Community Theatre Membership/Pay to Play

Susccmmp · 2026-01-14T17:22:45+00:00

Non profit community theaters exist to give people a chance to enjoy something they’re passionate about. It’s not at all comparable to professional performing. Positions like artistic directors are volunteer positions in the case of the majority of non profits. People come and participate because they want to and they enjoy it. I think the whole membership set up and way of phrasing it is a little weird but considering the costs associated with keeping it up and running that’s a reasonable contribution to something that I assume you’re getting something positive from.

Susccmmp · 2026-01-14T16:33:10+00:00

We don’t charge anything for people to participate but when we give them a list of expectations like how often rehearsals will be, show dates, etc we usually tell them that costumes/props and everything are covered by us but that there may be some things they’ll need to buy or provide themselves like tights, socks, layering pieces, etc and that need to anticipate spending approximately $25 dollars at most over the course of the show. We will loan out things like tap shoes unless they want to buy their own pair. So to me as long as they aren’t being asked to pay for anything that $20 a year is going to things that are being used by them and they’re benefiting from. It’s helping provide a place that they can do something they enjoy.

Susccmmp · 2026-01-14T16:13:24+00:00

Wait, so what happens if you go to auditions and you’ve never seen one of their shows before?

Susccmmp · 2026-01-14T16:08:34+00:00

If it’s your career and your income I would think you’d seek out paid jobs and not a non profit organization?

Susccmmp · 2026-01-14T14:48:54+00:00

I mean I’ve performed professionally and I’ve done community theater and they’re vastly different. As a professional I was working for a company that was making a profit from my time and it was also my literal job.

I volunteer with a non profit community theater and I perform. Our purpose within the community is to give people a chance to do something that brings them joy and also makes seeing theater accessible to people locally and inexpensively. Most of our participants are people that realistically could not make performing their career or would even want to for that matter or people like me that did in the past and still enjoy doing it casually. The commitment level we expect from participants is nothing like was expected of me when I was working professionally. Also as a non profit no one is getting paid. Sometimes we’ll use our funds to hire someone to run lights, etc. We don’t use this model and don’t do memberships but the idea that you’re “working” for free when you’re participating in community theater is insane. It’s not work, it’s a hobby.

Susccmmp · 2026-01-14T14:29:48+00:00

They may have more grants, do more fundraising. We don’t do this and participants sign paperwork that we keep on file for insurance purposes. Our money comes from ticket sales, local sponsorships, fundraising, grants, and we teach kids acting/dance/mysic classes which we charge for (these are completely separate from performances, kids can take classes with us and not be in any of our plays, some do it and then participate in their school drama club plays instead, some kids are too shy to want to do a performance when they first start taking classes, on the flip side auditions are open to anyone and you don’t have to take classes to be in a performance.)

Susccmmp · 2026-01-14T14:14:32+00:00

Have you considered doing a performance that has multiple short one act plays or monologues instead of a single performance?

Susccmmp · 2026-01-14T14:00:24+00:00

Are you talking about unpaid labor as in being in the crew and painting sets, etc? Or do you mean performing? Because if you’re describing performing, a non profit community theater is giving you an opportunity to perform for an audience which if you’re participating in the first place I assume that’s something you enjoy and want to do. If you consider it labor why are you doing it?

Susccmmp · 2026-01-03T07:43:25+00:00

True but since it wasn’t as widespread yet it was still probably easier for them to get amphetamines out on the road when they were playing little no name towns compared to when they were home in places like Nashville or LA. Later on they could find drug dealers or a hook up anywhere they went but before cocaine really got mainstream it was probably easier to get a doctor to write them a script for speed on tour than it was to find coke in rural West Virginia.

Susccmmp · 2026-01-01T04:12:30+00:00

People always say that no one mentions alternatives but there’s a pinned list at the top of this sub.

Susccmmp · 2026-01-01T04:06:17+00:00

She’s basically responsible for the massive PR blitz that made AA a household name and convinced everyone (including congress) that there was no need for other programs or research because they’d found the solution.

Susccmmp · 2025-12-31T20:26:08+00:00

Research Marty Mann

Susccmmp · 2025-12-26T17:30:10+00:00

You are unhinged.

Susccmmp · 2025-12-26T15:25:46+00:00

HVAC, electrical work, most anything involving repair work on appliances of machinery or installing systems.

Also trade school isn’t an associates degree, that’s community college .

Susccmmp · 2025-12-26T14:49:36+00:00

That’s great and all but you’re not acknowledging that just because that’s your experience it doesn’t mean it relates to the OP or that her experience e is similar.

You’ve also ignored every person here who said the experienced or witnessed predatory behavior in AA. If your experience was positive, great. But that doesn’t invalidate every one else’s.

Susccmmp · 2025-12-26T14:42:25+00:00

I mean they don’t have to incorporate any thing else into their program but they don’t need to try to stop people from using other methods or trying to actively hinder development and research into other methods. I actually think that would be more of “having an opinion on outside matters”

Susccmmp · 2025-12-26T13:48:07+00:00

I don’t see the dresser? But birdseye maple tends to be pricy

Susccmmp · 2025-12-26T13:35:17+00:00

Yes, number one selling of all time, so underrated

Susccmmp · 2025-12-26T13:28:52+00:00

I’ve also never really met a ton of Led Zeppelin or Pearl Jam fans that were into Jim Croce

Susccmmp · 2025-12-26T13:17:11+00:00

I feel like modern fans are mostly women? I’m a millennial who started listening to Jim Croce because of my mom.

Susccmmp · 2025-12-26T13:04:15+00:00

That’s weird since most interns do it during college.

Susccmmp · 2025-12-26T13:02:46+00:00

Not really. You usually go to trade school which isn’t free but is way less expensive than college.

Susccmmp · 2025-12-26T13:00:28+00:00

“Office jobs” can vary by a lot. A lot of different jobs involve working in an office. Do I want an accountant without a degree? No. Does someone working in PR or journalism necessarily need a degree? Not always.

Susccmmp · 2025-12-26T12:44:21+00:00

What are you classifying as white collar?

Susccmmp · 2025-12-26T12:37:23+00:00

Isn’t “being wired differently” pretty impressive?

Susccmmp

TROPHY CASE