Community theater silent auction item ideas that actually sell

For the general list, see our 100+ silent auction item ideas. A theater audience bids on the building and the work, and one category is decided by a licence rather than by the board.

The building

• The stage for a private event — a proposal, an engagement party, a memorial
• A named plate on a seat, permanently
• The lighting or sound box during a performance
• A backstage, fly-loft and trap-room tour
• Calling the half, or ringing the front-of-house bell
• The rehearsal room for a group, for an evening

The production, within the licence

• A walk-on or non-speaking role, where the licence and the director allow
• A seat at a technical rehearsal, watching the cue-to-cue
• Dinner with the cast after a performance
• A costume fitting experience, or a scene coached by the director
• The director's or designer's concept sketches, if they are the company's to give

Every one of these needs the director's agreement as well as the board's, and the walk-on needs the licence checked. Some agreements are specific about the cast list and about anyone appearing on stage.

Seats and subscriptions

Reliable, easy to fulfil, and with a decision behind them about whether you are auctioning a seat you would otherwise sell. Covered in season tickets and VIP seats.

From the company

• A set carpenter's day, a seamstress's alterations, a designer's consultation
• Headshots from the company photographer
• Singing, acting or audition-technique lessons from a member
• A cast member's own business or professional service
• Archive material: a poster from a famous local production, a signed programme

What the licence may rule out

• Merchandise carrying the show's title, logo or artwork
• Recordings or photographs of the production, and their promotional use
• Costumes, props and set pieces that are rented rather than owned
• Anything using the licensor's marks, including in the auction's own branding

None of this stops you having a strong catalogue — the building, the company and the archive are all yours. It does mean the licence question happens before the catalogue rather than after, and it is a five-minute read.