Musical jargon
Musical jargon
#1Musical jargon
Posted: 11/4/09 at 10:19amCan someone please tell me what "stock" means. I'm presently reading "The Oxford Companion to the American Musical: Theatre, Film, and Television" and there are constant references to actors performing in "stock", but I can't find anywhere in the book what it means.
MusicSnob1
Broadway Star Joined: 10/19/09
#2re: Musical jargon
Posted: 11/4/09 at 10:41am
"stock" is short for Summer Stock, I assume. Or just "stock" as in STOCK SCENERY or STOCK THEATRE.
Here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_stock_theatre
"A summer stock theatre is a theatre that generally presents stage productions only in the summer time in the United States. The name combines the seasonal aspect with a tradition of putting on shows with a resident company and reusing stock company scenery and costumes. Some smaller theatres still continue this tradition, and a few summer stock theatres have become highly regarded theatre festivals. Often viewed as a starting point for professional actors, stock casts are typically young, just out of high school or still in college."
Or...
If it's a British publication, they could be referring to JOINT STOCK THEATRE.
"The Joint Stock Theatre Company was founded in London 1974 by David Hare, Max Stafford-Clark and David Aukin. The director William Gaskill was also an important part of the company. It was primarily a new work company.
As its title suggests, it was run as a Joint stock company; the capital of the company being formed by the contribution of each member, its profit was to be measured in the success of its productions. Thus, it became cooperatively owned by its members. What their contribution was and whether it included the actors in lieu of their salaries was not revealed, nor was what the union Equity had to say about it.
Joint Stock created a distinctive style of working with writers using company research to inspire workshops. From these workshops writers such as David Hare, Howard Brenton and Caryl Churchill would garner material to inspire a writing phase before rehearsals began. This methodology is sometimes referred to as The Joint Stock Method. Key productions include Hare's Fanshen, Brenton's Epsom Downs and Churchill's Cloud Nine."
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