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Baaaad Theatre Artist.

11/20/2012

4 Comments

 
Picture
I'm a shitty play-goer. There, I said it. Considering I've dedicated my life to the art and craft of the almighty theatre, it is a little embarrassing that I go and actually SEE theatre as little as I do (comparatively speaking). I use my financial situation as an excuse sometimes (which is not untrue - it is really hard for me to pay for anything costing upwards of $10), but of course, I have a ton of connections and can usually see things at a heavily discounted rate if not for free.

To be honest, I'm not that interested in seeing most stuff as I usually come away disappointed and find whatever I saw lacking. I much more of a snob about what I see than I am about what I participate in, as I've definitely participated in my share of turkeys.

Don't get me wrong: I've seen some AMAZING, life-changing theatre too...and if it were ALL like that, I wouldn't bother writing this; I'd probably be at the theatre. In fact, I'd probably be in rehearsal right now and that would probably be my day job because there would be lines around the corner for every play, and there would be many more actors getting paid WELL. But that is sadly not the case. I've really only seen a handful of plays that have changed my life:

1.) My Children! My Africa! written & directed by Athol Fugard at the La Jolla Playhouse, 1990
2.) The Sea Gull by Anton Chekhov, directed by Mike Nichols in Central Park at the Public Theatre, 2001
3.) Berlin to Broadway - A Kurt Weill Revue at The Bathhouse Theatre in Seattle, 1995
4.) The Tempest by Shakespeare, directed by Robin Lynn Smith at Freehold in Seattle, 2003
5.) Hiroshima Maiden by Dan Hurlin at University of Maryland, 2005

Yep - these are they. Not that everything else I've seen has been horrible...I've seen plenty of "good" stuff, but I can also see "good" on TV or at the movie theatre for less money. "Good" doesn't rock my world or make me think that much. I usually come away with "Wow, that was really a great performance by X actor, but the story was a little thin" or "That staging was really innovative and intriguing, even though I couldn't see some of it because the lighting was awful" or "Amazing story - too bad the director didn't know what he was doing"... etc. Often there is a really great seed of an idea that the company tries to do something with that just falls flat in one way or another.

These things are often really difficult to see from the inside of a production - you are working hard and you feel good about your performance...it is making you feel something, and as an actor, director or designer, it is making you feel something and transforming you...but it ends up not translating entirely to the audience for one reason or another.

With all that in mind, it is especially interesting to also work on the publicity side of things, in terms of encouraging people to come see something. I feel a little dishonest sometimes, like I'm not practicing what I preach. I come from different angles with each show I publicize, since not everything appeals to everyone and of course you want everyone to come, but it's especially important to hit your target audience for that particular show.

For example, working on Oedipus El Rey right now for eSe Teatro, there is the obvious population of affluent, theartre-going Latinos here in Seattle, and also ACT theatre's regular audiences. Those are kind of a given - but keeping the show itself in mind, what else? People who love Greek adaptations and classical theatre. High school and college groups? Do we tour it to the prisons as a public service? Social and other care workers that might benefit from the show's thematic material? At-risk youth?

Also, when trying to get people to come see something, you can't just say "It's great, come see it!" because that always begs the question "WHY? What makes it great?" So I try to take the path of inclusiveness, rather than what I call the "green beans" approach (Eat your green beans; they're good for you - come see art, it's good for you). I try to give them the answer to the "why" before they ask it, by posting blog entries solicited from actors/director/designers, etc about the rehearsal/creation process. By trying to come up with interesting partnerships with local businesses that might yield an audience member a special benefit when coming to the show (free cookie? Flower on Mother's day for all moms...heh heh...this would be interesting for Oedipus...). By trying to create an experience for the audience member that extends far past the attendance at a production through asking questions of them on internet sites, getting them to engage in the entire process through fundraising efforts, etc.


This is all very well and good, and kind of fun and creative for me, but does it actually resonate with audiences? Has it ever actually resonated with ME as an audience member? Good food for thought as I embark on this journey yet again. If anyone actually reads this, I would definitely appreciate your feedback on the situation as a whole!

4 Comments
Margy Ragsdale link
11/20/2012 06:43:52 am

Carolyn, this is absolutely true for me, also. I know I have missed some very good productions, but probably very few amazing ones. I rarely even see the productions at the theatre I work with (although I put in my fair share of time to making it all work). And yes, I've felt dishonest as well when publicizing a show I haven't seen or don't truly respect; that, however, does not mean that the person I tell won't love it.
As for whether I "fall" for the publicity of shows... well, we all have a pretty good feel for what calibre of work to expect from our communities' theatre groups. Some shows I know will be very good, but I'm not interested in the subject matter, or in watching talent in development, or the theatre parking is bad, or I'm home and I don't want to get out or...
But I don't think we need to guilt ourselves out about or justify our non-theatre-going lifestyle. We're supportive in other ways and still appreciative of the folks who do fill the seats.

Reply
Carolynne
11/20/2012 06:57:14 am

Good point, Margy. Usually, when I'm publicizing something, I can find at least ONE element of that production that I don't feel dishonest about recommending...even if it's just the fact that, at the end of the day, it's THEATRE. Truth be told, I never had much respect for the theatre I used to work for nor many of its production choices, but I could always find something to get excited about with each show, in terms of marketing it to others. But there were some I just couldn't bring myself to see, not even for free, for one reason or another. You're right, we shouldn't guilt ourselves about it.

Reply
Kristina Hauptfuehrer
11/20/2012 02:49:34 pm

-- I have missed so much good stuff this year due to poverty and tiredness and poor planning. Sometimes when I see shows, I'm disappointed, but I always come away with a sense of the cumulative energy of the multitude of people doing so much work.

--"Support your local theatre company!" has become a kind of reflexive PR trope, especially at the amateur level, as if we were a middle school soccer team. Ugh. I hate to be all free-market capitalist, but it should be a mutual transaction: artist creates something of value, audience/community pays artist for it. Nothing to do with charitable "supporting". Of course, theatres can't survive on ticket sales alone, donations and grants are indispensible, but that phrase should never be used to sell tickets. (Not that I think you've ever done that)

-- When half the audience at any given show is other (poor) theatre folks, that's a problematic business model.

Reply
Carolynne
11/21/2012 12:54:03 am

Yeah...that PR trope I think is a mild form of guilting people into coming to see your show, and I think guilt is a useless emotion, and also manipulative. It is my belief that you should tell people why they might be interested in something to get them to come, not guilt or manipulate them into it.

It's like with movies these days, since they've become spendy as well: I won't fork over 11 bucks unless I really, REALLY want to see something. Usually, with theatre, it's always the "I SHOULD go see this because" x reason. Rarely do I ever feel "I MUST go see this".

I think you're right, Kristina, it IS a problematic business model, and PR managers need to figure out a way to be inclusive and make the whole experience of a particular show one that a potential audience member feels compelled to be part of.

Have I got my finger on the pulse of what this is? No. There are a ton of things I've tried, but it's hard to quantify what has actually worked. I notice that Xmas shows always seem to do well - people who don't go see things the rest of the year will flock to theatres for a holiday show. Again - it's the EXPERIENCE of the thing, I think, rather than "Oh, I'm going to go see this play": more that they get to take some time out of their busy lives to spend with their family doing something that makes them feel festive and relaxed. Probably Ballet companies can say the same of their Nutcrackers every year: they are the cash cows.

Anyway - I am rambling. But I think it bears some study. If I were getting a master's in PR, I know what MY thesis would be... :-)

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