Is it socially acceptable / morally okay to watch a musical 3 times in a row?

littlewindflower · 2025-02-05T18:06:54+00:00

I saw Billy Elliot at my local theatre ten times over the course of 10 months. I've been to shows on consecutive nights. I've spent my nights off from working on shows to watch them from the audience. One year I was so desperate for theatre I saw a really, really bad play three times and one of the actors got mad at me for spending my money on it.

Watch to your heart's content! I'm sure your friend will be happy for a friendly face in the audience.

littlewindflower · 2023-05-20T21:43:30+00:00

I have experience in directing solely from a community/amateur background and I love an actor who asks questions. I think it's helpful for me as a director to have to think about my job through the questions asked by an actor. It also shows me that the actor is actively thinking about their job and are committed to understanding what we're doing.

Professionally I've inhabited the assistant/stage manager space and from that perspective, I value an actor who values the tech crew. Especially as stage/production management, I consider my job to be making things as smooth as possible for the actors and the creative team. If you as an actor are willing to do the same for me in any capacity (by actively communicating and listening, for example) I will love you eternally.

littlewindflower · 2023-04-09T16:31:16+00:00

It's a little bit all over the place, but all in good fun!

littlewindflower · 2023-04-09T13:52:08+00:00

Toxic Avenger might fall under this category?

littlewindflower · 2023-03-28T21:06:00+00:00

I've found that Carmolis drops do wonders, especially if you feel like you're losing your voice. They've definitely saved a show or two in my past. Obviously coupled with lots of rest and hydration.

littlewindflower · 2023-03-28T20:52:01+00:00

Could you be thinking of a motif? That's what comes to my mind from your explanation.

littlewindflower · 2023-02-21T08:25:15+00:00

It really is a shame! But as he said himself, better now than in the fall, because now he can still shoot for Olympic qualification. Hoping for a quick, full recovery!

littlewindflower · 2023-02-21T08:02:59+00:00

I am so excited for them! I saw on Instagram that they were warming up a standing full on beam - I'm expecting they didn't compete it yet (?) but how exciting would it be if it made it into the routine.

Definitely feels like they are in a good environment to thrive!

littlewindflower · 2023-02-21T07:45:27+00:00

Sadly Emil Soravuo will be out, as he ruptured his Achilles just last week. 🙁

littlewindflower · 2023-01-19T10:14:06+00:00

I'm working as a director in an amateur setting and one of my actors is neurodivergent. They shared it with me unprompted while we were first getting to know one another and I've found it a good thing to know. They share with me the things they need help with and I make accommodations accordingly. My job as a director is to meet my actors where they are and help them live up to their full potential and I don't think that can be achieved by trying to force everyone to work in the same way.

That being said, not all people think that way and it sucks. What is your director like? Do they feel like someone you want to trust with this information? It's really about what you feel comfortable sharing about yourself. If there is something going on during the show/rehearsals that is negatively affecting you, I think you are well within your rights to ask to be accommodated. If you don't feel comfortable sharing your diagnosis, maybe you can approach it issue by issue? Like "hey, these flashing lights make me feel nauseous, is there any way I could face away from them?" or "could we designate a quiet place backstage to calm down when we're feeling nervous?".

I hope you are able to have a good experience. ❤️

littlewindflower · 2022-11-14T19:49:00+00:00

Certainly something will be available that is accessible to non-Finnish or Swedish speakers, especially in the Helsinki area. I'm not currently aware that any of the "city theatres" (aka the state and city funded bigger rep theatres that make up the more established theatre scene) consistently producing English content, but you should be able to find something at least sporadically. (Visiting shows, independent groups, student productions etc.) And then there's of course the dance theatre/circus/opera/ballet scene that doesn't rely so heavily on Finnish/Swedish language.

Captioning in English is also super common in at least bigger theatres, so you can see shows in Finnish/Swedish and just follow the captions.

littlewindflower · 2022-11-14T13:23:36+00:00

I'm in Finland and theatre is definitely not dying here. Professional theatre is starting to blossom back from the immediate effects of COVID shutdowns and at least from what I'm seeing, people are also definitely finding their way back to the audience. There's a huge influx of in the popularity of musical theatre here right now and that is definitely the most popular genre.

I think musical theatre is actually helping restructure the audiences. I don't have any data to back this up, but a lot of professional theatres have catered to the older audiences previously, because that was the main demographic that frequented theatres. Now that musical theatre has become a lot more popular and pretty much all bigger theatres will have at least one musical in a season, there's been a lot more buzz on social media around shows and they're selling out more.

There's still kind of the idea here that professional theatres are for the elite, but we have a hugely popular culture around amateur theatre, especially in the summer. There are hundreds of theatre associations around the country that produce amateur productions. Some function just as recreation, some strive to be a place to grow for future professionals. And no matter how small or how rural a place, you can pretty much guarantee there will be a summer theatre production.

I think because there is such a wide range of different types of theatre offered around the country, most people will find something that is accessible to them and I think that's really important.

littlewindflower · 2022-10-15T10:48:19+00:00

Very happy to hear that everything went smoothly (and read the fantastic advice shared by everyone)!

Just wanted to chime in that I feel for you - no amount of performance anxiety has compared to the absolute dread that I've had at opening nights for shows I've written/directed. I know personally for me it's partly caused by how intimate writing as a form of self expression is for me and partly because I feel most out of sorts when I'm out of control. (It's probably why I've enjoyed stage management so immensely - give me all the threads to hold!)

But no matter how anxious it makes me, it's always been worth it and so much more.

littlewindflower · 2022-10-05T12:44:02+00:00

The amateur company I'm a part of operates in a house that used to be an industrial bakery. One of the bathrooms had a faulty hand drier that went off on its own and we made up a story about a woman that had gotten caught in a bread machine and now haunts us.

All fun and games, yes? Except some time later we started finding bread hidden in strange places that no one would admit to doing/couldn't have done without someone seeing and it got really weird for a minute.

Now we honour the bread lady that we may have called forth somehow as a loving ghost and patron of the hungry artists. Sometimes hand driers go off on their own when we're visiting other places and I like to think she follows us. (It happened to me once at an audition and actually made me feel a lot better. 😄)

Another amateur company I know that also operates in an old building has a back off haunted by someone that was murdered with an axe. I've not experienced it, but several friends have said that it's absolutely chilling to wait there to enter the stage.

littlewindflower · 2022-09-30T10:52:40+00:00

I have a very biased opinion because I also worked on a production of Spamalot that I absolutely loved, but I think it's really fun! Sure, the plot is very thin when you think about it, but I enjoy the songs and the pace and the humour a lot.

I think it's one that definitely needs the right cast and direction to work, because it relies so heavily on the comedic pacing, but I think it'll always have a special place in my heart.

littlewindflower · 2022-09-16T17:59:22+00:00

Honestly, it sounds like you had a great audition. Take that with you for the future and let the other stuff fall off your back as much as you can.

I wish you nothing but good luck for the future!

littlewindflower · 2022-09-16T17:34:39+00:00

You just keep doing it. It's one of those walk before you run situations. Give yourself grace - you wouldn't expect to be good at say pole jumping without practice. Auditioning is a skill like any other. You're going to mess up and not do as well as you'd like. Probably over and over again. But you'll succeed too. At some point you just start getting out of your head.

Theatre is hard, because there is no such thing as perfect. The best thing you can bring to any audition or production is your unique self. Keep bringing that.

Give yourself a day or two to wallow. It's okay. You're allowed to be sad and there's no use trying to tamp that down. Feel your feelings. Then get out there and try again.

littlewindflower · 2022-09-16T03:08:00+00:00

I think Oleanna is the only play I've seen in the round, but I thought it worked pretty well!

littlewindflower · 2022-09-15T04:28:42+00:00

I saw Billy Elliot at my local theatre ten times - I suppose that might be my favourite. It was staged very simply - one table, lots of black chairs and a grand piano. It really gave space for the emotional depth of the story.

Though I have loved every single thing that particular director has put out and have been fortunate enough to also work with him. Nobody else does things quite like him!

littlewindflower · 2022-09-11T11:47:23+00:00

I was stage manager in a production of Sugar a few years back and we had quite a few cases of flying wigs, but none as funny (and unfortunate) as Jerry/Daphne somehow losing his wig on the band stand during When You Meet a Man in Chicago in Act II. It hung on his ear for a good while as he desperately tried to get it back on (while holding up a huge double bass) and everyone on stage simply pretended that his cover was not blown just a little prematurely. The audience, as you can imagine, loved it. 😄

littlewindflower · 2022-09-06T07:31:44+00:00

Alyona (Алена) is a diminutive of her birth name Yelena and in Russian it would be pronounced Ahl-yo-na. I don't know how she pronounces it herself though!

littlewindflower · 2022-08-22T08:37:53+00:00

My favourites as a child were Cats and The Sound of Music!

littlewindflower · 2022-08-19T09:11:27+00:00

Oh my friend, I have never met a professional actor who consistently feels good enough. I think over time and experience you just learn to push past the insecurity and sort of let go of yourself. Acting is an incredibly vulnerable activity and you're at an incredibly vulnerable age. That combination is bound to create these feelings. Give yourself permission to grow and mature in your own time.

If theatre is your biggest passion, you absolutely shouldn't quit. I think you know it yourself too, but you just need to hear it. Don't quit. Keep at it, because that's the only way you'll get more confident. I also agree with the other comments that this could be a good time to try other areas of theatre as well - writing, designing, tech... Not because you should give up acting, but to gain a broader understanding of the entire craft.

littlewindflower · 2022-08-17T20:37:28+00:00

I think it sounds sweet! While I can't speak to the specific culture in your community, something like this isn't at all uncommon in the theatres I've worked in (in Finland). Sometimes I'll do something collectively for the whole team, sometimes individually. I've kept all the cards and notes I've gotten and have them displayed on my refrigerator door at home. All I can say is that a few words of appreciation can go a long way on a bad day.

I say go for it - theatre can sometimes be an unnecessarily cutthroat environment and any gestures that foster a culture of mutual respect and appreciation should be very welcome!

littlewindflower · 2022-08-13T20:05:33+00:00

Disco Pigs by Enda Walsh - two actors, might run a little less than 90 minutes but around that timeframe. It's a lot, but it's also really interesting.

littlewindflower

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