Regional Theatre

[TheBalladeer]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 2:26pm

I've always wondered.....How does Regional Theatre differ from Community Theatre? Are they the same thing? Excuse my ignorance.

Cheers,
The Balladeer

[leomaxfrank]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 2:30pm

regional theatre considers itself professional - and of course there is a huge variable between the two. Also, regional pays.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 2:38pm

You can receive a lot of credits for you Equity card at regional theatres, also.

[leomaxfrank]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 2:43pm

but not all regional theatres have EMC programs

[Jon]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 8:57pm

Some regional theatres are Equity, some aren't.

In Chicago there are dozens of little theatre companies that call themselves "professional theatres". The actors get paid five or ten bucks per performance. They rehearse for two months or more, for a few hours in the evening, a few nights a week, so the "professional actors" in the cast can still work their full-time jobs.

In other words, forty bucks a week (NOT including the months of rehearsal)can be the difference between a community theatre and a "professional" regional theatre.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 9/15/04 at 9:30pm

I know...just at some.

[Ebonic_Singer]

Posted: 9/16/04 at 12:06am

You don't have to necessarily get paid do you?

[ckeaton]

Posted: 9/16/04 at 1:48pm

Our "regional" theatre is a LORT-B space. That includes a multi-million dollar budget, a two theatre complex, and 8-10 fully mounted productions a year. In the past two to three years, we have starred Karen Ziemba, Betty Buckley, and many other Tony nomninees, not to mention some of NY and LA's finest acting talent. We commission new works from up and coming playwrights and composers, such as Naomi Izuka, James Still, and Gregg Coffin. We also present World and National premieres of some excellent shows that have had great futures.

Community theatre is held in Middle School auditoriums, and is preformed by housewives and people with 9-5 jobs. Some of them are very talented, but they are not professionals.

Regional theatres such as ours more than "consider" ourselves professional, we are.

[lildogs]

Posted: 9/16/04 at 2:11pm

to me, a regional theatre is any professional theatre that isn't in New York City...

community theatre is a hobby practiced by a group of people who live near each other and produce theatre for charitable or social purposes...

i think the "purpose" of the two is what separates them

[ckeaton]

Posted: 9/16/04 at 2:44pm

A good assessment, perhaps. But there are shades to it.

[lildogs]

Posted: 9/16/04 at 2:57pm

no, ckeaton, no shades for you! back of the line....

i did my best, there are shades in everything, except barret foa's glory hole....JUST KIDDING!!! He's a cutie!

[Jon]

Posted: 9/16/04 at 3:12pm

Yes, regional theatre is any professional theatre outside New York City, EXCEPT for touring companiesthat play large commercial venues.

In other words, regional theatre is CREATED in the city in which it is presented, rather than brought in in a bunch of semi-trailer trucks for a week or or a month or two, then sent off somewhere else.

Call it summer stock, dinner theatre, Shakespeare festivals, "theatre under the stars", repertory companies, whatever.

[lildogs]

Posted: 9/16/04 at 3:41pm

ok Jon, there's a shade, but i wouldn't consider a subscription house that sells tours to be a "regional theatre"; these are venues that host a variety of programs: lectures, recitals, antique shows, and so on...but good call!

[Guillermo Ugarte]

Posted: 9/16/04 at 7:47pm

The real distinction is as between amateur and professional. Examples of amateur theatre include productions that are staged by community theaters, drama associations, colleges, universities, high schools, or other school groups, churches puppet theaters and clubs

Professional performances would include peformances given in any theater or by any group using with a production company and cast that consists entirely, or in majority, of paid actors and production staff, and/or is known as stock. That includes puppet theatres, productions by Council of Off Loop Theaters (COLT), Council of Stock Theaters (COST), League of Regional Theaters (LORT), regional theaters, dinner theaters, repertory productions, Off Off Broadway and Off Broadway, as well as first class professional road and first class touring productions.

I hope this helps.