“It doesn’t matter if you’re from a town of 100 people and you have one stoplight in the middle of town…theatre can live.”

“To have a great show you’ll obviously need great actors, but so many other components go into a quality level production. Regardless of your budget, talent, script, or venue, paying attention to these details will put a crisp and classy touch to your show.”

“We in community theaters have incredibly talented participants who are as dedicated to the craft as anyone attempting to make a go of it in this sacred world of make-believe and story-telling.”

So maybe your next season includes a musical or play that calls for real animals and you’re a little worried. As humans, we can’t be in control of an animal’s every move. What we can do is make sure our show is respectful, safe, and well prepared. If you’re a community theatre looking into a play that requires animals, you might need some additional support.

“Following Hairspray’s lead, it’s time for licensing companies to work with authors to implement casting requirements for roles of color. These roles were written for specific BIPOC’s and should be guaranteed to be portrayed that way.”

“Asking performers to complete a reasonable amount of preparation before auditioning only helps us see who can rise to the occasion. We all have bad days and bad auditions but that doesn’t mean that accompanists are the problem.”

“Theatre is already full of social justice hypocrisies. We make cast members sign forms committing to an absolute rejection of inequity-based bullying while simultaneously listing the colors of leather Capezio character shoes the actors will be expected to provide for themselves. Track-based auditions are a no-brainer step in the right direction: a simultaneous concession to modernity, move towards inclusion, and advantage in terms of finances and convenience to struggling community theatres.”

So your friend has auditioned for your show.

Before casting them in the role that they have written down on the audition form, go through this checklist to make sure you’re not practicing nepotism, which in the workplace, is illegal!

“I say we put the "community" back in community theatre, we welcome the new kids, we help others feel more comfortable at auditions, even if it takes away the focus from yours because the theatre community is why a lot of people fall in love with theatre, to begin with. “

“Your directors are responsible for the tenor, vision, and production of their shows but your theatre is ultimately responsible for its directors. Give them every chance and resource to be successful, but don’t be afraid to weed out a director who isn’t up to par.”

“In the past week, there has been a newfound call to arms for theatres across the globe to make their stages more diverse when they resume operations. However, not every community theatre can do this. Not every community is diverse enough or has the talent pool to produce heavily diverse shows. So what shows can they produce to bring more performers of color to their stages?”

“For some theatres, this pandemic was too much and permanent closure was the best option. I’m not going to criticize that decision. But others who want a clear plan on how to restart operations, here are some ways you can do that.”