Amateur versus Community

Sun, 29 Oct 2006, 12:03 pm

Logos25 posts in thread

When did we start using Community rather than Amateur and why? I can still remember a time when the word amateur was proudly worn by a number of theatre companys. After all the word means basically " for the love of" and means far more than unpaid. The top skilled amateurs are not far from professional in ability and the best companies manage very high production values indeed. I have to say that the Scouts are getting quite frightening from that point of view.

Community Theatre at least in the seventies menat something else entirely and related to professional company's working in and with the general community companys like Junction and Troupe here in Adelaide. Exploring local issues and producing performance pieces addressing those issues. They caot a fortune to run of course and as funding became harder and harder in the eighties and ninties they vanished.

So back to the first question. Are we no longer proud of amateur status, is it something we try to avoid as a label. Do we feel that the term community theatre has a better image. Any thoughts.

It's a bit ironic that I

Tue, 31 Oct 2006, 08:06 am

Logos

It's a bit ironic that I started this as I am opposed to easy "labelling" as it allows people to judge by the label rather than by the product. If you label me you define me in your world view rather than mine. It's all theatre. Now I'm not sure where I'm going with this. I exist a little precariously on the cusp between amateur and professional. I earn a bare living from what I do. It concerns me that some of us are frightened to be labelled amateur because of the wider communities view of that as second rate. I'll ask another question. Is it actually the wider community view that worries them or the view of the professional Arts world that assumes amateur = crap. In my experience very few of the genuine Joe Public actually totally understands that some shows they see are fully amateur and some professional. They judge by quality of entertainment alone. Professional artists on the other hand can be incredibly patronising about amateur theatre as can some reviewers. Further comments? Is that all there is? Well if that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing. www.tonymoore.id.au

Thread (25 posts)

Threaded Flat

Amateur versus Community— Logos29 Oct 2006

Presentation— Labrug29 Oct 2006
I personally prefer the— Na29 Oct 2006
Not to wax anti-semantic...— Bass Guy29 Oct 2006
My local— Na30 Oct 2006
- So waddya suggest???— Bass Guy30 Oct 2006
It's a bit ironic that I— Logos31 Oct 2006
- Pro-Patronise— Labrug31 Oct 2006
  - As for choosing only to do— Na31 Oct 2006
Soup Cans!— Tari-Xalyr31 Oct 2006
- Learning from each other— Labrug31 Oct 2006
I've just seen an advert— Logos31 Oct 2006
Well, for what it is worth,— Robert Whyte31 Oct 2006
its a matter of overlapping but not equivalent definitions folks— Craig K Edwards31 Oct 2006
What's in a name— Alex Nicol31 Oct 2006
We've had this discussion— Na31 Oct 2006
- Let's all just call— Daniel Kershaw31 Oct 2006
  - Sole Figure— Labrug31 Oct 2006
A thought— Na31 Oct 2006
There's a lady here in— Logos1 Nov 2006
I agree...— Na1 Nov 2006
- Investigate— Labrug2 Nov 2006
I think that theatre is— grantwatson5 Nov 2006
- Thank god you're here— Labrug5 Nov 2006
we're not alone— Craig K Edwards6 Nov 2006

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