Every year I get so excited when theaters announce their seasons.
Well, maybe I should amend that:
I get excited, and the a lot of the time, I get furious.
Maybe "furious" is too strong a word, but maybe not.
Often I hear myself saying "Why would you do [old tired show] again?" or "Why would you do [fluffy nonsense] instead of [show of merit]?" or just "What IS that?"
Perhaps I'm getting too upset about it, and yes, I understand that theaters need to make money, but whomever came up with the rule that a show can't have artistic integrity AND make money should be shot. It's simply not true.
Very few Broadway or off-Broadway shows make it without a certain degree of critical praise. And yet out in regional theater land, we believe that if it isn't Lend Me a Tenor, it's an artistic risk.
(Sidenote: I hate Lend Me a Tenor. Any show with blackface in it, regardless of whether or not it fits into the context of the show, is not my cup of tea, or coffee, or really anything that could go in a cup.)
All that aside, most theaters only do five or six mainstage shows a year.
Those slots are precious.
If you told me I had to pick six shows a year that I could get excited about working on, I'd tell you that my first five years were already picked.
And that would be including shows with "entertainment value."
It amazes me how many throw-away shows are put in any given season of a theater.
I go to see a show and I leave saying "Was anybody excited to see that show? Or work on it? Or even read it?"
If the answer is "No," how did it wind up in the season?
Because it had a great role for an actor that the director has a crush on?
Because it was cheap to produce?
Because nobody who worked at the theater bothered to read the script?
Look, I'll use the remainder of this post to plead with anybody out there who has any say in any theater's season:
Pick shows that excite you.
Pick shows that you desperately want to work on and/or see.
Pick shows that are going to, in some way, progress your theater and challenge the abilities of your actors, designers, directors, etc.
Treat those slots like they're precious, because, in fact, they are.
And for the love of all that's holy--
Don't do Lend Me a Tenor.
(As a personal favor to me.)
Well, maybe I should amend that:
I get excited, and the a lot of the time, I get furious.
Maybe "furious" is too strong a word, but maybe not.
Often I hear myself saying "Why would you do [old tired show] again?" or "Why would you do [fluffy nonsense] instead of [show of merit]?" or just "What IS that?"
Perhaps I'm getting too upset about it, and yes, I understand that theaters need to make money, but whomever came up with the rule that a show can't have artistic integrity AND make money should be shot. It's simply not true.
Very few Broadway or off-Broadway shows make it without a certain degree of critical praise. And yet out in regional theater land, we believe that if it isn't Lend Me a Tenor, it's an artistic risk.
(Sidenote: I hate Lend Me a Tenor. Any show with blackface in it, regardless of whether or not it fits into the context of the show, is not my cup of tea, or coffee, or really anything that could go in a cup.)
All that aside, most theaters only do five or six mainstage shows a year.
Those slots are precious.
If you told me I had to pick six shows a year that I could get excited about working on, I'd tell you that my first five years were already picked.
And that would be including shows with "entertainment value."
It amazes me how many throw-away shows are put in any given season of a theater.
I go to see a show and I leave saying "Was anybody excited to see that show? Or work on it? Or even read it?"
If the answer is "No," how did it wind up in the season?
Because it had a great role for an actor that the director has a crush on?
Because it was cheap to produce?
Because nobody who worked at the theater bothered to read the script?
Look, I'll use the remainder of this post to plead with anybody out there who has any say in any theater's season:
Pick shows that excite you.
Pick shows that you desperately want to work on and/or see.
Pick shows that are going to, in some way, progress your theater and challenge the abilities of your actors, designers, directors, etc.
Treat those slots like they're precious, because, in fact, they are.
And for the love of all that's holy--
Don't do Lend Me a Tenor.
(As a personal favor to me.)
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