailing ticket sales, attendance, and theater capacity. ](/glossary/weekly-grosses)

Suzanne Gilad 

Grammy & five-time Tony Award–winning Broadway producer, author, editor, speaker, and arts-education advocate.

Explore

-   [About](/about)
-   [Broadway Work](/producer)
-   [Author & Editor](/author-editor)
-   [Speaking](/speaking)
-   [Philanthropy](/philanthropy)
-   [Notes from the Wings](/notes)
-   [Theater Glossary](/glossary)
-   [Contact](/contact)

Scholarships

-   Suzanne Gilad Grant
-   Sue Gilad & Larry Rogowsky Theatre Scholarship

Get in touch

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