Is this just local or .....?

I agree that other community organisations have similar issues. This is partly for sociological reasons, I suspect.

For example, a community theatre with which I had some involvement for a couple of years used to have 'sewing sessions' one afternoon a week in which teams of women would show up and sew costumes. They would happily produce hundreds of costumes for a single show - all of which were still in the wardrobe some thirty years later. Likewise, another CT group with which I was involved used to have a volunteer orchestra that rehearsed every week of the year. As time went by, it became impossible to continue with a volunteer orchestra in the pit and there was resentment when some co-opted players were paid.

I believe these two examples are indicative of some shifting social realities. Firstly, women are more actively engaged in the paid workforce and are therefore not available for the unpaid workforce. Secondly, almost all skill development is predicated on it having a monetary value and there is an unspoken and unquestioned expectation that no skill should be used without personal gain. Thirdly, in a world full of status anxiety there is little tolerance for anything that is not 'excellent' or 'the best'.

Now, one could sigh and reminisce about the good old days, or learn to work with the world as it is. If there is no longer a large unpaid workforce to exploit, how can a paid workforce be used to best effect? If skills are not used without personal gain, how can the benefits of community theatre participation be 'sold' to a wider audience? And if people want to see, support and participate in 'the best', how can we provide these opportunities?

My suggestions would include:
1. Community Theatre Companies pooling their resources to commission a designer to create excellent set, costumes etc. for a particular musical then producing the same 'look' production in a range of locations with local talent. It might mean six companies contributing $10K and three people each - with a spectacular result both in the quality of resources and the training received by the personnel.
2. Partnering with the Volunteering Peak Bodies to come up with recruitment strategies which entice skilled professionals into theatre. For example, to take the example above, a group of Marketing students might welcome the opportunity to design and implement a comprehensive marketing campaign. Likewise accountants or safety people or whatever.
3. Combine the management of some companies. This is politically charged - but a formal, structural connection which combined the human and physical resources of a few companies and helpe relieve the pressure.
4. Have committee members engage in governance training at the Company's expense. Many of the problems in Community Theatre governance could be resolved if committee members understood their role. Social Services peak bodies provide this kind of training regularly at reasonable cost.
4. Appoint Producers for every production! (This is a particular bugbear of mine) The Producer is one person who oversees every aspect of the production and is a different person to the Director. They have a team to whom they delegate and a committee to which they are accountable. They are the keepers of the show's and the Company's vision and make sure all the needs are balanced. This would go a long way towards streamlining authority and accountability.

Those are my thoughts.

I have seen a change over the last 50 odd years, where by it used to be at least 75% of a productions cast, would help build, bump in & out a season they were in. But theses days it's leass than 0,8% who are prepared to do 'it'!

Which at times I can't blame them, as most comeatres don't worry about it untill the death knock - then panic!

Mind you in a lot of cases there is a puple circle of custodians of thier own home grown policies, that thwart any involvement of others. Also weird ideas like using box frame flats, because someone eaons ago, suggested that traditional flats can't be used on thier stage. Or we don't use Borders on stage because of the lightining &/or other pathetic inhouse imposed rules which are just as ilogical.

Further a great lack of basic staging resources, to make the job easier for even warm props to handle & not perspire over.

The greatest & cheapest reuseable resource in ameatre - is people!

So why do we make it so difficult? 

I agree with James on the workshops, however as always, as there is a heap of emperical skills here in comeatre, why are not more workshops held to accomadate the needs of ameatres.

May be this is the domain of 'Aunty' to instigate? 

There is a lot of old farts in comeatre, like me who are considered invalid for whatever reason.

Yet there are as many younger ones who tend to stumble along blindly following some mythical rules & policies seemingly set in stone.

No one has any idea or rembers why, "but we always do it this way" - which defies logic for whatever ends.

For the life of me [well not much of that left] there are a few bods still knocking about here who could inpart some theatrical empiral knowledge & staging skills who can still wear the T shirt, before they fall off the perch.

But frankly it's easier just to let them stew in thier own pot, as they seem happy to do,

One wee piece I tend to remember, which may help is;- 

To aproach the stanger is to invite the unexpected, release a new force.

Or let the genie out of the bottle is to start a new train of events beyond your control.

TS Eliot 'The Cocktail Party"

Keep an open mind as a closed one can never reconise or accept a creative accident.

No Jeff, it's not a valid reason for always doing the 'same thing' -but neither is it a good idea to throw things out just because "they've always been done that way'

A bit more thought on some people's part as to WHY things have been done that way could well be beneficial.

Many 'rules' have been put into place for very good reasons. so suggest that the "young ones" stop and think for a moment

Just before I pulled the pin at the Phoenix Theatre & moved to a less greener t'eatah patch in embleton.

I floated an idea of adding sub commitees to our structure. Each of the three elected executives Offices of President, Secretary & Treasurer. Would chair a sub commitee appionted as \required from the  general membership & community at large.

Each sub commitee could meet at any place or time they wished to discuss the aspect of theatre assigned & have thier decissions, proposals p;resented for ratification by the monthly general meeting assembled.

{Example}

President;- Production, logistics & advocacy

Secretary;- Promotion, FOH & social

Tresurer;- Sponsorship, Budgets & finance

{&/or other portfolio areas assigned from time to time}

Each sub commitee can apiont members or co-opt those technicaly experieced individuals at will & as required.

This would allow these commitees to utalise & tap into to the resources of the community & be able to utalise the whole of it's old & new membership.

Also each production season would have an inbuilt conduit to handle the main aspects of theier show & a direct contact to the Exective & general commitees.

I never got the chance to see how this would work with Phoenix, but from experiance it does work in other orginisations.

This also breaks down the ivy tower image of most group commitees & allows new & old member input without the rigid format of a commitee meeting, in fact there is more acomplished over a cuppa than most commitee meetings ever do.