community theater vs. regional theater

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 9/19/05 at 10:14pm

what are the differences? just curious... thanks

[My Fair Lady]

Posted: 9/19/05 at 10:15pm

Regional's more professional.

[EganFan2]

Posted: 9/19/05 at 10:24pm

Community THINKS they're professional.

I was just at auditions at one near me. The resident "diva" made me laugh.

[Madame X2]

Posted: 9/19/05 at 10:26pm

Oh please elaborate. This sounds amusing.

[JulianHookbucks]

Posted: 9/19/05 at 10:28pm

Community Theatres are usually less professional, they're talent from the local comunity, and they have lesser budgets, usually...

Regional usually has some equity actors, bigger budgets, is a lot more professional, and has more Union workers. They usually pay too.

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 9/19/05 at 10:34pm

Regional: Paid
Community: Not

both offer great experiences and funny stories

[ShuQ]

Posted: 9/19/05 at 10:42pm

Let's not knock community theatre..that's where the majority of performers get their start.

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 9/19/05 at 10:43pm

community theatre: (usually) you pay them, crappy theatres
regional: they pay you, contracts, nicer houses

[bially082]

Posted: 9/19/05 at 10:49pm

Regional is not MORE professional. Regional IS professional. Regiaonal theatres pay, they use professionals in all aspects of the productions.

Community Theatres are people doing theatre just for the fun of it. They are not people who make their living from acting. There are good community theatres, but rarely is the budget as big, or the commitment as high.

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 9/19/05 at 11:04pm

Yea, I don't like the generalizations being made about community theater. I was lucky enough to have an amazing one right near me who had a gorgeous facility, great directors and techicians (who regularly work for all the professional theaters in Cleveland), and a decent budget to put on shows. I got my start there and learned the craft of theater from those who I worked with there, and have moved onto professional shows. The girl who played Peter Pan and Dorothy in "Peter Pan" and the "Wizard of Oz" respectively, is now in "Fiddler" on Broadway.

I am forever greatful to this wonderful theater, because they gave me alot of the background I will need to succeed in college and beyond as I plan to pursue musical theater. Even though I am now doing professional shows, I will always come back to work in a show or usher or whatever, because I love it there and the people there are like family. I <3 the Fine Arts Association.

God bless community theater for doing its thing.

*End of rant*

[neocomposer]

Posted: 9/19/05 at 11:15pm

Yes. God Bless community theatre.

The community theatre that I am involved with is VERY nice and we have had at least one equity actor in our shows before (that I can think of). I wonder if we pay them to come...

MANY college students majoring in musical theatre become involved in our shows and I know of one who is working (naked ) off broadway right now.

Updated On: 9/19/05 at 11:15 PM

[bially082]

Posted: 9/19/05 at 11:19pm

Equity actors can't do community theatre.

[bially082]

Posted: 9/19/05 at 11:21pm

I'm not knocking community theatre. It sure can be a great thing. But I'm just saying it's usually quite different from Regional theatre. The main difference being the use of professional actors and designers.

[neocomposer]

Posted: 9/19/05 at 11:25pm

Hm...ok I believe you. But I know that a certain person was equity. Oh well.

Updated On: 9/19/05 at 11:25 PM

[neocomposer]

Posted: 9/19/05 at 11:28pm

Just kidding. She was not equity at the time. I just asked her.

[bially082]

Posted: 9/19/05 at 11:34pm

Yeah, they could lose their card if Equity found out. That would be bad....

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 9/19/05 at 11:37pm

My community theater has brought in equity performers for productions of Missionaries, Anyone Can Whistle, and Eve Ensler's Necessary Targets. While the rest of the actors are not paid many of them ARE making a living doing theater, but do shows at this theater simply because it is a quality, postive place to perform. The chair of the theater department and one of my former directors has joined the Les Miz national tour; the designers (sets, lights, sound, costumes) work at not only some of the top professional theaters in the area, but in some of the top in the nation. I just think that says something about the quality of the people I have had the pleasure to work with there. Don't get me wrong I have worked at some TERRIBLE community theaters, but I hate when people make generalizations about community theater. I hear it all the time, so it's not even necessarily things that have been posted on this thread.

I just don't like it when people assume that just because it is labeled "community" theater that the quality is always subpar to "professional" theaters.

*Edit: I added a little to the above text.

Updated On: 9/19/05 at 11:37 PM

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 9/19/05 at 11:38pm

"Regional is not MORE professional. Regional IS professional. Regiaonal theatres pay, they use professionals in all aspects of the productions."

Yeah think of the Goodspeed in CT...that's regional. They're pretty much putting on professional performances.

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 9/19/05 at 11:42pm

yea actually one paticular "community theatre" here in california is really well done, its called the MOUNTAIN PLAY, its an annual thing and they have 1 or 2 equity performers and the performances are always of broadway calliber.


www.mountainplay.org






Updated On: 9/19/05 at 11:42 PM

[Pinaud]

Posted: 9/19/05 at 11:47pm

"Yeah think of the Goodspeed in CT...that's regional. They're pretty much putting on professional performances. "

Goodspeed isn't 'pretty much' putting on professional performances. They ARE professional performances.

Equity actors can perform in community theatre if the said community theatre pays for an Equity Guest Contract, in which the company must pay in to the actor's health, pension, etc. No more than two equity actors can be employed by a community theatre unless there is also an equity stage manager employed for the production.

[bially082]

Posted: 9/19/05 at 11:49pm

I have also worked in good community theatres. I'm not saying that they are always sub-par. In certain areas they can be very good. The "average" community theatre does not have professional actors though. And any community theatres that bring in equity performers are either doing so without the knowledge of Equity or they are paying those actors Equity Minimum salary, which the "average" community theatre cannot afford.

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 9/20/05 at 12:15am

so then what about theater troupes.... are they considered community or regional... as my other post.. i saw INTO THE WOODS but it was done in a small tiny theater that seats about 99... very intimate... didn't look THAT professional... but there were equity members... it looked like community theater to me but felt very regional...

[bially082]

Posted: 9/20/05 at 1:58am

There is a definate difference. If the actors are all paid, its regional, if not, and it's cast by locals who have actual careers other than acting, then it was community theatre. It's not about how professional it LOOKS. Its about WHO is involved.

[bially082]

Posted: 9/20/05 at 1:59am

There are regional theatre troupes and community theatre troupes. It could have been either one, but if there were equity members involved it better have been regional.

[FalmouthJ]

Posted: 9/20/05 at 7:17am

There are some wonderful community theaters around the country which do use Equity actors in guest contract roles and employ professionals in different jobs. And they are more and more becoming a breeding ground for new musicals. The Spririt of Broadway Theater, and the Curtain Call in CT, and the Starlight Theater in IL are three that have done world premieres that I know of. They're an easy target for ridicule because there are some truly horrible ego-driven theaters. But, then again, I saw Dance of the Vampires, so professional or not, there's no guarantee the show's gonna be good.

Check this out: www.spiritofbroadway.org

Updated On: 9/20/05 at 07:17 AM