You Know It's Community Theatre When... — Page 12

Long Island.

Yes, a lot of this has happened to me, too. But there are some wonderful experiences in community theater, too. Would love to see that in a thread.

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...When it's pouring rain outside, while inside you are singing "The rain in spain stays mainly on the plain" and the roof is leaking so bad that it like it's raining on the stage.

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"- When the cast doesn't really have an opening night party, it's more or less the question of "What are you doing after the show?"

That happens every time but we have a "closing night party"

A few from more recent experience:

- When one of your best friends (a 17-year-old guy) stars in Robin Hood, Get Smart, and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare over the course of a year, just because he's the only person with improv experience who auditions.
- When you end up playing Diana to your high school drama teacher's Val in A Chorus Line, and the character of Maggie is cut completely because not enough people auditioned.
- When your Lloyd in Noises Off gets in a tractor accident during tech week and loses two fingers, and the director has to step in for him. (Really happened.)
- When Essie in You Can't Take It With You is played by a 14-year-old, and Jason in bare: a pop opera is played by a 30-year-old.
- To bounce off your guys' last few posts, when your post-opening night reception at the theatre is canceled because the actors have eaten most of the food during the show.

Why didn't they do cardboard cutouts?

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Or, when you get to the opening night party, and there's no food left, because the ushers ate all of it. Screw the cast, crew and designers.

And only one bartender.


I hate it when there's only one bartender.

Regarding the actors eating all the food during a show previous to opening night -- Food is never safe in a theatre. Ever.

Doesn't matter what it could be, the cast and crew will go after it. It might be fruit, or hot dogs, or frozen pops ... even so, there's a good chance that by the end of the day, it'll be all gone.

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I love this thread! So many memories :)

- When you rehearse for three months just to perform for two nights.

- When you don't actually have a theatre to perform in, so you use a college lecture hall with makeshift curtains and your backstage is another room across a hallway.

- When there are so many rewrites but nobody really cares about legal problems.

- When you don't actually have to prepare anything for the audition. In fact, sometimes you don't even have to audition! (happened in our last show. We were short a male, so the director called his friend in... who had no acting experience ever. Worked out okay though)

- When you could go see a production two nights in a row and see a totally different show!

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"... the female love interest is overweight, and her being overweight has nothing to do with the plot."

If weight has nothing to do with the plot then what's the problem? Unless a character is supposed to be the epitamy of all conventional beauty (say a Helen of Troy) why can't the love interest me fat/plain/tall/short etc. That's one of the things I LIKE about some community theatres...not conventional casting. And as long as it's due to talent and not nepotism/bribery I'm all for it.

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"... the female love interest is overweight, and her being overweight has nothing to do with the plot."
Oh, come on now. Are you saying that nobody in the world has ever fallen in love with an overweight woman without it being a huge issue? I saw a professional production of Les Miserables where a wonderful actress who happened to be plus-sized played Fantine... and that's a character who's supposed to waste away from consumption. She was excellent, and everyone I saw the show with agreed that she was great for the role.

Unless the script or lyrics specifically refer to the character as being skinny, I don't see how that's a problem.

EDIT: On the other hand, there's a really skinny dude playing a character called The Fat Man in a play at my school, and he's not even wearing a fat suit for the role. It's... interesting.

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Updated On: 1/23/09 at 10:01 PM

I have to say - even though I haven't done Community Theater in a long time, I have some great memories...

I was in a production of Peter Pan when I was 11, and because I could dance, the director cast me as one of the Henny Penny Indians - I was in this brown thing made out of drapes and a headdress with 6 feathers. Good times...

This was also the same production where the fly operators (my dad and a couple of other guys) flew the girl playing Peter into the wall, and there were also like 25 lost boys and 20 Indian dancers.

Also, I was in a Middle School production of "Time and Time Again" and to allow for the extra cast, the director split a few roles, and he actually wrote an add-on to the script and created three more characters (I know it was probably illegal but to be honest, he didn't do half bad if I recall).

This was also the same production that used this little teeny tape recorder with pre-recorded music cranked up all the way as our "orchestra" - the music was so low that the entire cast got so ahead and ended up finishing the music before the accompaniment.

We did this show in the "Gymatorium" of a Girl's Inc., where the backstage changing area was rather small. Luckily I had the same costume throughout the show, but some a lot of them had to change from casual to formal in a really small area.

Those are just some of my memories - and I have to say that they were some of the greatest times of my life, and I miss doing it as much as I did in the past. Sure, the talent is iffy, and you may not have the luxury of a Broadway theater, but it is definitely something to cherish if you have the chance.

... when you have an all white cast for Ragtime. kinda defeats the whole idea of the show.

only in Australia i guess... D:

Updated On: 1/24/09 at 03:38 AM

Without being argumentative or anything, I have actually seen more of these in professional theatre rather than community theatre!

- when you work hours that professionals would be suing you over and breaks are an unfamiliar term to directors
- when people show an amazing amount of energy and enthusiasm in rehearsal and performance having come straight from a long day at their real job
- when you can share an incredible number of show in jokes with theatre friends so it seems to outsiders that you're pretty much talking a different language
- when you can play parts you'd never get a chance at in your wildest dreams and play them well
- when you get a chance to do something in theatre without having to live in a big city
- when everyone mucks in to get the job done regardless of what role they are meant to be doing
- when you can get great experience in most every role, rather than being pigeonholed as just a director or just a sound guy, etc.
- when you are amazed at what can be created out of a nearly non-existent budget
- when you don't do a show long enough to get bored of it
- when even spotty little teenage geeks can feel like a star for a while
- when there is a big social element to the company, with lots of organised parties, birthday cakes, and nights out that continue long after the productions finish
- when, out of necessity of casting, space, budget, etc., you get to see some interesting and often very successful takes on familiar shows

Acaila you were able to point out so many reasons why I love doing it.

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