Theatre Etiquette - Multiple Shows?

I have worked in and around theatre for a long time. More than anything I like to view shows, but I have been in my fair share and I now work in Arts Administration so I'm still surrounded by theatre and actors.

I want to begin by addressing the initial question of this post - Just wondering what everyones opinion is on taking on more than one show at a time in community theatre? Meercat, you ask a VERY difficult question here which I believe has no clear answer. The reality is that every one of these circumstances will be different, and for people to say a definitive yes or no as to whether taking on multiple projects is okay is very short-sighted. Ideally, everyone would only do one show at a time and therefore be able to give 100% of their concentration and effort to that production. My experience in the professional world proved beyond a doubt that this is not always the case however. Unless a show is rehearsing 8 hours a day and paying all involved by the hour (and sometimes even that is not enough) experience tells me that people will still at least consider working on multiple projects.

In some cases, this is actually acceptable. As long as a) the time commitments for each project do not overlap; b) all parties are informed as to the total commitment of the individual; and most importantly c) the individual is performing to the standards expected by the director of each project. I have seen people who have achieved far more working on two projects than others have achieved working on only one. This is an individual thing and is dependant upon whether or not a person has the drive and energy to give enough to each project. I myself succeeded at this quite well for a time - and then time took its toll (meaning I got older) and I simply could not muster the energy to do such a thing any longer. Luckily I realised very quickly that I could not continue at that pace any more.

The other factor that influences whether taking on more than one show at a time in community theatre is okay is the situation for a given show. Circumstances such as: the talent pool being stretched thin, sickness occuring, someone pulling out un-expectedly and countless others all need to be considered when thinking about an answer to your question. Humans are, by nature, malleable creatures. We adapt well to change (whether we like it or not) and will therefore find a way to make any given situation work.

In short Meercat, I beleive my answer to you here is that it depends on the individual and the circumstances. A bit of a non-committal response, but the only one that I feel is actually fair and valid.

Okay, now my 2 cents on what has bee written about your particular situation since the initial posting... (I know that this is not what you wanted an opinion on - feel free to stop reading - but I'm going to give one any way) Your situation here sounds quite interesting. You are putting on a show in an area that is flooded with projects (RTC have recently completed a season of Grease, MPAC are rehearsing Wizard of Oz and Singing in the Rain, MMD are rehearsing Paris, MLT are rehearsing Sinbad and KTW - the company in question - are rehearsing Robin the Hood). The talent pool in the south-west has to be severely stretched at the moment! That is a tremendous number of large scale musical shows all happening simultaneously! I'm exhausted just thinking about it. I can guarantee that there is any number of people - be they cast, crew or production team - that are working on at least 2, if not 3 projects as I write this. I'm also positive that some of these people are doing extremely well at their various projects while others are not.

My biggest concern for your project is a Director who feels that it is okay to go on a 5 week trip once they have auditioned a show, and a Stage Manager who feels that they have the right to out-rank both the Musical Director and the Theatre Manager! Something is not right at KTW. I had heard horrific rumours in the past from a young man I worked with about his directorial experiences there. I thought him to be exaggerating, but if what I have read here is true, then perhaps he was not!

"I think he (the Director) left strict instructions on what was required - and the stage manager to oversee the progress."

My understanding (and experience) is that for any given show the person in charge is the Director. In the absence of the Director, the Musical Director will take on the artistic control. Can someone please explain to me when it is appropriate for the Stage Manager to take on any form of artistic control. (And to be frank, I don't think it matters how much experience the Stage Manager may have as an Artistic Director - they may in fact be Stephen Spielberg - if they are the Stage Manager for the show it is NOT their job!) Incidentally - this is the horror story that the young man metnioned earlier told me - a Stage Manager who undermined him every step of the way and actually became a large contributing factor to a stress related illness the young man contracted. I have to wonder if this is the same Stage Manager...

But the even BIGGER issue here is the Director who seems to think it is acceptable to take an absence of five weeks at the beginning of a 12 week total rehearsal period!

"Her brief (the MD) was to teach the songs to the cast whilst the director was away."

"He (the Director) left her the 5 weeks to get the songs down - so we could then begin the play rehearsals. When he returned he found - chaos."

I believe this is far worse than someone working on two or more projects at one time. This Director has clearly not devoted enough time or energy to the project and has no right to criticise anyone else's work, good or bad when they return. He has the right to make the most of what he got and hope like hell he can develop some kind of rapport with his cast. This Director should hang his head in shame.

In your circumstance Meercat - I feel badly for you. BUT, I feel that your concerns about who the party in the wrong is are mis-directed. The Director and Stage Manager are far more culpable for the situation you and your fellow cast members found yourselves in. By all accounts, this MD came in at the last minute, completed her brief as it was given to her (and I draw this conclusion from the posting by your Theatre Manager as the most un-biassed account) and was willing to continue engaging with the project; however, was undermined by a Stage Manager who was completely out of place in saying anything. And then to add insult to injury, when the Director returned from whatever activity it was that was more important than seeing out his commitment to a show, he had the gall to question the work put in by the MD. I do not know the quality of the work put in by the MD and I do not know the quality of performance level achieved by the cast while working with this MD, BUT I do know that in my opinion this MD was wronged.

That being said, I wish you all the best of luck with this show - I will be VERY interested to see how it turns out! Sometimes the best theatre is birthed from adversity! Time will tell as they say.

Break a leg, Kyle Grant.