THIRD post of the day?! What up wit dat?
I felt I was overdue for a Community Theatre Rant, so here goes:
There's this company in town that is opening a crappy musical next week, and they are so whorey about selling tickets. I don't know what it is, but whenever I run into someone who is working on this company's most recent show, they are more concerned with getting your ass to buy a ticket than actually talking to you and finding out what you might be up to. It drives me crazy. You can't just say "Hi Lisa, what's new"? You have to say, "Oh, and make sure you come to opening weekend because tickets are ONLY $45 that weekend only...! Tell your friends!"
That's the second part of the rant. It's community theatre, which to me means it takes place in a room with bad acoustics, shitty seats that hurt your ass like you have hemorrhoids, starring your local dental hygienist and the guy who works at the Jiffy Lube, both of whom harbor secret desires to be famous one day. And for the pleasure of experiencing that for two hours, you should not have to pay more than $10 a ticket.
These companies in town are now charging anywhere from $18 a ticket to $30 or more. It's out of control. I just can't afford to see their crap shows anymore, even if I do know someone in the cast or whatever. When will this madness end?
And finally, when was the last time you had nothing to do on a Friday night and you thought, "Hmm, let's go see a play!"? Right. Not anytime recently. Go see a movie or have some drinks at the bar. Guaranteed it's a better way to spend your money. No one wants to watch live theater anymore-- it's sad, but painfully true. Hell, I used to love working on shows just as much as the next Ron and Sheila, but it dawned on me during one of the last shows I did that no one was in the audience but friends and relatives of the actors, and then a few random old people. Once the old people die off, and the friends and relatives are sick of seeing these shows, no one at all will be around to see a show. That's when I decided to take the low road. Instead of railing against the unfairness of it all, and working hard to try to make changes with theater, getting creative or edgy or spread the word that "Theater is Cool"... I quit. It felt awesome, too.
I guess my point here is: Quitting can feel really nice. Got something you do and you're not sure it's 'worth' your effort anymore? Quit! Give it a try sometime!
6 comments:
Dammit, I thought you weren't going to bring my stage-loving past up in a public setting. See, this is what happens when you blog thrice in a day. You get all wonky.
BTW, the word verification is "siflect." Sounds like something with a decidedly Wilmerrific ring to it. Somebody get lengLohan a(nother) can of Lysol!
Wait a minute... I just sent the last comment, and now the word verification is "nosfs." Doesn't that sound like something a teenaged Nosferatu's stoner buddies would call him? Like, across the dungeon: "Hey, Nosfs, you suck, dude!"
Clearly, I need to walk away from the computer. Right now.
Funny you brought up this point about local theatre. I'm quite the local theatrette -- wait, that makes me the building...doesn't it..?
Anypoop.
Come see my show. We're doing the Wizard of Oz. Alls ya hafta do is catch the next plane to Perth in Western Australia. You can stay at my house.
Also, I recently saw Seussical the Musical at a nearby theatre. If you ever get a chance to see this one, go. It's so cute.
We went to watch out friend in it, sat very uncomfortably in our plastic chairs and all night people were complaining the accoustics and mikes were really bad. Added bonus? My sport teacher from primary school was in it.
btw, my word verification is vznvlxvc
I thought you hated me at one time because I worked for the regional theatre here.
I think its Arizona though. In the past four years that I've been here, I've only seen 2.5 shows that have shown me the raw emotional break downs that makes me love theatre.
Nosfs caught the siflect from Smackadocious, ewww.
Cass, it sounds like theatre in Australia MIGHT be a little more fun than the lame stuff we have going on here in AZ. So keep doing what you do, and enjoy it! If my local scene was a little more "community" and less cliquey and boring, maybe I'd still be doing it, too.
So yes, Joe, I hated you. KIDDING. You get paid to work for a theatre, which is still kind of nice. (I'm sure, like any job, it's got its moments that suck) I have been wondering about the whole "It's Arizona" thing for awhile now... I mean, was I being a snob, and were my problems with theatres my own personal problems-- and I'd carry those problems to whatever other states I might move to in the future?
Hearing you bring this up kind of makes me realize that no, maybe it IS this scene here. It's busted, that's for sure. I did theatre for 6 years straight, back to back shows, after I moved here, and got more and more disillusioned with the more experience I got. It seemed like people here LIVE for the DRAMA! and MAKING OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES MISERABLE! I directed 2 shows and loved doing it and telling the story, but thoroughly detested the bullshit that came with being a director in this town. You try to be honest with an actor because they are doing something that's below their capabilities? You get blackballed. People only want their egos massaged and they want you to hang out and smoke weed with them after rehearsals. It's all about cliques, like I said. It's all about how "EDGY" we can be--while not offending the seniors. There's a filter on fucking everything here. The alt companies try to play it off that they are doing something edgy, new and challenging, but when you get down to it they are so stoked about what they are doing in and of itself that they forget it's meant to be a STORY you are telling--not a parade of naked penises and hyped-up press. It's digusting and it's a bastardization of what theatre is supposed to be.
Obviously it PISSES ME OFF!! I mean, I loved theatre and I love telling stories. I just wish the scene was different, but I did try to change it years back and be myself and push for honest, simple, stripped-down theatre, but I lost my battle and frankly my will to keep fighting was lost when I had an actor tell me to "have a nice life" and proceed to talk shit about me to other people. You know what... I left middle school a long time ago. If this is what the scene is, and how people behave once they reach a certain level of name recognition or part-getting--then FUCK that.
At least in NJ the community theatre really was community theatre. The assholes with the egos and shit could all just ride the train into the city and do some off broadway crap. The people I knew that were doing theatre in town were just nice, fun people who weren't harboring unrealistic ideals of what theatre is and how popular it can/ can't be. You didn't hear nasty gossip, and everyone on a show was kind of happy to be there, I think. Doing backstage work was awesome back there, since it was just a good time putting a show together. I miss that so much.
I should have just written another post!
Only looking at it now do I see the inherent humor in "Nosfs, you SUCK!" It takes so very, very little to make me happy.
Now, I'm off to work on my ideas for a stage production of Alias.
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