Amateur productions vs. professional counterparts

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 6/27/15 at 10:18pm

Have you ever experienced where an ameteur production was better than its professional counterparts? I'm experiencing one right now. As you can tell from my pic I live in the Chicago area and there is a college/high school production of Les Mis through BAM theatre at Nazareth Academy in Lagrange Il. and it's so good! The guy playing Jvj is so thrilling and his brother is playing javert so there's a true rivalry going on onstage. It's intermission right now and I can't wait for bring him home. Also this is better so far than the national tour that came in a few years ago and the drury lane production. If you live in the Chicago are the Chicago area I highly advise you to come out and see it. It's final performance is tomorrow at 2 pm.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 6/27/15 at 10:28pm

I thought Rent at the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria was often better than the New World Stages production (and at times the Adam and Anthony tour). Good talent, but what made me really enjoy it was that there was a lot of heart and passion.

[JoseLee_]

Posted: 6/27/15 at 10:33pm

Amateur productions can never compare to professional ones... if we are talking about set, lights, stage, and all that minus the actual actors.

Any production can have better actors, singers, dancer..

[AwesomeDanny]

Posted: 6/27/15 at 10:47pm

"Amateur productions can never compare to professional ones... if we are talking about set, lights, stage, and all that minus the actual actors.
Any production can have better actors, singers, dancer.."

Often, a play can benefit from the simplicity created by financial necessity. I once worked on a musical with basically no budget, and it was a very frustrating experience, but then a close and trusted friend told me that he found the use of the bare stage, the lack of microphones, and the simplicity of the costumes helped the storytelling and made the production engaging and totally unpretentious. More money is not always better, remember Spiderman: Turn off the Dark?

Call_me_jorge, I know a few very talented people who have come out of that program. It is nice to hear that they are continuing to do good work and foster young talent.