We looked for the right software. It didn't exist. So we built it.
In November 2023, I sat down with two friends at one of our regular Friday lunches in British Columbia and started talking about a problem we all knew too well.
I had just taken over membership tracking at Chilliwack Players Guild, a community theatre that's been running since 1931. My tools were an inherited spreadsheet and a folder of loose paperwork. Down the hall, the Props Manager was sitting on close to 2,000 items cataloged in a Microsoft Access database so old that the computer running it could die any day, taking the entire inventory with it. The costume department? No system at all. Not a spreadsheet. Not a list. Nothing. Need pink pants for Act Two? Ask Mary. She's the database.
I went looking for software that could handle this. Not generic warehouse inventory. Not a project management app with theatre stickers on it. Something actually built for how theatre companies work: tracking props, costumes, scripts, equipment, people, and memberships across productions and seasons.
I found nothing. Not something close. Not something that could be adapted. Nothing.
So I called Gord. And then Kevin. It wasn't a hard sell. I was already deep in a software project at work and knew I had the skills to put something together. A custom-built tool would give Players Guild exactly what they needed. Something purpose-built. It felt like a no-brainer.
Three people who know both sides
We're not a startup that studied the theatre market from the outside and built a product hoping it would stick. Between the three of us, we bring decades of enterprise IT, ERP deployments, inventory management, and software development. But we also bring something that matters more for this particular problem: we're theatre people.
We know that "blocking" isn't something you do in traffic. We know why a props manager needs to track condition ratings differently than a costume lead tracks measurements. We know that volunteers can change every season, and the system can't depend on one person understanding how it works.
That combination, software experience and theatre experience, is what makes Odeumate different from a generic inventory tool.
Built with our first customer, not just for them
From the very beginning, Odeumate was shaped by a real theatre company with real problems.
Chilliwack Players Guild became our first partner in early 2024. Props was the first module we built. It had the most urgent need (that aging Access database) and existing data to migrate. When we demonstrated the first version at a CPG membership meeting, we expected polite nods.
Instead, members who had nothing to do with props or software leaned in and started asking questions. "Could it do this? What about that?" I took notes as fast as I could. The engagement blew past anything we anticipated.
That moment set the tone for everything that followed.
Over the next two years, CPG didn't just use Odeumate. They redirected it. Their Props Manager, Judy, and board member Maggie became our most valuable collaborators. Not because they told us what to build, but because they told us what not to build. Feature after feature got a clear-eyed "We'd never use that, and here's why", saving us from building software that looked good in a demo but would gather dust in a real theatre.
Early on, I was sure we needed to inventory all our set construction pieces: the flats, risers, platforms. We have a massive storage area and I'd been overwhelmed just looking into it, so it seemed like an obvious place where software could help. Then I talked to the guy who actually runs that area, and it clicked almost immediately: those pieces get cut, modified, and taken apart to fit every show. You can't inventory something that doesn't exist in the same form twice. It would have been a module nobody used.
What Odeumate actually does
Odeumate is a cloud-based management platform for theatre companies. It covers the things you're currently tracking in spreadsheets, Access databases, paper binders, or not tracking at all:
- Props: catalog, categorize, photograph, and track every prop through check-out, return, and assignment to productions.
- Costumes: full catalog with measurements, sizes, categories, and the same assignment workflow as props.
- Equipment (lighting rigs, sound boards, projectors) tracked individually with barcodes and condition ratings.
- Stock: items that aren't individually tracked (tables, chairs, glassware) but still need to be accounted for, with quantity tracking and movement history.
- Scripts & Anthologies: a searchable library with cast size, running time, themes, and content advisories. Google Books integration auto-fills the details.
- People & Memberships: manage your members, volunteers, and contacts. Season-based memberships with types, renewals, and a front-desk renewal screen.
- Events & Productions: link everything together. A production contains its rehearsals, performances, and strike. Props, costumes, and equipment are allocated to it. Everyone sees what's committed and what's available.
Every module has role-based access control, so your Props Manager sees what she needs and your front-desk volunteer sees what they need. Nothing more, nothing less.
It works on any device. It's a Progressive Web App, which means you can install it on your phone like a native app. No App Store required. Scan barcodes in the prop shop from your phone. Look up costume measurements while shopping at a thrift store. Check availability from the stage during tech rehearsal.
And if you have existing data (spreadsheets, CSV files, Access exports), it can be bulk imported. You don't have to start from scratch.
Why we built this as a company
We could have built Odeumate as a one-off tool for CPG and walked away. But once I found that gap (no theatre management software, anywhere), we realized the problem wasn't unique to us in Chilliwack. Every community theatre faces the same challenges: complex inventories, tight budgets, volunteer turnover, and tools that weren't designed for the job.
Broken Leg Software is the three of us (myself, Gord, and Kevin) building something we believe the theatre community needs. We're based in British Columbia, Canada, and we price Odeumate fairly because we know most theatres run on shoestring budgets.
We get community theatre. That's why there's a free tier. It's there so you can inventory your items, with a generous limit, and run a couple of events so you can experience where the real power of Odeumate lies. It's not a free trial. It's just free.
What's next
Odeumate is ready for your organization. If you're a community theatre, a school drama department, a costume shop, or any performing arts group that's outgrown spreadsheets, we built this for you.
We're not done building, either. Our roadmap is shaped by the same feedback loop that started with CPG: real theatre people telling us what they need, and what they don't. If you have ideas, we want to hear them.
Looking back, part of me smiles and thinks "You had no idea what you were getting into." And the rest of me looks back with a proud smile and thinks "You were the one who knew."
Get started at odeumate.com. Free to try, no credit card required.
Have questions? Get in touch. We'd love to hear from you.
Glenn Howard, Co-Founder, Odeumate