I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m incredibly fortunate \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I actually make money in the arts. As the administrator for a community theater and a published playwright, my paychecks are directly related to all things theater. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a wonderful thing. <\/p>\n
It also lends me a particular perspective. I hear from all types, including eager young actors, cynical techs, disillusioned writers, egocentric directors \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and you can pretty much switch adjectives and objects at will. And so when certain clich\u00c3\u00a9s start to take form, I have the advantage of placing them in a certain context. Thus, I present to you an ever-expanding compendium of theater fallacies. Have you said, or believed, any of these pearls of wisdom? I know I have.<\/p>\n
Usage: <\/strong>We need a hit, so let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s produce \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThe Sound of Annie of Oz Grease Superstar.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 No worries \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll itself!<\/i> There are certain staples out there that community theaters know \u00e2\u20ac\u201c just know<\/i> – will be successful. We learn this from experience. JCS<\/i> always seems to bring the crowds, right? And hell, the grandparents alone will pay back the exorbitant royalties of Annie<\/i> or Wizard of Oz<\/i> – so bring on the moppets! But it don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t always work out that way. Sure, parents and grandparents will come see their precious little snowflakes, and rock musicals tend to bring out the curious non-theater types. But hoping the name alone will entice the crowds is a big mistake. After all, once a title is part of the zeitgeist, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s probably been turned into a movie and produced into the ground by every theater in a 30 mile radius\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6so much of your target audience has been there, done that. Your particular production might be the greatest thing since that bass solo in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You Can Call Me Al,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d but the name alone won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be enough to entice the crowds. <\/p>\n And here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the trickier part \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the people choosing theatrical seasons are, by definition, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153theater people.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d They possess a certain taste and insight that much of our target audience does not. You and I can name the musical that won the Tony last year \u00e2\u20ac\u201c can they? When it becomes available, we theatergeeks will jump all over it, but we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not the ones buying tickets, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re the ones auditioning and finagling our way into free seats. Things like \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Tony and Pulitzer winning\u00e2\u20ac\u009d look great in marketing blurbs, but they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t translate into sales. And I won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even get into the production itself, except to say word-of-mouth is a powerful tool\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6few things can kill a show like a cast who discourages friends & family from coming to see it.<\/p>\n So what DOES sell a show? Damned if I know. Damned if anybody knows. Hell, look on Broadway, where it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all movie tie-ins and celebrities \u00e2\u20ac\u201c even Disney can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t tell a hit from a flop until it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s way too late. On a local scale, the only thing that really seems to work is the unadulterated enthusiasm of the production crew itself. Seems that if the cast & crew love what they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re doing, people will come.<\/p>\n Usage: <\/strong>See above entry.<\/i> I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not saying it hurts. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m just saying that no amount of cast loveydovey is going to promote a show. If said loveydovey translates into grassroots promotion \u00e2\u20ac\u201c poster hanging, phone calls, impromptu street performances \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it helps. But I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen many shows that faltered despite the genuine enthusiasm of the cast & crew. Sometimes, the audience just doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel the love (in simpler terms, the show ain\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t as good as the cast thinks it is). But often, I think those producing the show begin to assume their love is contagious, and will spill out into the atmosphere, enticing viewers like the smell of a bone entices Tex Avery dogs. It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m thrilled for those in theater who have a wonderful experience \u00e2\u20ac\u201c that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all about. Now go hang some posters, willya?<\/p>\n Usage: <\/strong>You know why no one will produce my play and\/or cast me? I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know the right people. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all politics.<\/i> Theater people are notoriously\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6unique. Think about what we do \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we devote much of our lives to either pretending we are someone else or enabling others to pretend. At some level, we are constantly auditioning, showing someone our most vulnerable side so that they may judge us and decide our fate. Or, worse yet, we ARE the judges, watching person after person (often our friends, but not at that moment) parade their talents so that we can decide whether or not they fit into our \u00e2\u20ac\u0153vision.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Our level of personal security is\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6oh, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153skewed.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n Therefore, when things don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t go our way, it is very easy to blame the politics of theater. No one will produce my script because I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know the right people. They won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t cast me because I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have a chummy relationship with the director. And there might be some truth to the matter.<\/p>\n However, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an inherent surrender in comments like these. The truth is, theater \u00e2\u20ac\u201c local or otherwise \u00e2\u20ac\u201c is a small business, as the awesome Gary Garrison<\/a> will tell you. If you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have connections, MAKE THEM. Lord knows I knew nobody in the playwriting biz when I started, and I can now count many amazing and successful writers among my friends\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6and those friendships have led to opportunities I never imagined. And really, all I did was send emails, go to productions whenever I could, and generally make an effort to connect with my fellow writers, to learn from them, to listen to them, and (especially?) to drink with them. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had the luck and fortune to be able to travel, to take classes and seminars, to visit \u00e2\u20ac\u201c granted, not everyone has that luxury. But isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t that (along with odd abbreviations and kitty pics) what the internets are for? <\/p>\n And as for you actors & directors \u00e2\u20ac\u201c yep. All things being equal, a director will choose someone they know & love over working with an unproven entity. Again, though \u00e2\u20ac\u201c theater is a small, small world, and your rep, good or bad, will get around. Trust me. No one wants to work with people they\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to work with, whether the gig is paid or volunteer. So how \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcbout your connections? Take a good, honest look at yourself and your history. Did you spend time complaining about the production to your fellow castmates, people who were actually having \u00e2\u20ac\u201c or trying to have \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a good time? Did you talk smack<\/a> about your fellow actors to your friends, leaving said friends wondering what you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re saying about them to others? Were you obnoxious during auditions? A frequent absentee during rehearsals? (Let me tell ya, folks \u00e2\u20ac\u201c if you must have a vice, make sure it ISN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T being the guy who calls in sick all the time.) Trouble-makers come in all shapes and sizes, and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153insecurity\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is no excuse\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re ALL insecure, brother. When it comes down to it, them what duz the castin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 are going to choose the nice, supportive person over the talented painintheass every time. Politics? Not really. Just common sense. Being at the helm is a hugely daunting task \u00e2\u20ac\u201c every move gets second-guessed, not least by yourself. Those of us who do it want to make things as stress-free as possible, and that means keeping the nasties at bay.<\/p>\n Now, this doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean there aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t back-scratchers out there, just like there are in every gig. And it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean good actors & writers aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t getting screwed out of great roles & shows because those in charge had their blinders on. But if they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d rather work with an old buddy over you, hey \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s their loss. And probably a theatrical venture you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d rather not take. In the meantime, please remember that the best, most lasting connections start by being friendly and supportive, even (especially) behind backs.<\/p>\n More shattered illusions coming soon to a post near you\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" or, An ongoing list of overheard theater fallacies I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m incredibly fortunate \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I actually make money in the arts. As the administrator for a community theater and a published playwright, my paychecks are directly related to all things theater. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a wonderful thing. It also lends me a particular perspective. I hear from all types, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[14,11,19],"class_list":["post-196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-playpen","tag-lists","tag-playwriting","tag-truth-hurts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mattcasarino.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mattcasarino.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mattcasarino.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mattcasarino.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mattcasarino.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=196"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/mattcasarino.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":201,"href":"https:\/\/mattcasarino.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196\/revisions\/201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mattcasarino.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mattcasarino.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mattcasarino.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThe Reality:<\/strong> No. It won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t.<\/i><\/p>\n“If the cast & crew love what they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re doing, people will come.”<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nThe Reality:<\/strong> Not so much.<\/i><\/p>\n“It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all politics.”<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nThe Reality:<\/strong> Yes, but not quite like you think.<\/i><\/p>\n