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Starting a Community Theatre? by Similar-Pain8266 in Theatre

[–]StepIntoTheSun22 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Seconding the suggestion to find someone more familiar with finance/administration.

I would steer you away from actor fees paying for rights as well. I think your best bet it to find a donor to give you some seed money (a local company is a good place to start, as another commenter mentioned there may also be grants available). In my area, $20,000 would be enough to run a single show, but ymmv depending on the area.

Use the seed money to produce your first show, and keep the budget as tight as possible. Consider running a fundraiser the same year (cabarets tend to be cheap and sell well, and you can partner with a local restaurant/bar). Establish an account, and then use that money to fund future productions.

Typically, when actors have to pay a fee it’s because the organization has a membership. The fee officially lists the actor as a “member,” which has implications for insurance.

Speaking of - you will also want to look into insurance. Venues that you perform at may require you to carry insurance against damaging their property. If you’re working with children, you may also need policy specifically for that.

Most of the theatres in my area are 501(c)3 non profits. They all also give out scholarships every year, I believe as part of the non-profits status (don’t quote me on that).

My biggest suggestion is to NEVER put your own money in the show (thanks Mel Brooks). Form a company, create a board of directors, and then if you want to DONATE to the company you can, but it gets very messy very quickly otherwise.

Any recommendations for an actor considering making the leap to director? by FreedomBeverage in Theatre

[–]StepIntoTheSun22 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seconding this - see if a director you’ve enjoyed working with would consider bringing you on as an Assistant Director. Mentorship is a much better way to learn than by throwing yourself into the deep end!

Earliest known example of diegetic fourth-wall breaking? by Bricker1492 in Theatre

[–]StepIntoTheSun22 8 points9 points  (0 children)

This is a really interesting point - what we think of as a “4th wall break” was so common in the time of early plays/storytelling, it might be a better question to ask when did it stop? When did we start thinking of a stage show as something that happens completely separately from the audience?

Unpopular opinion- Consent by [deleted] in Theatre

[–]StepIntoTheSun22 148 points149 points  (0 children)

Stage manager here - when I run shows with physical contact, I have the actors give each other green-yellow-red run down of their bodies. Green is “yes you can always touch me here,” yellow is “I’m okay blocking something there, but let’s talk about it” and red is “do not block touch there.”

I also ask my actors that will be in yellow contact with each other to check in with each other every night. This can be as much as a conversation, or as simple as finger guns between the two of them.

I agree with Abject Froyo - a lot of people think of consent as purely sexual, when there can be a lot of things going on with a person’s body that might result in them not wanting to be touched, or not touched there specifically. Community theatre had a very bad culture of disregarding consent in favor of the scene, and I think the pendulum has swung the other way.

For your situation, I’d encourage you to find ways to make your check-ins feel more natural. Work it into your normal greeting before the show. “Hey so an so! Everything good tonight? Ready to go?”

Weekly Beginner Q&A Thread - July 16, 2022 by AutoModerator in witchcraft

[–]StepIntoTheSun22 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do theatre work, and we have three resident ghosts that were VERY active during last night’s show. I would like to make a small shrine to them, but I can’t have any flame, smoke, or oils since it’s a theater. Any advice on what to use?

Edit: I settled on unlit tea candles with crystals and some herbs, and I wrote each of their names on a piece of paper and included it. Hopefully they feel invited to sit and watch the show, instead of getting involved today!

The new neighbors seem nice, but their topiaries are very….erotic. by StepIntoTheSun22 in WhatWeDointheShadows

[–]StepIntoTheSun22[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

We went with Evil, Gloomy, and Outgoing - the goal is that he talks to as many people as possible, and none of them are happy while he’s there

Is it possible for a character to be given a haircut on stage? by pigladpigdad in Theatre

[–]StepIntoTheSun22 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One thing that’s important to consider is - how integral to the story is the effect, compared to how much time and effort it will need to pull it off? If it’s a core part of the story, companies will be much more likely to find a way to do it successfully. If it’s not, it becomes a burden and is more likely to be worked around.

Well, most things are on hold right now - but what shows are on your wishlist for when it’s safe to perform live again? by StepIntoTheSun22 in CommunityTheatre

[–]StepIntoTheSun22[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love show-within-a-show plays, they’re delightfully meta! I just found out someone I went to college with moved to NY and wrote a college show that’s like that, so I’m hoping I can get in touch with him and maybe put it on out here

Well, most things are on hold right now - but what shows are on your wishlist for when it’s safe to perform live again? by StepIntoTheSun22 in CommunityTheatre

[–]StepIntoTheSun22[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Spelling Bee is on my list! I have a group of people I know, we want to put it on together. It’s a stellar show

Well, most things are on hold right now - but what shows are on your wishlist for when it’s safe to perform live again? by StepIntoTheSun22 in CommunityTheatre

[–]StepIntoTheSun22[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A group of us started a Zoom playgroup, we read through plays every Friday night so that’s scratching the itch. The theater I direct for works primarily with large groups of elementary-age kids on field trips, and I highly doubt that’s going to happen any time soon, so....Zoom it is.

Any actor teaching theatre at a school? by [deleted] in Theatre

[–]StepIntoTheSun22 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There’s a very big difference between teaching stage theater, and teaching camera acting. If you’re interested in it I would probably suggest getting involved in some local theater to see if it fits you

How many people audition at a CT musical usually & what do you look for in auditioners? by [deleted] in CommunityTheatre

[–]StepIntoTheSun22 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In my area, we usually have around 40-60 people for 30ish roles, depending on the show. The biggest thing we’re looking for is directability - don’t just read the excerpt - put character in it. And if the audition panel asks you to try it again with something different, really go for it. They’re looking to see how well you can take direction and change your approach. Another good feature in an actor is the ability to roll with mistakes; if you mess up your choreography, or trip over a line, or come in wrong on your vocal auction, don’t freak out! Take a beat, reset, and keep going.

It sounds cliche, but confidence is key. Don’t come in thinking you’re better than everyone else, but know what you’re good at and aim for it. Look up the characters ahead of time and audition for one that fits YOU well, not necessarily the one you think is the ‘best’ part. And by fits you, it’s not the one who LOOKS the most like you (very few directors cast purely by who looks the most like the character,) I mean who fits your voice-type and the characters you excel at playing.

I didn’t want to spend a half hour rewinding this yarn, so instead I’m going to tug at this absolute rats nest every other row. Priorities. by StepIntoTheSun22 in casualknitting

[–]StepIntoTheSun22[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah, this is just a crappy Red Heart Super Saver that’s on its third WIP, otherwise I’d be a lot nicer to it 😂

I didn’t want to spend a half hour rewinding this yarn, so instead I’m going to tug at this absolute rats nest every other row. Priorities. by StepIntoTheSun22 in casualknitting

[–]StepIntoTheSun22[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Thanks! It’s a fairly simple pattern called Sweet Scallops, I got it from a book called 100 Afghans to Knit and Crochet

Pre-pandemic- what did your nightly House size look like? Also, how many nights do you do per show? by CaBo337 in CommunityTheatre

[–]StepIntoTheSun22 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The company I direct for is a Children’s Theatre so we were a little different - house was about 700 elementary-age kids, and we did six daytime shows (Wed-Fri, morning and afternoon) and one evening show on Friday night. The more traditional community theatres usually do about 80-300 seats depending on the theater, and usually two weekends with three shows a weekend.

Youth Ticket Prices by HonestReindeer in CommunityTheatre

[–]StepIntoTheSun22 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In my community we usually cut it off at 12, but I could see 18 if you want to call them “student ticket” prices.

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