stage door waiting — Page 2

lilfinley what show are you in?

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There's a certain magic live theatre has that none other quite contains--the fact that those are real people with real emotions just like you that are up there performing. they are not robots, doing this nightly routine because they are programmed to do so, but do so because they love the thrill of performing in front of a live audience, full of fresh new faces every night. you act as if you are so cold and distant from these shows you see. if thats the case, i feel sorry for you. theatre is an art form of give and take, on both ends. performers give you a little part of their soul each night and as an audience member, in return you give back a tiny part of yours. thats the magic of theatre. and as a performer, when ive touched someone, there's nothing quite so dear as meeting such a face following the show to tell me how, in the last 3 hours, we somehow connected, and touched each other. there is no greater joy in the world for a performer. if you feel so distant and separate from every show you see, i hardly doubt you are opening youself up enough to truly experience a piece of theatre and be moved by it.

It's one thing to have your Playbill signed and tell the performer you liked them, it's another thing to show up night after night when you don't even see the performance! Would you want the same person in your face night after night when you got done at work? Hello? Think about it.

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orion59 -

I talk to ensemble members - they're often at least as interesting as the stars. So meh on your theory.

-Wayne

Orion, I disagree.....Since I too sometimes wait at the stage door, And I see others among me who congratulate, and thank other performers, and even memebers of the orchestra for their work. Sometimes, (not that tech and orchestra shouldn't be appreciated), but the crowd sometimes mistake these people for actors, and they might take offense to it...but I say all this to point out that the general public is are not aware a lot of the time of who are in the ensemble, in the orchestra, and on the technical staff, so it is unfair to assume that people don't care about the no-name performers. And realistically, why shouldn't they be more thrilled about the stars rather than some other ensemble performer? That is most likely who they came to see anyway, so it is an honest reaction. Furthermore, why should an ensemble actor care about whether or not he gets noticed or not? One of the first lessons you learn about theatre and acting, is that it is not always about "YOU" as the individual performer. There might be times where you get the spotlight, but it is not always about you. As an actor myself, there have been times where I performed in the ensemble and got recognition and appreciation from viewers in the audience, and it made me feel appreciated, and there were other times where I didn't get that. So what? That's life. As for why *I* stand and wait at the stage door? Because I am literally a fan of most performers on Broadway, and I appreciate them, and thank them for giving and providing me with what I love. Also, I admire them all, because they all are in a position that I would love to be in, and WILL be in one day.

Cheers,
The Balladeer

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I am the original postor (poster?) & I have to say THANKS for the incredible, mostly intelligent & objective feedback. You guys really do rock. I really am curious about this issue & it's fascinating to me to receive such a varied array of responses.

Having said that...Theatreboy33 & MasterLcZ, you have jumped w/ the world's largest pogostick over my question to a truly sad assumption. I have read & I believe understood your reponses, but it's not about me. I don't know who it's about, but it's not about me.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'll just say that I work on the FOH staffs of Bway shows, so I've met a lot of the performers. There is no mystique for me about performers: some are great people & some are jerks; some like to meet the fans & some would rather just go home & be w/ family/friends/their TV & dog; most are somewhere in between. Aren't we all a combination of nice & nasty, though? They are hard-working (we hope!) professionals and, above all, they are people. They, just like most healthy people, enjoy being told, "Job well done!" I think that's terrific, but I agree w/ the folks who posted that that's a small percentage. It's good to know they still exist, though.

Thanks, again.

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Updated On: 12/12/03 at 10:14 AM

Robbie, you are too cute!

Love,
The Balladeer

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lc1965, I don't quite know what you are getting at with your pogo-stick analogy. ???

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"Interesting side note: that chorus member who disappoinetd the waiting crowd is now as big a name as the star of that Broadway show."
Well, you've grabbed my curiosity with that line. I'm dying to know who it is.

Anyway, I don't usually stop by stage doors unless I know someone involved with the show; and that is to say hello to them...not necessarily the big star of the show unless the persn I know happens to be the big star of the show. If I do stop by it's because I was really moved by a performance...and that's not BS!
There are only 4 shows out of very many that I have seen in which I stopped by the stage door not knowing someone in the show: Avenue A, Mamma Mia, Wicked, and The Boy From Oz.
And all 4 were because I was very impressed and pleasantly surprised by the performance of everyone in the cast (not just one particular performer). Particularly with Avenue Q where most of the actors involved had never been in a Broadway show. I really wanted them to know that their talent is impressive and appreciated. They were all very nice and seemed grateful that there are people who really enjoy the show and will be their word-of-mouth publicity.
In all honesty though, I've seen many shows and have only gone to the stage doors of a handful of them; but I am not ashamed to do so when I have really enjoyed a particular performance and want to let the actor know they are appreciated.
Also, even after I do see the show, if I happen to be at the stage door, I won't always ask for an autograph (which really annoys some of those ebay people who want them). I will wait just to tell the person or people how much I enjoyed their performance, and thank them for doing such a great job. :)

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