One act festivals- friends and rellies
Tue, 11 Oct 2011, 08:59 pmJohnny Grim38 posts in thread
One act festivals- friends and rellies
Tue, 11 Oct 2011, 08:59 pmHaving taken part in a number of local one act festivals, the old 'bums on seats' or lack of same, continues to perturb me. The various organisations staging festivals do their best to encourage bums to find seats, however, despite their best intentions, the bums on average, fail to show up in sufficient numbers. Note: This is my personal view, as a partipant, said organisers may dispute this fact. Having spoken with a number of people re this topic, the following reasons were offered as reasons for non-attendance:
1: Cost of tickets is prohibitive. (I would agree here. Two sessions could cost you $30).
2: Actors / backstage people taking part, should be given 'special priced' or 'free' tickets. (Again, I would agree. Audience numbers would certainly improve if cheap /free tickets were made available. Given there's always plenty of seats, why not fill them with our own theatre community? How often do we actors / theatre groups perform and then bugger off without checking out other plays? Money, money money, could well be that reason.
3: General lack of publicity? 'I didn't even know it was on,' said more than one individual.
4: Unlike the Finley's night of nights; the one act festivals are minus the bright lights, and are seen (by some,) as somewhat inglamorous affairs. One would be hard pressed to argue the point, although to be fair, comparing the two would be a severe case of comparing the apple with the cheese.
5: The festivals are a forum for showcasing new works (evidenced by the recent ITA festival.) Punters are less likely to take chance on shelling money out on new /unseen - potentially average plays. I for obvious reasons, won't comment on that score, however, a number of people gave this as reason for not attending.
6: Too many plays, too many sessions. The yawn factor.
7: Plays should be screened pre-festival showing, and plays below standard should be excluded. (I'm not going there thank you very much.)
These are just a few comments I received. I thought them worth sharing. Note: As a local writer I find the festivals invaluable in showcasing my material, however, I find the current format, a hard sell for the theatre goers in my circle of friends and acquaintences. To add my two bobs worth, I think there is some merit in a panel selecting a suitable showcase of plays for the festival (perhaps made up of various genre's?) Of course, this won't agree with many. I suppose we need to ask, are we happy with the tried and trusted formula, or do we need to try something new. Personally, I'd vote for the new. I'll be most interested on hearing the views from the many who organise and take part in our festivals.
Footnote: I'd like to close, by saying, that none of the above is a slur on those who devote their time and energy to getting said festivals to the stage. It must be a tireless and thankless job, however, it doth appear from afar, that at times the 'whole weekend' events appear tiresome, and there's a sense of let's get this thing over, and let's get the hell out of here.
cheers
Johnny Grim
That's entertainment
Thu, 13 Oct 2011, 06:52 pmMr Kershaw, you're a legend. I love it when you speak your mind and tell just how it is, before taking your ball and going home. I love it even more when you bring it back a few months later. A few thoughts on your prose...
Can we compare professional and community theatre? Me thinks we can, in that our community theatres for the most part strive for professionalism, but are often restricted by funds or qualified personnel. A case in point, see how many theatre's miss Tim Prosser's absence next year.
Community theatre is seen as below par? To be honest, I don't come across that too often. More I find people comment on how surprised they are, at how good local theatre often is. I say often, because yes, there can be times when the standard varies but generally I think it sits well above the bar. Note: I've said before on this site that that I think the term 'community' theatre is a misnomer, and creates a false impression of what's on offer. I for one, (and wish it were all for one) believe we should put away the community banner once and for all, and wave the Independent Theatre Association flag with some gusto.
I know people who paid lots of money to see Jerry Hall do her stuff and walked away feeling ripped off.
Interesting that you suggest that established clubs should merge. That would be very communal...can you see it happening.
In terms of walking away from community theatre, that is the point I made about the one act festivals. Hours of work goes into staging the things, and then only 6 people turn up to watch a morning session. If I were organising it, I would question the worth and validity of holding the morning sessions, given that audience numbers were one of our KPI's (said with tongue planted very firmly in cheek.) I guess that raises another question in, 'what is the purpose of the one act festivals?' Is it to have them adjudicated upon, or enjoyed by the viewing public. If option 1 is the aim, then I take back my original blurb, however, I'm positive that all those who take part appreciate playing to someone.
You raise the point about playing safe, and here I see the one act festivals being a writers best friend. How many people do you have knocking on your door offering to stage your material? I imagine your door is a tad like mine, and seemingly minus the knocker. Talented local writers like you and Jess Messenger can show what you can do, and one day, who knows....alternatively, you can extinguish the flame and bugger off...you say you hate the one acts yet you write good one acts? A Sigmund Freud moment perchance? Sure, people get bitchy and competitive, wave a trophy or a wad of money on any street corner, and you'll find a crowd suddenly filled with desire...be thankful if you are non-competitive..it makes for an easier life...
You loved the fact you had chance to have your show performed ...hallelujah brother I'm wit you on that score my honky friend.
'The play I produced was an exercise in my art form'... and lo and behold, here you had somewhere to show it...thankyou Mr Treasure and Co.
'The fact it took home a couple of awards has no bearing on how I feel about the piece.' One word for that sentiment ...bollocks!
Constructive feedback was disappointing, I was hoping for... Hoping for what? One persons view, and in truth, that's what we get. A good friend of mine told me..'Johnny Grim' I love your writing, but you're a crap director,' or words to that effect. Ten minutes later I was awarded 'best director' for a show that required little directing...a grain of salt is all they offer... in the words of Mr Treasure...toughen up Princess...
'Adjudicators are lovely people'..no they're not! They're a shower of no nothing b******ds...except for those few who know what they're talking about by heaping praise and awards upon us.
'Nothing is better than something else (unless you get into the mechanics of making theatre).' That's crap Kershaw, and I suggest you read the first nine tenths of the twaddle you posted here..ha! An apology to all and sundry is required for that little faux par...
'It’s community theatre – if you win an award, you’re not a genius.' But I thought I was. In fact I told my therapist I was, and she agrees with me...
'Sadly no one has discovered your immense talent'....that's more to the point.
I think you’ll find me hard pressed to participate in the One Act festivals in the future.....Oi! Has anyone got a violin they can lend me for 10 minutes?
PS: Stop wasting your time writing on here, and get writing something that's going to win you an award next year..your therapist will be grateful for it.
yours almost sincerely...
you're very old mate...