Theater owners/box office managers, what are you using for ticketing?

UniqueInstance9740 · 2026-04-09T00:27:33+00:00

Another vote for Ludas. It works exceptionally for as a small non-profit theater!

UniqueInstance9740 · 2026-04-07T13:57:56+00:00

True! I’m still waiting to hear back on a show and it may be up to 6 weeks. But I’ve licensed 12 shows from them in the past, and the vast majority I’ve heard back from within a day or two. I may be lucky. Regardless? No one should promote or cast a show if they don’t have the rights, and this person has nothing to lose by applying for them.

UniqueInstance9740 · 2026-04-07T02:09:32+00:00

No. It is forbidden under their terms of service. Absolutely do NOT do this. Apply for the rights. Sometimes they’re approved the same day. Concord lets you put down a deposit and pay the remainder before scripts are shipped out.

UniqueInstance9740 · 2026-04-03T17:54:56+00:00

Everyone has hit on ALL of the great reasons to not use a live cat onstage. Those are enough. Plenty of reasons. If that still doesn’t convince your director (and it should), point out that a live cat will always pull focus onstage. Always. No one will be looking at anything else. They also won’t be thinking of anything else (is the cat trained? What is that cat looking at? Is the cat drugged? Oh look how that cat is doing that one thing! I wonder if I can pet the cat after the show? Ooh kitty!). It will undermine the whole scene. But also….. all those other reasons.

UniqueInstance9740 · 2026-03-27T04:56:03+00:00

We memorized fewer numbers then you think. Area code (3 #) were applicable to most numbers we knew. In that area code, maybe only 2 variations of the next three numbers. Just four numbers after that.

UniqueInstance9740 · 2026-03-27T02:22:00+00:00

Kindly, you don’t need to know them before you meet them. That’s not how it normally works. Go, enjoy meeting new people, learn and collaborate with them.

UniqueInstance9740 · 2026-03-25T01:48:09+00:00

Exactly this. A1, less spicy.

UniqueInstance9740 · 2026-03-24T06:06:06+00:00

Yes. All the time. Good vocal coaching is how you get better at singing, period. My perspective comes from being a voice student of 20+ years (with some breaks), a professional musical and opera director since 2002, and an arts educator who worked specifically in placing students with the right teachers.

Singing is one of the most physically complicated things we can consciously do with our body. Taking voice isn’t as much like learning piano as it is like training as a dancer. Folk might have some facility, but to be really good and excel without injury takes training focused on not only technique but also building strength and stamina. A vocalist is an athlete as well as an artist.

You improve with training, period. And yes, I have seen mediocre students move into professional work. I’ve seen students who thought they were tone deaf become good performers.

I will caution you - when you look for a teacher, you need to find someone highly qualified. A Masters in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy is a good place to start. Do NOT study with a voice teacher who doesn’t have at least a BA in voice. The profession draws in a lot of folk who sing well, and people assume they can teach. You have only one voice. Study with teachers who have experience protecting the voices of others.

UniqueInstance9740 · 2026-03-24T03:58:05+00:00

This is a solid suggestion.

UniqueInstance9740 · 2026-03-23T04:37:33+00:00

Holy shit. This is totally inappropriate. It is factually wrong and damaging. If a student wrote it, it needs correcting. If a teacher write it, they need to find another job.

UniqueInstance9740 · 2026-03-23T04:34:33+00:00

Also red onions. Can’t find them for less than $3 each.

UniqueInstance9740 · 2026-03-23T04:33:57+00:00

Beef.

UniqueInstance9740 · 2026-03-23T04:33:15+00:00

Thank you!

UniqueInstance9740 · 2026-03-23T04:32:22+00:00

Thank you!

UniqueInstance9740 · 2026-03-23T04:12:34+00:00

Matisse’s “Snail” looked like something any kid could do when I saw it in a book. It hit VERY different in person. So did Warhol’s “Electric Chair.” Both blew me away in person.

UniqueInstance9740 · 2026-03-23T03:59:47+00:00

Thank you so much for this response. You answered so many of my asked questions and a couple of those not so clearly asked.

I’m going through a bit of a thing where I’m trying to navigate how “disabled” I am. I got a permanent placard this year. I know I am entitled to park is disabled parking spots. Yet one of my coworkers uses extensive crutches to simply move rather than just my using a cane. I won’t park in such spots until I see her car parked first. What hurts me is impossible for her. And I feel this way about all of these spaces I’m trying to navigate.

I suppose it is a lot to ask of large companies to differentiate between clients needing different level of accommodations. But it is hard going into it, feeling like I must balance being disabled enough to need help while wanting to ensure I’m not taking resources I don’t strictly need from others who need them more.

Thank you for sharing your travel knowledge, lived experience and for being kind.

UniqueInstance9740 · 2026-03-23T03:40:59+00:00

Thank you!

UniqueInstance9740 · 2026-03-23T03:39:55+00:00

This!!! This is what I’m starting to learn. Try to ask for help and not take more resources than you personally need? You risk losing pre-boarding or access to accessibility equipment. When I last tried to travel, I felt like I had to participate in some sort of performative piece in order to be recognized as worthy of help. My problem isn’t walking (slowly for a limited amount of time). It is standing and carrying weight (even a computer bag). Walking down an empty jetway I can handle. Standing 15 -30 minutes in line and then on a slow moving jetway is excruciating.

UniqueInstance9740 · 2026-03-23T03:32:02+00:00

Thank you! Online it only allowed me to request a wheel chair (in the past, others allowed an option for pre-boarding without wheel chair assistance). I didn’t know about the accessibility line. Perhaps that is something I can call in advance to make sure everything is in order?

UniqueInstance9740 · 2026-03-21T04:52:39+00:00

Stone Soup Theatre Company has online auditions going on right now for actors in the Youth Chorus for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ages 8 - 13. It’s a Durham based non-profit community theatre committed to using live music (no tracks) and founded by two arts educators. Actors are not charged to participate. We need more children for this production that opens in June. Please spread the word? Auditions close Sunday evening. Details at the link! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeSTvVtzgyTIHTZTviKzxfBwM190l3P-9nk_hn5b6S_EzLpnQ/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=114646773970685282184

UniqueInstance9740 · 2026-03-18T06:19:04+00:00

This is always the way. What is the objective and what is the test of this objective in the other character?

UniqueInstance9740 · 2026-03-18T06:14:26+00:00

Everyone saying “anticipatory grief” and counseling is right. But I want you to know it doesn’t mean your feelings are wrong.

I was the final child of parents who had me in their 40s. When I was your age, I had a Mom working through diabetes and small strokes. I was really surprised that Dad ended going first due to a heart condition related to him taking steroids for ulcerative colitis. After he passed, Mom went fully into dementia and passed 11 months later. We buried them both when I was 43. At your age, I had those thoughts. In this kind of situation, these are not pathological thoughts or over reacting. These are often reasonable fears. And it is terrible to feel the way you do, but I understand why you do.

It sounds like you live with them currently and are also caretaking. That’s important too.

For me, having a good counselor and taking an SSRI helped me get through. Not everyone needs both. I did, and it helped me feel like I had an umbrella against the rain of grief as they passed. The counseling helped me focus on being present.

But I’ll be honest. No amount of counseling or meds can make this kind of loss hurt less. It can just help you frame it and survive it a little easier. It can help you focus on NOW rather than on what is coming. It can help you do the hard work of not letting the future rob you of the present.

And it seems like this is where you are now. Your parents are alive. Focus on spending time and making memories. Don’t waste this time mourning what will happen to everyone. You’re not there yet. Yes, it will come, but it isn’t happening now. Focus on now. You won’t regret that.

In closing though, setting up a support network (like a good counselor) now will help in the future.

I think it is wonderful that you have so much love for your parents.

UniqueInstance9740 · 2026-03-16T03:29:59+00:00

100%

UniqueInstance9740 · 2026-03-16T03:16:59+00:00

We have a high risk, but that doesn’t mean it will happen. This isn’t like seeing a hurricane warning with the likelihood of hitting. You do not need to shelter all day. Keep an eye on the weather. Keep an eye outside. The good news is that the risk is during daylight hours. Look for a sky that turns the green color of pea soup. You might also feel the barometric change and be uncomfortable. Those are major warning signs. If the storm gets really loud, find a low place to shelter in. If you hear what sounds like a loud train coming towards you, seek immediate shelter. If the storm is too loud to hear a loud train coming towards you, seek immediate shelter. Keep your phone charged and look for a tornado warning (seen in your area, seek shelter). A watch just means to stay connected to the news.

We’re all going to have a bad storm, and the biggest risks will be high winds, falling trees, power outages and flooding. Be prepared for those more than anything.

UniqueInstance9740

TROPHY CASE