ITA Banned from Playhouse
Sat, 12 Aug 2000, 09:25 amWalter Plinge13 posts in thread
ITA Banned from Playhouse
Sat, 12 Aug 2000, 09:25 amFrom ITA Link Editorial:
ITA Banned from Playhouse
That's the report I received about our enquiry into the availability of the venue we have hired so many times for our Annual Awards night.
I was reminded of the time in New Zealand when a group I belonged to was presenting Gorky's The Lower Depths in the Concert Chamber, a venue they regularly hired. After the dress rehearsal the director complained that the set was too clean for a Russian dos house so the enthusiastic stagemanager showered the whole with a powder paint called lamp black. It was late on Sunday night so he didn't bother to sweep up - he'd do that tomorrow. Woefully, the morrow was the occasion for an inspection of the Chamber by the council's team of investigators, who communicated to the theatre's president that, while they wouldn't ban the current show as the mess had already been made, the council would not accept any further bookings from the theatre.
Well to cut it short, the theatre, pointing out that lamp black was a water soluble, vegetable dye which required the addition of glue size to cause it to adhere to anything, proceeded to sue the council at law for defamation.
About nine months later the matter was settled out of court and the council offered the theatre a year's free hire but the theatre never used the Concert Chamber again.
So when they told me about the Playhouse, I thought, "Here we go again!"
I rang Playhouse Manager, Gary Snowden, to ask "Why?" He explained that the last time we had used the Playhouse there had been some criticism of staff and facilities published in the Link, not in an Editorial I was relieved to learn, and he and the staff felt we might be better suited elsewhere. He was at pains to assure me that there was no ban. They felt they had offered a service above and beyond the call of duty and the comments from members were ungrateful. He felt he had to protect his staff. I explained that we were reluctant to censor letters and he agreed that it wouldn't be appropriate but it raises the compelling question "Should we publish letters to the editor which are likely to be detrimental to the organisation?"
A similar dilemma has been exercising contributors to the web site over posting of negative reviews by "critics", with dubious credentialsand often anonymous, which may have the effect of turning audiences away. Grant Malcolm told me that he is often requested to take down an email but will not do so except for legal reason. I feel the same about the Link but I wonder if we are serving the right customer by providing a forum for Secret Smartarse to massage his ego at the expense of some club's profit or our good relations with the administration of performance venues in Perth.
Perhaps those about to write could think of the damage their contribution might cause.
Careless talk costs.
ITA Banned from Playhouse
That's the report I received about our enquiry into the availability of the venue we have hired so many times for our Annual Awards night.
I was reminded of the time in New Zealand when a group I belonged to was presenting Gorky's The Lower Depths in the Concert Chamber, a venue they regularly hired. After the dress rehearsal the director complained that the set was too clean for a Russian dos house so the enthusiastic stagemanager showered the whole with a powder paint called lamp black. It was late on Sunday night so he didn't bother to sweep up - he'd do that tomorrow. Woefully, the morrow was the occasion for an inspection of the Chamber by the council's team of investigators, who communicated to the theatre's president that, while they wouldn't ban the current show as the mess had already been made, the council would not accept any further bookings from the theatre.
Well to cut it short, the theatre, pointing out that lamp black was a water soluble, vegetable dye which required the addition of glue size to cause it to adhere to anything, proceeded to sue the council at law for defamation.
About nine months later the matter was settled out of court and the council offered the theatre a year's free hire but the theatre never used the Concert Chamber again.
So when they told me about the Playhouse, I thought, "Here we go again!"
I rang Playhouse Manager, Gary Snowden, to ask "Why?" He explained that the last time we had used the Playhouse there had been some criticism of staff and facilities published in the Link, not in an Editorial I was relieved to learn, and he and the staff felt we might be better suited elsewhere. He was at pains to assure me that there was no ban. They felt they had offered a service above and beyond the call of duty and the comments from members were ungrateful. He felt he had to protect his staff. I explained that we were reluctant to censor letters and he agreed that it wouldn't be appropriate but it raises the compelling question "Should we publish letters to the editor which are likely to be detrimental to the organisation?"
A similar dilemma has been exercising contributors to the web site over posting of negative reviews by "critics", with dubious credentialsand often anonymous, which may have the effect of turning audiences away. Grant Malcolm told me that he is often requested to take down an email but will not do so except for legal reason. I feel the same about the Link but I wonder if we are serving the right customer by providing a forum for Secret Smartarse to massage his ego at the expense of some club's profit or our good relations with the administration of performance venues in Perth.
Perhaps those about to write could think of the damage their contribution might cause.
Careless talk costs.
RE: ITA Banned from Playhouse
Sat, 12 Aug 2000, 01:09 pmWalter Plinge
I'd like to expand a little on David's excellent editorial (reprinted from this month's ITA Link newsletter), as some people may be thinking, "Why are the ITA approaching the Playhouse as a possible Finley venue?"
Some of our readers will be aware that, for many years, the ITA's Finley Presentation Evening was held (very successfully) at the Playhouse. However, the Playhouse only seats 400 people. Every year, people were either turned away, or the clubs failed to actively encourage members' attendence, knowing as they did that seating was limited. There was also the conception that the Finley night might be getting a little "stale" .
In 1998, the ITA committee took a huge chance and decided to hire the Regal Theatre as the venue for Perth Independent Theatre's "Night of Nights". Despite the fact that the 1997 evening at the Playhouse was a huge success, it was felt that we needed to attract more than just the theatrical audience - the show had to grow. Think how friends and relatives would be proud to see someone perform on a lovely, professional stage such as The Playhouse! How often do ANY of us get to perform on a stage like that? It would be WONDERFUL for Mum and Dad and Grandma and Grandma to come and see little Johnnie perform on THE PLAYHOUSE STAGE (!) - but it just wasn't possible with the size of the venue.
It was a dangerous decision. The ITA could fall flat on its face. We could go broke. We could forever alienate the Playhouse, who had always been good to us. In the end, we decided to take the chance, and as President, I stand behind that decision and bear the responsibility.
The 1998 Finley Presentation Evening was well attended and supported. There were a few comments about sound problems, but overall the evening was very succesful. And the ITA didn't go broke. In 1999, we approached the Regal again. We were told that (understandably) costs had increased by about 10%. Based upon 1998's success, we felt that the Finley Presentation Evening WAS growing, and that ticket sales would cover this.
The 1999 Finley Presentation Evening was an even bigger success. In my opinion, the awards are now almost secondary to the spectacle and enjoyment of an evening's excerpts culled from some of the year's best shows. The awards presentation is a little bonus at the end of a great evening's entertainment.
It was only afterwards that the ITA was hit with the bill. Forgive me if I get any of this wrong as I don't have the information in front of me, and please feel free to correct me, but as I understand it, the Regal Theatre no longer has a full-time technical staff as such. All the technical staff had to be contracted - by the Regal - and paid contract rates, Sunday rates, from noon until midnight (the pre-show technical rehearsal ran all of Sunday afternoon). As a consequence, the 1999 Regal bill was nearly double the 1998 bill.
The ITA cannot afford this expense, and we certainly do not want to drastically increase ticket prices. Consequently, we have decided that we cannot afford to hire the Regal Theatre this year. Unfortunately, most similar theatres around Perth are similarly priced. We approached the Playhouse as a potential venue, only to be most surprised to find that we were not particularly welcome (as David explained).
Time is running out. For the busy December season, a venue has to be booked ASAP. A recent poll on this website indicated some support for a completely different sort of arrangement, such as a garden party. As nice at that sounds, practical considerations must be assessed. The weather is always a factor - remember, it rained heavily on the day of last year's Finley evening. Also, if we are to continue presenting excerpts from highlights of the year, we need a resonable stage, changing area, storage area and light & sound equipment. Otherwise, we run the risk of the evening becoming little more than a ten minute award presentation.
Your ITA committee is searching, but regardless of the outcome, we hope as many of you as possible will support the 2000 Finley Presentation Evening - wherever it is...
Jarrod Buttery
President, ITA
Some of our readers will be aware that, for many years, the ITA's Finley Presentation Evening was held (very successfully) at the Playhouse. However, the Playhouse only seats 400 people. Every year, people were either turned away, or the clubs failed to actively encourage members' attendence, knowing as they did that seating was limited. There was also the conception that the Finley night might be getting a little "stale" .
In 1998, the ITA committee took a huge chance and decided to hire the Regal Theatre as the venue for Perth Independent Theatre's "Night of Nights". Despite the fact that the 1997 evening at the Playhouse was a huge success, it was felt that we needed to attract more than just the theatrical audience - the show had to grow. Think how friends and relatives would be proud to see someone perform on a lovely, professional stage such as The Playhouse! How often do ANY of us get to perform on a stage like that? It would be WONDERFUL for Mum and Dad and Grandma and Grandma to come and see little Johnnie perform on THE PLAYHOUSE STAGE (!) - but it just wasn't possible with the size of the venue.
It was a dangerous decision. The ITA could fall flat on its face. We could go broke. We could forever alienate the Playhouse, who had always been good to us. In the end, we decided to take the chance, and as President, I stand behind that decision and bear the responsibility.
The 1998 Finley Presentation Evening was well attended and supported. There were a few comments about sound problems, but overall the evening was very succesful. And the ITA didn't go broke. In 1999, we approached the Regal again. We were told that (understandably) costs had increased by about 10%. Based upon 1998's success, we felt that the Finley Presentation Evening WAS growing, and that ticket sales would cover this.
The 1999 Finley Presentation Evening was an even bigger success. In my opinion, the awards are now almost secondary to the spectacle and enjoyment of an evening's excerpts culled from some of the year's best shows. The awards presentation is a little bonus at the end of a great evening's entertainment.
It was only afterwards that the ITA was hit with the bill. Forgive me if I get any of this wrong as I don't have the information in front of me, and please feel free to correct me, but as I understand it, the Regal Theatre no longer has a full-time technical staff as such. All the technical staff had to be contracted - by the Regal - and paid contract rates, Sunday rates, from noon until midnight (the pre-show technical rehearsal ran all of Sunday afternoon). As a consequence, the 1999 Regal bill was nearly double the 1998 bill.
The ITA cannot afford this expense, and we certainly do not want to drastically increase ticket prices. Consequently, we have decided that we cannot afford to hire the Regal Theatre this year. Unfortunately, most similar theatres around Perth are similarly priced. We approached the Playhouse as a potential venue, only to be most surprised to find that we were not particularly welcome (as David explained).
Time is running out. For the busy December season, a venue has to be booked ASAP. A recent poll on this website indicated some support for a completely different sort of arrangement, such as a garden party. As nice at that sounds, practical considerations must be assessed. The weather is always a factor - remember, it rained heavily on the day of last year's Finley evening. Also, if we are to continue presenting excerpts from highlights of the year, we need a resonable stage, changing area, storage area and light & sound equipment. Otherwise, we run the risk of the evening becoming little more than a ten minute award presentation.
Your ITA committee is searching, but regardless of the outcome, we hope as many of you as possible will support the 2000 Finley Presentation Evening - wherever it is...
Jarrod Buttery
President, ITA
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