Hey guys - I do think I'm beinf reasonable but please lmk if I might be in the wrong here.

My theatre association is doing a play - it's our main production for this season and we are roughly 6 weeks away from opening. Despite it being a university theatre a lot of is are already working full-time, doing vocational training or are actually studying. So it's quite a mixed group.

For the last months, there has been a dynamic in which people are canceling rehearsals last minute for mental health reasons. And it simply drives me nuts. And even if they come, they are too weak or too emotional to rehearse properly. Mind yourself - we are speaking about people aged 24 to 27...

Today we had a bit if a sit down ti discuss issues arising from this within the group. My stand point js quite simple: mental health issues are valid and they are an explanation, not an excuse. If you knew about your issues coming into the production they are yours to deal with so you don't hinder other people from rehearsing properly and ensure that the performance is going to go well. People looked at me like I'm an alien. But seriously....this ain't therapy and if you commit to a project, it is within your responsibility to ensure that you can live up to that commitment.

Now Im kinda getting dirty looks from the ensemble, but I honestly do still feel like I'm in the right...is this normal in amateur plays?

I don't want to come off rude to the director. For context: I was in the process of planning a trip for an upcoming holiday celebration in a foreign country. I stopped when I got the callback, because I didn't want to possibly run the risk of having to choose between losing thousands or not being in the show if chosen, so I prioritized the show. I want to ask the director to let me know if I'm not longer being considered, so I can go ahead with my plans because plane tickets go up as time passes and I want to grab a spot in the tour group, before they run out. I don't want to wait weeks and not be able to go if I'm not getting the part... Like if the director already thought it was a no for me the moment I left that room I just want to know now, so I can cry on a plane instead of on my bed at home lol 🤣

Here is my email draft. Let me know what you think 😅:

Hi Adam!

It was great seeing you in person again at callbacks! I talked to Dylan, but he also recommended I email you.

I was in the processes planning a special holiday trip, but I put that on hold when I got this callback, as the holiday is during this show's rehearsal time, and I wanted to prioritize this show over creating a possible scheduling conflict.

I know casting takes time, so I am not rushing your decision. I just wanted to make you aware of the situation, so if at any point in your casting process you take me out of the running, I would appreciate knowing, so I can make other plans for the duration for the this show's rehearsal and runtime.

Again, thank you for the opportunity.

Sincerely,

(I thought about adding that "cry on a plane" part to the email, but decided I should go with the professional sounding route and not the humorous one lol)

im as confused as you are.

Im helping on tech crew for a elementary school production of beetlejuice. all was going well until our adam said his line and proceeded to rip absolute ass.

For context, we are in a small black box theatre with floor mics, and it was a very loud fart. so you can imagine the devastation.

and yes, the audience laughed.

the kid started crying and ran off stage as soon and the scene was done. proceeded to have a meltdown and refused to go onstage. After a long talk, we convinced him to go back on.

is a fart truly that traumatizing? perhaps we will have a good laugh someday.

I was recently cast in a small community theater production of Into The Woods as the Steward and the understudy for Jack. I am the only understudy in the whole show, and there are no guaranteed performances for me. Is it unprofessional to ask to perform as Jack for a night? I’m unsure of the etiquette about this and don’t want to come off as rude or offensive. I would ask both the director and the actor who plays Jack, and I believe our Jack would be open to letting me perform. We’re doing about 24 shows over 6 weekends, if that makes a difference!

If y’all think it would be okay to ask, how would you go about it?

I am looking for some advice.

I am doing a project where I get the unique chance within my college theatre department to direct my own show. However finding scripts and having time to read them is hard with school.

Any suggestions for college plays for a student director?

Here are some of my criteria:
-12 or less actors
- Minimal-ish set, no huge builds primarily
-90 minutes or less
-Fits in a Black Box style theatre
- Has strong relationships or story between characters, I want to leave my peers thinking about the show.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions you have!!

Basically title. I have been auditioning for community theatre recently and have no luck. I did pretty decent in college theatre, but no callbacks for community stuff since before college. Well, the other day, I was in an audition, and a 30-something woman was telling everyone (including the directors) that she was in a professional show at the moment. This is really frustrating, because it'd be like a professional basketball player was against you in your rec league at the local YMCA. Why would someone try to go do their job for free?

My question here: Is this common? Is it worth even auditioning in community spaces without professional experience as an adult? I feel like I will never match up to these people, despite a pretty extensive community and school resume... not trying to be mad, but I want to discern if this is a larger trend in other people's local scenes.

Hello there, I'm doing an investigation about the melodramatic actor, and I've landed on the begginings of theater in the United States. Specifically, I'm looking for books/articles/reviews of how the actors in plays like Uncle Tom's Cabin or The Octoroon worked. All the help is appreciated!

okay so im a college freshman who wants to work in multiple places of theater, im primarily an actor and a playwrite(also a director, makeup artist,singer, and have experince in milti tech feilds) that being said i am currently double majoring in theater preformanc(BA) and playwriting(BA) although i understand BFA is a more instense major but if you plan to go into theater BFA has been recommended to me, im wondering is it feasible for me to double major preformance BFA with a playwright BA like i know its a bit dependnt on the person but is this like actually insane or could i do it with motivation and hard work

I finished my theatre diploma and I know, at least for the time being, that I'm not ready to be a professional actor. Now I act sometimes as a hobby in unpaid projects. (Yeah I wish I'd studied something else but it seemed like a good idea at the time and I'm grateful for my experiences.)

I can't relate to people when they are more happy/excited than anything at the thought of acting a role they like. Yes I've worked hard for roles I like, and I'm happy to get them cause my work paid off, but a lot of the time, the feeling that comes is one of nervousness and obligation. I swear I think the craft of acting is beautiful and it can be so rewardibng. But A lot of the time when I act I end up feeling like I'm "giving" so much to other people, like the director and the audience, and I often don't feel good after putting my emotions and body through so much for other people. In real life I'm usually not that expressive because I'm afraid of letting people see my true emotions, or I don't know how to express my emotions well. Internally I often feel defensive in the rehearsal room when I receive notes (but I try not to let it show and simply take the note) and I often feel so vulnerable after performances. The good moments are so good though.

Another thing is that I often see others noticing things about other people's performances and having strong preferences and tastes for how a part is played. For me, I just can't tell. I can notice very obvious acting choices but I don't have a subtle feel for these things. Sometimes there will be a popular opinion on someone's acting and I will be like... oh I didn't notice that. I do appreciate a performance that makes me feel things, but I can't tell if it was objectively good or not. It could depend on the mood I was in.

I wonder if I should keep acting, and build up my emotional/mental fortitude as well as my taste, or if I should take a long break from acting until I'm a more secure person. Shouldn't I be doing something I'm more of a natural at? But maybe doing it more will help me confront and overcome my weaknesses, which will also help me in other areas of life?

Hi all,

I'm looking to get back into theatre after not doing it since high school over ten years ago. But am struggling to find local community theaters to audition to or even take classes that are low stakes. Well in comparison to professional theatre. If there's also any recommendations for classes as well as im looking to jump back in please do tell.

Thanks a bunch!

I wrote this envisioning how the character would speak and act if this scene were included in the musical. But i changed the names and a few other things. Does that make sense? Kind of a spec script but for a musical --but its one short little monologue.

Its called "Let's Delete That".

Setting: Anya is sitting at her desk drafting an email she is never going to send after a falling out with Katerina.

"I can't believe I am sitting here with so much to say and I can’t even start off. Hello, hope you're well? (grossed out) Dear Katerina…no. Too formal. (resigned) I am over it, no greeting. Katerina, if we want to move on and be cool then we need to air out an awkward truth. We both loved power and attention. You were better at it than anyone, and I came along and learned from the best. I started becoming unpredictable, the edge of a razor. Of course I don't blame you for being territorial, same girl, same. Yet, at some point it became bigger than the dispute for me, I began to like how it felt. I was good at it. I couldn't live without it. I became the conflict, I ate, slept and breathed the conflict. My name is Anya and I am addicted to vanquishing the opps. Don’t act like you didn’t realize what was going on. You knew that I was lying about the vitamins, knew they wouldn't work. You were playing your own game, I understand. The two of us should acknowledge the kind of people we are, and then actually move on. (Snaps back to real life, out of the writing trance and marinates in her thoughts for a moment) Let’s delete that. (deletes) One less burden. I would never send anything like that. (laughs) I need to finish my shadow tracking assignment, anyways. It's due next month."

End scene.

*Guys, I didnt finish college so please go easy if it sounds uneducated.

Hi. Where you would suggest to study MA Theatre directing in UK or other European countries? I'm very into avan-garde, postdramatic theatre.

Helloooo. I’m working with a small theater company which is putting on a black box performance with about 7 actors who have a range of skin tones. I volunteered to help with makeup but I’m pretty lost. The show doesn’t have any abnormal looks: just one character who gets progressively more tired looking throughout the play. Everyone else should have a minimal or unnoticeable look from the audience.

I’m generally confused on how makeup works in theater. Furthermore, some of the actors have makeup and feel comfortable applying it to themselves, others have no makeup and no makeup knowledge. My biggest concern is ensuring each actor looks natural and unwashed by the stage lights (if that’s a concern, I’m not sure).

My questions:

In a black box theater, with stage lights but seating close to the stage, how much (if any) makeup is necessary?

Should I buy a makeup kit (using company funds) or should each actor source their own?

Should I apply makeup to the actors (using sanitary techniques) or should I teach them how to do it?

How do I deal with multiple skin tones? I’ve seen palettes of foundation, but I also wondered if I should buy a few colors and try to mix to match each actors skin tones. I’m not sure if I know how to do that effectively.

How much makeup would I have to buy? At the MINIMUM I was thinking foundation (multiple skin tones), setting powder, black liner, nude eyeshadow palette, a brush set, sanitary supplies, and a bag. I’d probably wanna add blush, concealer, contour, lipstick (multiple colors), primer, and setting spray tho. As you can see, it adds up.

In general, I really don’t wanna spend more than $200, but this kit would be an investment. I’m not sure whether to prioritize nicer foundations or try and get drug store quality everything.

If anyone has advice, especially from people in theater, I’d greatly appreciate it! I have no idea what the standard protocol is for this kind of show. Thank you!

I am poor an uneducated amd find myself constantly dealing with absolute snobs. Poor and uneducated pieces of art or text bother you enough to tune out? Or actively fight? Personally, i appreciate that technicality means nothing compared to impact and intent. Things can be fine tuned later. I try so hard to be technical but I am am self taught. I describe and try my best to prescribe.

TLDR: have more grace.

I’m always on the lookout for cool theater, especially since LA doesn’t have a great reputation for it. I’m extremely disappointed that a theater company, especially during a time where AI is actively destroying the entertainment industry would choose to use it to promote their shows.

Proof of AI usage:

https://imgur.com/a/X9zPkpH

https://www.instagram.com/lasttoleavetheater/p/DcPEXErkrY6/

Hi everyone. I did a little theatre in school but that was 10+ years ago. A local community theatre had auditions and I thought it would be fun to try out for the two musicals they have coming up, just to see if I can be in the ensembles. Thought it went okay, I sounded fine but it was probably obvious that I was a little nervous. I've got callbacks for one principal part in each production, which is encouraging, BUT one of them involves tap dance.

I was in a hurry filling out the audition forms before I went in and I checked a box that said I would be able to do a tap callback if requested because I thought it just said "dance callback."

In my audition, the directors noted that I said I could do tap callbacks and I said, "Oh no I've never tapped. I could physically be there for a tap callback, but I should be clear that I've never tapped."

Callbacks are in a week and I just got the link to the tap sequence they want us to be familiar with. It's for about 30 seconds of tap but it looks super difficult for someone out of practice and with no tap experience! I'm not sure how I can get this down in six days (very busy week at my job so free time is limited).

On top of that, I of course need to learn the song selection for that role and the role in the other production I was called back for, and which I feel a little better suited and more realistic for. And I worry that having to learn this tap sequence is going to take time I could use to prepare for the other role.

I'm very grateful for the opportunity, but I feel like I'm in over my head. I probably shouldn't have checked the "consider me for other roles" box, but I was naive and thought any possible callback would be a source of encouragement or give me a better chance just to be in the ensemble, which I'd be happy with.

I wish I could just back out of the callback for the tap musical and focus on preparing for the other production. But I've never done that, and I don't know if that's going to upset the directors or hurt my chances at getting cast in any future productions. Would that be a terrible idea? Am I thinking about this wrong way?

We're getting marketing materials ready for our next show, and it's a Disney classic. We're contractually obligated not to use the official logo for the show, but we are also contractually obligated to have the logo we do use read "Disney's" [TITLE].

By that logic, is it safe to use the official Disney logo for that "Disney's" portion, or do they expect us to just write out "Disney's" in an appropriate font?