You Know It's Community Theatre When...- Page 6

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 10/28/06 at 11:38pm

...it's a production of Dreamgirls and Effie is being played by a skinny white woman.

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 10/28/06 at 11:57pm

....it's on Broadway! The writing is strictly Amateur City.








Tennessee Williams
The French Quarter, New Orleans

[Radioactiveduck]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 1:02am

The crew doesn't get paid....grrr.....

[Albin]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 8:33am

*You are excited to get out of bed every morning of production week because you get to do something you love later on that day.

*You are thankful for all the new friends you have made, many that will last a lifetime.

*You have a part in bringing live theater to some people who will never get the chance to experience it any other way.

[Gingersnap2]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 11:05am

"Case in point. Why is Hugh Panaro doing the lead in COMPANY in Seattle? NOT that he isn't worthy or capable, but HE DOESN"T LIVE THERE! BUT, he can put in his resume 'Broadway Performer', and that trumps all. Nevermind the very capable PROFESSIONAL actors (yes, that means union affiliated) who could do the role - let's go after the marketing angle."

Hugh actually didn't go looking for this job.

I asked him how he ended up doing the role out there in Seattle and he told me that the director had seen "Lestat" and liked it. When the time came to cast "Company," he tracked Hugh down through his agent and asked him to play Bobby. He said it's the first time he can remember where he was actually asked to do a role, without going out and auditioning or otherwise actually seeking it.

I also don't think it ended up making a big difference to the audiences from a marketing angle. Hugh's not really the sort of Broadway name most people out there even recognized. I got the impression it almost hurt the production in the sense that most people were familiar with the other cast members, but Hugh was just some guy from New York.

[actor]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 11:30am

...the director feels the need to get on stage and demonstrate the dance for you

...the choreographer has fights with the director

...the cast is nervous that the audience will laugh at them

...the director has a mental breakdown - just to make a point

...the dances have nothing to do with the song

[Marlene]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 3:26pm

perhaps this is just specific to my high school.

...the director's daughter manages to be a part of every production even though she doesn't go to your school
...you learn the ballet number in your soccer cleats, desperately trying to get through the entire thing before your coach drives off in the team van
...everything seems to be double casted, and people switch roles on different nights
...there has never been live music except for a piano and a sax in a few numbers
...you still don't know the dance number on opening night, and just decide to wing it
...as a dancer you're now ushering in a leotard that is about two sizes too big because you are replacing someone else in the show
...Tony in WSS will be played by a freshmen that is almost a head shorter than Maria. (If casting turns out the way everyone speculated...)

Updated On: 10/29/06 at 03:26 PM

[thevolleyballer]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 3:34pm

...the reporters in "Bye Bye Birdie" are the same kids from every other number, and they wear black Converse for EVERY SCENE.

...buying expensive shoes is one of the most important aspects of the show.

...you have clever sayings for the weeks of the show, "Hell Week" being the most common, even though you all love going to it.

...you have no dinner breaks, even though hand-outs specifically say time will be set for you to have such a break for dinner!

...you make it into Line 1 of the big group dance, and you're damn proud of it.

[TWSFan4Ever]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 5:16pm

Some jerk that's one of the lead roles doesn't know his lines and just plainly stands there until somebody else moves along or somebody backstage yells out the line...

Somebody forgets their cue to come onto the stage and the people onstage stand their hopelessly until the jerk backstage that forgot their cue realizes it's past time to go on OR somebody's come and had to notify them.

[justagirl2]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 5:28pm

...when the original Abner in Li'l Abner never comes to rehearsal, so Stupefyin' Jones is forced to scope out the local karaoke scene for a new Abner. And she finds a damn good one.

...when the fog machine is used in every show from My Fair Lady to Romeo and Juliet, and an eight-year-old operates it.

...when the food and beverages for intermission are bought during Act I the night of the performance, from the Tim Horton's next door.

...when your name ends up on the cast list with a pretty decent part in a show, and you didn't even know they were auditioning for it yet.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 5:43pm

The office manager is initialing all the programs (which are 8.5 x 11 sheets of badly photocopied paper) and handing those out at the box office right before the show, because they ran out of tickets.

(This happened at a theatre I worked at.)

[Horton]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 5:46pm

I love Community theatre almost as much as this thread.

[Amneris]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 6:14pm

when the cast has to hang out in "the band room" until they are called to the stage by the 16 yro stage manager who feels important to be wearing a headset.

when you don't even know half your cast because you rehearse on different nights.

when your Golde aka your onstage mom asks you on stage during a break if you studied for her math midterm tomorrow..

[actor]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 6:21pm

...when a show is performing for two days in a theatre that seats 100 people is excited to have a sold out show.

...the "publicity runs" include driving to places you haven't even heard of

...the publicity pre-show "cabaret" is used raise the "budget". This budget is then used to buy coat hangers and newspapers for paper-mache. This paper-mache is then used to build the "amazing set". The director then makes a 20 minute speech at the final show about the "amazing set".

...a 100 person cast is considered standard. A 250 person cast is considered to be a large cast. The show will not go on with fewer than 50 people.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 10/29/06 at 6:47pm

DG, this is in regards to your post that there is a CHANCE that none of us have done professional theatre...

I have. I've been in regional shows a few times, and after doing regional first, and then community, I was shocked to see how disoriented it all was...not in a snobbish manner...just dissapointed...

But that was THAT company...I've done others which have their fun shortcomings, but are still a blast...

I'm not angry with you in any way, I just wanted to let you know that I mean no disrepsect to community theatre in general.

[MimiLovesRoger]

Posted: 10/30/06 at 10:18am

the show singin' in the rain consists of don lockwood (who in real life is 44) and kathy selden (who in real life is 17) talk about discusting. they have to be in love in this show! and he has daughters that age. yuck. and cosmo is also 17....

...yes this is true at our comm. theatre.

[Calvin]

Posted: 10/30/06 at 11:59am

...you get audience complaints during a production of Jesus Christ Superstar that the show does not accurately follow the scriptures.

...even worse, when the director listens.

(Actually, the should be, "You know it's community theatre in the South when...)

[bella cantato]

Posted: 10/30/06 at 2:25pm

"...you'll do whatever is necessary to have 'the show go on' instead of taking the performance off and making sure your manager can cover your ass."

Amen...

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 11/9/06 at 6:19pm

...when a production of "Carousel" features tap dancing in one of the numbers (I kid you not).

[americanboy99]

Posted: 11/9/06 at 6:30pm

The director's children always get the leads.

I know from experience.

Oh, the neppitism!

[mustard]

Posted: 11/9/06 at 11:12pm

My favorite is when one of the creative staff has a mini-breakdown and storms out of rehearsal, and you aren't sure until the next day if they are even coming back.

[EmieMarie]

Posted: 11/10/06 at 2:31am

When the Assistant director has to feed Oberon all of his lines, at the performance

When the directing and acting is so bad you can't tell the character differences between Lysander and Demetrius and Helena and Hermia

When you add a wizard's appretance and a Queens assistance and about 50 pesants and a trio of nightengales, to Once upon a mattress

When the main curtain breaks down on the opening night

[jeniferrenepatricia]

Posted: 11/10/06 at 3:07am

-Danny and Cha Cha can't actually dance
-Rizzo is 50 years old
-Sally Bowles has a southern accent
- the kit kat girls are unsexy
- everyone in Guys and Dolls...aren't...
- precasting then holding auditions anyway
-the dancers are 45 or older
-frustrated musical directors taht feel they should be on Broadway, so they pick out the frustration on the cast
-choreographers that think everyone else sucks
-singers that can't hit the notes, but get the part because they are pretty and young
-people that get in every show without talent, but they are rich and buy lots of tickets
-horrible costumes, and not of the correct time period
-seniors on Sundays that are louder than the musicians
-stuck up people that do not realize that this is COMMUNITY THEATER...
"I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille".....

[ErinDillyFan]

Posted: 11/10/06 at 11:01am

In a production of "No, No, Nanette", Tom is played by a 12 yr old and Nanette is played by his 7th grade english teacher.

True story (he was 6'2" and shaving)

I am pretty sure that could not be done these days.

[SarahBeth]

Posted: 11/10/06 at 11:14am

-When Belle is played by a 45 year old woman
-When on the tape of the show you can hear the conductor backstage yelling out measure numbers and cues to the orchestra
-When you're in the cast and the orchestra. Done that.
-When you hear the phrase "it's ok we'll just hot glue it."
-The sets are made completely of styrafoam
-If you're a guy and you just show up to auditions you get the lead
-The cast moves the set in full costume and with the lights up because the director doesn't want to ruin the illusion with people in black coming on and moving stuff