Being a "Theatre Mom"
For many, a theatre program, especially those that focus on students, we can feel a certain feeling of family with those people. I know this first hand. For about the last two and a half years, every time I enter my home theatre for an audition, rehearsal, or otherwise, I hear exclaims of “Mom!” from the younger members of our youth program. I honestly don’t remember how or exactly when the nickname started, but now that it has, I am so glad that it did. As I prepare for one of my final auditions with my theatre’s youth program, I have spent a lot of time reflecting on the last two years that I have spent as Muncie Civic Theatre’s youth “mom”.
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I'm the Producer Now
It’s that time of year again. The show/season has been announced. And it is time to get going. We need to find a director, a production team, and of course a cast.
Last year I took on the role as co-producer for my local community theater’s first two productions of the season. This was my chance to see and learn how things are done right from the start. Someone thought I would be a good producer and asked me if I would be interested in the role. I am always willing to learn more and said “yes” because I also like to try new things.
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OMG...I Had a Productive Production Meeting
Can a production meeting actually be productive? Yes that can happen, things can run smoothly and an agenda can followed closely. It’s a great feeling to leave the meeting with such a sense of accomplishment.
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Helping On Stage and Off
I have always said that theater is my home, but the props department is like my room within my home. After trying out a few different aspects of the production team, I felt in love with props (by accident) and found that being the props master best utilizes my skills and creativeness. To read a script and not make a prop list is really weird to me and when I am not the props person for the show that I am working on, I really do miss it.
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Tech Week: "This Better be a Cute Baby... "
Last night at about 3:00AM, my director stood before me, her hair in a messy ponytail, bags under her eyes, her paint clothes splattered with all kinds of interesting colors, and she said, “Sometimes directing is like having a baby. You’re in the worst pain of your life. You want nothing more than for it to be over and for to have never conceived at all. All you can think of is the stress and the pain that your body is going through. But then, you’re holding your baby in your arms, and she’s so beautiful that you cry.”
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10 Ways to Cope With Theatre Withdrawal
We’ve all been there before.
It may be for different reasons for different people. For some, finding the right role or gig might just be too hard, leaving us with a large gap of time in-between our creative projects. For others, work or family life may be taking up too much time. If you’re like me, it might be because you’re still in the middle of a major transition phase in your life that’s left you too busy to take up any huge new projects, at this point in time.
But at one point or another, I’m sure we’ve all known – to varying lengths or degrees – the unpleasant experience that is theatre withdrawal.
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Participation Fees vs. Mandatory Selling- Which is the Lesser of Two Evils?
I get it. Theaters need to make money. And ticket sales don’t always cover the bills. So what else do you do, what else can you do, except ask your actors to pay. Some theaters charge a participation fee, others ask their actors to sell a minimum number of tickets, sell ads or collect items to be raffled off to raise money. Each way has pluses and minuses. Let’s discuss.
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Need Asians for 'Miss Saigon'? : A Guide in Casting Roles of Color - Part 1
It's safe to say that one issue this blog has been consistent on throughout the years is that when dealing with roles of color, those roles must be cast racially correct.
Whether it's authorial intent or the fact that the character identifies themselves as a certain race, those are choices that must be respected and followed, unless permission is granted otherwise.
However what I have been seeing over and over again is that when a local theatre can't seem to find the performers of color (POC's) they need, somehow replacing them with a white actor "made up" to resemble that race, is the next best option.
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Selecting a Season : The Challenges and Rewards
One of the Artistic Director’s challenges at any theater company is navigating the choppy waters of selecting a season of productions. There are so many variables to juggle that, in the end, the choices can almost seem arbitrary. But of course nothing that takes so much time and research and consideration and negotiation can be arbitrary. Budgets aside, it is really all about who we are trying to please, including ourselves.
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Community Theater Was Basically My High School Sport
Spotify just made me a “summer jams” playlist based on my listening habits that includes, no joke, the entr’acte from “Pippin”, so it probably won't surprise you to learn that I didn’t participate in sports as a child. Like, at all.
However, I don't think I'm any worse off for fulfilling this nerd stereotype, because my high school sport was community theater. Every value and life skill that kids get from team athletics, I got from the stage.
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