PURSUED BY A BEARTHEATER PRODUCTION BUDGETER / PLUGIN
A production budget
you can question.
Turn a show, a schedule, and your production assumptions into a rough-draft Excel budget. Research the costs, see what is uncertain, and give the team something concrete to revise.
Version 1.0.0 · A downloadable plugin from Pursued by a Bear. Adapted from the Theater Production Budgeter custom GPT.
WHAT IT DOES
Start with the show.
Build a useful
first pass.
The workflow starts with the production title, then gathers only the details that materially affect the budget. Once there is enough information, it moves to a workbook with visible assumptions.
Production estimates
Build across artistic, cast, stage management, crew, scenery, costumes, technical departments, venues, travel, benefits and contingency.
Current labor research
Identify applicable union and employer agreements, effective dates and cost drivers. Unavailable terms remain clearly marked for confirmation.
Budget review
Look for missing costs, uncertain rates, allocation questions and formula problems. Use your organization’s account names and conventions.
Scenario planning
Compare low, base and high assumptions with formulas that connect detail to a rollup, so the team can see what changes the total.
THE DELIVERABLE
A workbook.
With the questions
still visible.
The plugin directs your agent to produce an actual Excel file, connect department totals to a rollup, document sources and assumptions, and reopen the file to check formulas and totals before delivery.
A validated file can still contain provisional estimates. Contract applicability, current rates, production choices and final costs need review by the people responsible for the show.
Bring your own historical budgets, current agreements and organizational policies. The public download contains no client workbooks or private production figures.
GET STARTED
Add the workflow.
Bring your
production.
Download and install
Download version 1.0.0 and extract the ZIP. In a compatible ChatGPT or Codex desktop environment, ask your agent to add the extracted folder to a local plugin marketplace, then install it from that source in the Plugins Directory.
Follow OpenAI’s current local-plugin setup instructions ↗
This is a website download, not an OpenAI Plugin Directory listing. Local installation support varies by host. The ZIP includes its manifest, budgeting skill and README.
Using Codex project skills?
Copy the included skills/production-budgeter/ folder into your project’s .agents/skills/production-budgeter/ folder. Start a new conversation and invoke $production-budgeter.
A useful first request
“Use Production Budgeter to build a production budget for my upcoming show.”
Already know the title, city, dates or agreements? Include them. For a review, supply the workbook you want checked.
What your agent needs
Web access for current research and supported spreadsheet or Python tools for XLSX creation. The plugin supplies the working instructions; it does not include a hosted budgeting service or provide those tools itself. Access depends on your host and account.
PURSUED BY A BEAR / CUSTOMIZATION
Your accounts.
Your way of planning.
Adapt the workflow to your organization’s chart of accounts, season-planning process, templates and review checkpoints.
Discuss customizationProduction Budgeter supports rough-draft planning. It does not guarantee costs or contractual compliance and does not provide legal advice. The package includes no external server, account connection or tracking code. Your files are handled by the tools you authorize in your chosen host.