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: In reply ...
Mon, 4 Sept 2000, 10:18 amUnfortunetly, back in the dark ages - when i was about 20 - there was the 80/20 principal, 80% were warm props and 20% would be backstage - but I think it is more like 0.2% will do backstage these days (are we atracting only actors?). I possibly think because we make hard work for ourselves, mounting a production, that when some new turns to have a go, the other horses who have been flogged to near death see this a big OUT for them to evaperate, thus loss of experiance and knowledge.
In most clubs it should be an easy task to put up a set or bump in, however mainly because of a lack of experiance we tend to make task bigger then 'Ben Hymn' and a lack of helpfull attitude on the part of Committees - but thats another story.
In most cases if we merge into super clubs our numbers won't increase, maybe for a short while we may more resources and money, but it will end up with the same few doing IT with less.
Clubs even Lodges who consolidate, don't get larger only shrink smaller and smaller. It is a numbers game - spread It around and It will find it's own level and market and/or close and another springs up - this is possibly more healthy - unfortunetly we have a lot of clubs who have been around for a lot of years with a closed door or mind "we all must stay together behind these four walls, because thats the way IT has been done for thirty five years and we are still here" attitude. But they become blinkered and have closed minds as will the super clubs further down down the track.
Great idea of having a central resource centre - but beleive me this can be a bigger nightmare and the politics - are well IT is all too hard!!!!!
Joe McCabe
In most clubs it should be an easy task to put up a set or bump in, however mainly because of a lack of experiance we tend to make task bigger then 'Ben Hymn' and a lack of helpfull attitude on the part of Committees - but thats another story.
In most cases if we merge into super clubs our numbers won't increase, maybe for a short while we may more resources and money, but it will end up with the same few doing IT with less.
Clubs even Lodges who consolidate, don't get larger only shrink smaller and smaller. It is a numbers game - spread It around and It will find it's own level and market and/or close and another springs up - this is possibly more healthy - unfortunetly we have a lot of clubs who have been around for a lot of years with a closed door or mind "we all must stay together behind these four walls, because thats the way IT has been done for thirty five years and we are still here" attitude. But they become blinkered and have closed minds as will the super clubs further down down the track.
Great idea of having a central resource centre - but beleive me this can be a bigger nightmare and the politics - are well IT is all too hard!!!!!
Joe McCabe
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