How Does a Theater Like the Muny Work?

[EvanstonDad]

Posted: 7/29/24 at 9:31am

I saw an article today about how the full cast and design team for the Muny production of In the Heights has just been confirmed. That show starts on August 9. It seems really late for the cast and design team to just be confirmed now. Does anyone know how a theater like the Muny works, and how it's able to get shows up and running so quickly? I would have thought all of the shows would have been completely planned before the season even started.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 7/29/24 at 9:36am

Announcing the cast & team in a press release today does not necessarily mean it was only just finalized today. It’s been on their website for a while. The creative/design team will be working for months ahead of time.

That being said, they only have about 2 weeks of rehearsal (and extremely limited tech time) so it’s not unheard of for last minute changes to occur.

[MatthewS1]

Posted: 7/29/24 at 10:13am

They usually announce their principals in April/May and their ensemble/swings/standbys on the first day of rehearsal for each production. The later announcements can also include principal casting changes- we've already had 2 this year, as Jed Resnick dropped out of Fiddler to go on the MJ tour and Ken Page dropped out of Waitress for an unknown reason.

[Kad]

Posted: 7/29/24 at 11:07am

The Muny is an old-school summer stock theatre and probably the most successful and best-known remaining example of this model. Since they only operate in the summer months, they essentially do a full theatrical season in just a few months, and as Ermengarde notes, the turnaround time for getting these off the ground is exceptionally quick. These productions don't have a ton of new or innovative design- they're using rental pieces as much as possible or using simplified versions of existing designs (it's also a huge venue, so designs need to be broader-strokes in order to read). When it comes to people involved, you'll notice that many performers and creatives working on these productions have done other productions of these shows before.

Basically, they're prioritizing efficiency over everything else to make these happen.

Updated On: 7/29/24 at 11:07 AM

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 7/29/24 at 1:56pm

Kad is correct.  The MUNY has a lot of seats and creative who have done these shows before.   The creative teams usually have come "community" and "move large amounts of people" experience even if not top tier. 

That said, the shows are not very good. They are serviceable fast summer stock with a mix of NY talent (MUNY pays decent) and local talent/children to fill their big stage.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 7/29/24 at 3:11pm

I worked periodically in ST. Louis 10 - 15 years ago.  I saw 4 - 5 productions at the Muni.  In all cases, I was able to get a last minute ticket within 7-8 rows of the stage, which is not typical of the general audience.  In all cases, I thoroughly enjoyed the productions I saw.  I was amazed what a good job they did.  Admittedly, you don’t expect the same experience as in a 1,000 - 1,800 seat theatre, but they were really good.  In one production, Miss Saigon, they even used a real helicopter which, though admittedly a little unnecessary, added to the experience.

I know a number of people who have season subscriptions, which are part of their ‘definition’ of summer.  To say that they are not very good is to me a simplistic assessment.  As an experience, the Muni is great, and to be commended for what they accomplish week after week.

it is also true that — given the sheer size of the theatre — some productions are more suited to that stage.  I imagine seeing an intimate show like Kimberly Akimbo would be something to avoid.