Cabaret
Thu, 5 Oct 2000, 10:35 amWalter Plinge15 posts in thread
Cabaret
Thu, 5 Oct 2000, 10:35 amIs this the only show less-than-imaginative theatre groups can come up with? Surely there are other less performed pieces that you could be enticing theatre-goers with? Come on - set the scene...
RE: Cabaret -Oldies vs Newies
Thu, 12 Oct 2000, 12:24 amWalter Plinge
Hi Readers!
I'm relatively new to the ITA Website and have reading with interest many of the topics discussed. I've often felt like putting word to E-mail but never have. Why now? Well I have been mulling over the comments by 'Under Study' with regards to the season of Cabaret and while I agree to a certain degree that new productions of the ilk mentioned are great and sometimes lacking in local theatre there is a definite market for the tried and tested ones ( Bums on seats stuff ). I am a committee member of a local theatre group who obviously makes the decisions of what gets put on at our club and these decisions aren't taken lightly. I think there are a number of reasons why a show is chosen. Firstly the person directing the show must be comfortable about what he/she is about to direct and therefore familiarity with the show is important. I was one of the people who directed "Assassins" in the past 5 years and also acted in one of the other productions of it. I chose it because I loved the show and thought it would work at the venue we put it on at. Also I don't think that it would fit into the category of 'have been done to death'. A lot of the clubs in community theatre rely on good audiences to help fund the next production and so sometimes you are forced to rely on a bums on seats show like "Cabaret". You can't always do shows that no one knows because they won't turn up and then it's a battle to break even on the show. As an actor it is very rewarding doing challenging, new shows but we must also think of who we are performing to. What do the audiences want to see and I bet if you were to do a study of the general population you would get the same ones coming up every time. Just look at the professional shows that have toured or are currently touring - Les Mis; Phantom; Sound of Music; Cats; Grease to name a few. They are the ones people want.
Why doesn't someone do "Blood Brothers"? Not many people know it. What a great show, it's new and challenging. But you can't get the rights. Maybe if you could they would be too expensive. It's hard to justify performing a new show and not get the audience to pay for the rights.
Yes it is important to do non standard stuff but clubs must survive so a club's seasons must have a blend. I don't think it's fair tackle a club over one production. You must look at the overall picture for example do they have a balance over the year of seasons.
'Under Study' have you been involved at a club committee level or its workings. If you haven't then maybe you should. You will have a greater understanding of the reasons for the selection of shows.
Good luck Jamie and Terri with Cabaret.
Regards
Alex
I'm relatively new to the ITA Website and have reading with interest many of the topics discussed. I've often felt like putting word to E-mail but never have. Why now? Well I have been mulling over the comments by 'Under Study' with regards to the season of Cabaret and while I agree to a certain degree that new productions of the ilk mentioned are great and sometimes lacking in local theatre there is a definite market for the tried and tested ones ( Bums on seats stuff ). I am a committee member of a local theatre group who obviously makes the decisions of what gets put on at our club and these decisions aren't taken lightly. I think there are a number of reasons why a show is chosen. Firstly the person directing the show must be comfortable about what he/she is about to direct and therefore familiarity with the show is important. I was one of the people who directed "Assassins" in the past 5 years and also acted in one of the other productions of it. I chose it because I loved the show and thought it would work at the venue we put it on at. Also I don't think that it would fit into the category of 'have been done to death'. A lot of the clubs in community theatre rely on good audiences to help fund the next production and so sometimes you are forced to rely on a bums on seats show like "Cabaret". You can't always do shows that no one knows because they won't turn up and then it's a battle to break even on the show. As an actor it is very rewarding doing challenging, new shows but we must also think of who we are performing to. What do the audiences want to see and I bet if you were to do a study of the general population you would get the same ones coming up every time. Just look at the professional shows that have toured or are currently touring - Les Mis; Phantom; Sound of Music; Cats; Grease to name a few. They are the ones people want.
Why doesn't someone do "Blood Brothers"? Not many people know it. What a great show, it's new and challenging. But you can't get the rights. Maybe if you could they would be too expensive. It's hard to justify performing a new show and not get the audience to pay for the rights.
Yes it is important to do non standard stuff but clubs must survive so a club's seasons must have a blend. I don't think it's fair tackle a club over one production. You must look at the overall picture for example do they have a balance over the year of seasons.
'Under Study' have you been involved at a club committee level or its workings. If you haven't then maybe you should. You will have a greater understanding of the reasons for the selection of shows.
Good luck Jamie and Terri with Cabaret.
Regards
Alex
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