The OT board is refreshing

[ComingUpRoses]

Posted: 8/1/05 at 11:54am

I've just discovered the depth and maturity of the OT board. Thanks to all who contribute. Like many of you, I feel that the WICKED obsession on the main board has become tiresome and annoying. And so, so repetitive. As others have said, it's great that young people are being attracted to the live theatre. But I'm really not so interested in hearing that the WICKED Playbill bios have been updated. Or who played what in last Saturday's matinee in Chicago. I'm also wondering, as WICKED inevitably fades into the sunset, will these avid one-show fans come back to the theatre and continue to support it?

There's now a long thread on that board that bashes the wonderful and always professional Joanna Gleason because she won't "come out" of the DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRALS stage door and perform an Act III for the autograph hounds. I posted what I thought was a reasonable comment about stage door behavior, i.e. the performers owe the audience nothing but a good performance. I was IMMEDIATELY flamed and informed that it is a performer's DUTY to mix and mingle with the fans. I'm not sure where that is written.

Well. my stockbroker made an excellent trade for me the other day. Excuse me while I go down to her office and wait for her to "come out" so I can get her autograph and, hopefully, a photo with me. I guess, somehow, that will validate my boring life.

[wildcat]

Posted: 8/1/05 at 12:01pm

My stockbroker is deaf, but at least she signs.

[ComingUpRoses]

Posted: 8/1/05 at 12:07pm

As long as she "signs," what else could possibly matter?

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 8/1/05 at 12:11pm

OTA2, you make some good points. I've always believed that when the curtain comes down, the actors are on their own time. If they choose to do the stage door thing, good for them. But if not, they shouldn't be called mean, rude or unfriendly.

[Aigoo]

Posted: 8/1/05 at 12:12pm

The post that JACXR71 made is DEAD ON. I couldn't put it better myself.


*EDIT* - sorry, by the time I finished writing this, there were 5 more replies about how this has been discussed at length, meaning what I said has probably been said before a billion times (we swings should really learn to think before we post...) So feel free not to read on...

I agree in theory. However, what actors have to understand is that these "stage door" fans come with the job. Some actors may view it as a bother or an inconvenience. Others may love it and revel in it, but everyone needs to accept it as a reality. What bothers me are actors who act surprised and annoyed that this has happened, as if they expected to never come into contact with fans - highly unrealistic, especially for stage actors. TV/Film is a little more understandable.

Being a star means that thousands of people are going to know who you are. Your voice is going to reach for hundreds, even thousands of miles away from the stage where you perform. And if you are particularly good, you are going to touch the lives of people you haven't even met. Because of this, you're going to get all kinds of feedback - people who are "in love" with you, or think you'd be the best of friends. People who are "convinced" that they know you simply because they've heard you sing, seen you act, read an interview, or even possibly met you briefly.

Of course these are very misguided feelings, but the power of a performance is stronger than a lot of people understand. People will relate to plots or stories personally and feel a real and deep connection with a character. Oftentimes, this feeling will translate over to the particular actor, who may or may not be anything like the character in question. But what many actors don't realize is that coming out the stage door, saying hi, signing a playbill, anything - gives the fan some form of validation and fulfills (to a point) the sense of connection they developed after seeing/hearing the show.

Now before you yell at me for claiming it's the actor's responsibility to handle the emotional issues of their fans (broadway fans? emotional? issues? never!), I'm not saying that at all. Like OntheAisle said, their job is to give a good performance. That's why they went into the business (hopefully). I'm just saying that to one person, what seems like a fleeting, inconvenient moment consisting of coming out the stage door and greeting some people, to another is a heartfelt, meaningful experience that they will always remember. Hell, look at half the signatures of BWW users - quotes from actors spoken directly to them. Do you think any of these actors remember saying these things to the fans? Maybe, but probably not. But it meant enough to those fans for them to display it as their signature - something they're proud of.

Ok, so I rambled a bit. I suppose I could have left all this out and just said "true, but they have to realize it comes with the job." But I think most of you will agree with me regarding how much an experience like that can mean to a lot of fans.

Updated On: 8/1/05 at 12:12 PM

[JACXR71]

Posted: 8/1/05 at 12:17pm

Thanks, Aigoo - every now and then I surprise myself with a bit of eloquence, as opposed to my usual incoherent babble

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 8/1/05 at 2:37pm

So...are OnTheAisle and OnTheAisle2 two different posters? Clearly they are, since OTA has been a staple of the OT board for months. It's all way too confusing for me.

Does it bother anyone else? ...and this isn't aimed at OTA2, since there is really no way to check if a name is taken when registering. I know that there is an Iflitifloat2 around, somewhere, that was created when I tried to update my account info...but at least that's me...it would bother me if it wasn't. It becomes very difficult to keep identities sorted when distinctive names are duplicated.

Craig Rob...what about a link to a list of all the registered names so that people could check when choosing an identity?

Updated On: 8/1/05 at 02:37 PM

[mominator]

Posted: 8/1/05 at 2:41pm

I am with flit on this one mean how mant TheaterDivas will there be?

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 8/1/05 at 2:42pm

Iflit, this is obviously not the same OTA that has been posting for months. As you can see, OnTheAisle2 joined on 7/28/05 and has "Swing" status.

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 8/1/05 at 2:55pm

I understand that...but suppose that someone were to join today and begin posting as melissa errico fan2 ... that wouldn't bother you at all? And don't you think that would be confusing to others who don't know you well..and that what you had to say would become merged with what #2 had to say in people's minds?

And just when I finally had the Elphabas straightened out...

Updated On: 8/1/05 at 02:55 PM

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 8/1/05 at 2:58pm

If someone joined today and started calling themselves "Melissa Errico Fan2", it would definitely be weird, but nothing I would lose sleep over. I agree, though, that if you have so many people with similar sounding names, it can start to become very confusing, and all of the thoughts would be melded together.

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 8/1/05 at 3:06pm

And that's my point... I don't think most people duplicate names on purpose. There's just no simple way to check what identities are in use.

And I'll take it a step further... I'd also suggest a list of "retired" names to help the unsuspecting from wandering into a mine field. Top contenders: Horsey, Equus, RodneyK... and the list goes on... Also, any variation on Marilyn Monroe is probably a bad idea...lol.