Are there too many of us?
Tue, 29 Aug 2000, 04:38 pmWalter Plinge21 posts in thread
Are there too many of us?
Tue, 29 Aug 2000, 04:38 pmHi Thespians,
I have been pondering this quite alot lately. Could some of the problems which are plaguing some amateur/community theatre groups (eg: inadequate venues, low audience attendance, financial struggles) be occuring because there are too many of us?
Two or three groups could merge into one which would:
1. Increase the membership.
2. Increase the pool of skills, ideas, abilities etc.
3. Increase the audiences.
4. Allow the clubs to pool finances and resources towards upgrading or establishing a venue.
These new groups could be re-named to save any arguments and managed initially by a committee consisting of members of each group's current committee. Since many Community Theatre people are not necessarily involved with the club closest to them, I can't see location being a problem. People will travel almost anywhere to be involved in a show that interests them.
Why should three groups keep struggling when as one group they may thrive?
Does anyone agree?
Cheers,
Gill
I have been pondering this quite alot lately. Could some of the problems which are plaguing some amateur/community theatre groups (eg: inadequate venues, low audience attendance, financial struggles) be occuring because there are too many of us?
Two or three groups could merge into one which would:
1. Increase the membership.
2. Increase the pool of skills, ideas, abilities etc.
3. Increase the audiences.
4. Allow the clubs to pool finances and resources towards upgrading or establishing a venue.
These new groups could be re-named to save any arguments and managed initially by a committee consisting of members of each group's current committee. Since many Community Theatre people are not necessarily involved with the club closest to them, I can't see location being a problem. People will travel almost anywhere to be involved in a show that interests them.
Why should three groups keep struggling when as one group they may thrive?
Does anyone agree?
Cheers,
Gill
RE: Are there too many of us?
Sat, 2 Sept 2000, 06:58 pmPaul Treasure wrote:
-------------------------------
I don't know that there are too many of us.
What I do know is that we ARE guilty of doing too much of the same thing ALL THE TIME!!!
Sorry, just happened to trigger one of my major bugbears.
Hear Hear!!!
I'm with you Paul. A great deal of regular theatre goers are of course, members of other clubs. If they themselves have seen their own clubs production, chances are they won't go see it elsewhere. And the precious little audience that do get out and about to see amateur shows probably are less likely to see the same show more than once within 12 to 24 months. Of course these plays are dragged out frequently as they may be good plays and pull big crowds, but it couldn't hurt to at least space them some years apart. I realise that the clubs organise their seasons individually and clashes will occur, but perhaps biting the bullet and postponing that show and choosing another (as there ARE more than 8 or 9 plays in print or so I've been told) could be an option.
Alternatively, an annual 'Hotel Sorrento-a-thon' could take place with every theatre group staging a subsequent production of it in the same year. A special Finley Award could be given to the best one. Then the next year, it could be 'Lipstick Dreams' followed by "It's My Party and I'll Die if I Want To" and so on and so forth.
- ···
- ···
- ···