Where are all the men?

Fri, 5 May 2006, 07:34 am

MMS0115 posts in thread

Is there a man drought in local theatre or is it just my imagination?

Thread (15 posts)

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MMS01Fri, 5 May 2006, 07:34 am

Is there a man drought in local theatre or is it just my imagination?

LabrugFri, 5 May 2006, 08:31 am

Not imagined

In Perth, the complaint about lack of men has been raised for as long as I have done theatre. Men, or should I say young boys, are rarely encouraged to get into acting. For some reason, most see it as an female thing for young people. Boys play sports, girls do ballet and sing. Yes, it usually is treated that black and white.

Casting for male dominated plays has always been a big problem and sadly there are more 'male' plays then there are 'female' plays. Muphy's law?

Dixi

Jeff Watkins
Perth based Actor/Performer
Fight/Sword Choreographer

http://au.geocities.com/labrug

NaFri, 5 May 2006, 09:12 am

Women...

Unfortunately, women are predominant in all arts fields... I think there are probably some stats from the ABS on the issue. Amazingly, I know of more male techs than female, and more female actors than male. The Prompt Copy Networking emerging theatre professionals www.thepromptcopy.com Sticky Apple Legs http://stickyapplelegs.artsblogs.com

LogosFri, 5 May 2006, 11:54 am

Where are the men

It's not unique to Perth. A friend in Adelaide just held auditions for Popcorn and got 30 women for the two female parts and 4 men for the 8 mens parts. This with an established company that has just finished a production of The Crucible. Regards Techs my experience in the UK is that Stage Management amateur and pro is almost exclusively female, lighting is about 50/50 and sound still almost an exclusive male club. I got into theatre in the sixties to meet girls. The imbalance gives great opportunities for teenagers.

MMS01Fri, 5 May 2006, 01:21 pm

casting

meanwhile how do we cast/fill our male roles (both lead and chorus req)

LabrugFri, 5 May 2006, 01:31 pm

Finding Men(o)

Apart from posting here and contacting everyone you know, other techniques I seen used (but I am sure you have already done this) is to get what cast member s you have to contact everyone they know and get them in.

Even try some of the techies which are usually male heavy. Our lead has directed and tech'd on many productions but never performed, yet he's pulling out a wonderful performance.

Dixi

Jeff Watkins
Perth based Actor/Performer
Fight/Sword Choreographer

http://au.geocities.com/labrug

Grant MalcolmFri, 5 May 2006, 03:21 pm

Casting couch...

hypothetically, for the moment, look under the members menu for the Casting Couch. http://www.theatre.asn.au/casting_couch You'll find a (very) few NSW male actors listed. But then, only a few hundred members out of more than 5,000 have updated their profiles in the few weeks since the new profiles have been available. Once a few more members have updated their profiles, it should become a useful tool for unearthing wayward males. I'd hasten to add that I don't for a moment believe that the Casting Couch comes close to matching the services of a good agent - but then, not everyone has one of those. And at least no-one's trying to charge upfront fees or commissions for the Casting Couch. :-) I've been delaying mailing the membership and suggesting that everyone updates their profiles until I'll fixed a couple more bugs/misfeatures. Maybe I should just give it a go...? Cheers Grant

Walter PlingeFri, 5 May 2006, 04:40 pm

Lack of men in theatre: a myth

There's plenty of men in theatre - you just have to put on a show they might actually be interested in doing. If you're not getting the men, then the show simply doesn't interest them.

Walter PlingeMon, 8 May 2006, 02:24 pm

Girls and Boys

Last year, I wrote and directed a brand-new musical called Meant To Be at Cheltenham Secondary College's Performing Arts Centre. I had to change some of the characters from male to female because far more girls auditioned than boys. However, the show was still a great success. I don't know if there is a solution, but it does seem that boys and men are less interested in drama (which is mainly about relationships) than they are in "action" entertainment (such as sport or blockbuster action movies). By the way, if you are a producer or director looking for a new rock/pop musical to stage, please visit http://home.iprimus.com.au/spiroandgeorgina/meanttobe.htm

LabrugMon, 8 May 2006, 02:45 pm

Cross Gender Roles

Some years back, I choreographed the fight/sword sequences for Romeo and Juliet with GRADs (Part of UWA). We had a number of women playing male roles including a femal Tybalt. There's nothing more frightening than an angry woman with a sword in her hands. I think it actually made the play better.

Dixi

Jeff Watkins
Perth based Actor/Performer
Fight/Sword Choreographer

http://au.geocities.com/labrug

LogosMon, 8 May 2006, 03:54 pm

Woman and Swords

While living in the UK my partner Jo attended a brush up course at The Academy. One of the things she did that she had never done before was sword fighting for stage and at the showcase the fight instructor confided in me that he never went without any of his protection gear when training women. Thay apparently take it really seriously. I know I wouldn't stay in the same room as an angry Jo with a sword.

LabrugMon, 8 May 2006, 04:27 pm

Female Fury

Even more recently, I did a very short, flashy sequence with two not completely confident swordsmen, on being female. By opening night, She was getting right into it and he was walking off-stage slightly disturbed.

Women make for fantastic sequences such as these. Lots of gusto.

Dixi

Jeff Watkins
Perth based Actor/Performer
Fight/Sword Choreographer

http://au.geocities.com/labrug

Walter PlingeMon, 8 May 2006, 06:25 pm

I've tried to convince my

I've tried to convince my son to go into theatre because his drama teacher was impressed with his skills...although interested I think the whole peer pressure thing has put him off.... whether perceived or real , he feels he would get a hard time from his mates... His sister , who has done a lot of theatre tried to convince him too My daughter has auditioned for many productions and the competition for young females has been huge... for young boys it's almost, turn up and you're in... no disrespect to the young males involved (talking 10 -15 here) Logos... I'm presuming that would be Glenn's production... I thought about going but I only have a few shows under my belt and thought the competition would be too tough for blokes...(maybe we're lazier :-) )

MMS01Tue, 9 May 2006, 08:32 am

show some enthusiasm boys

There are a great number of us out there trying to entice young males into theatre. I am constantly encouraging them with promises of "so many pretty girls" to talk to. What red blooded young man wouldnt want to find himself in a target rich environment of beautiful talented singers and dancers?? Teenagers do find that they get a hard time from their school mates but if they think about it nobody gives Mel Gibson or Russell Crowe a hard time! look at all those young Home and Away and Neighbours actors - all very popular with their peers. Cayra, we would love to have both your son and daughter join us at MMS!

MMS01Tue, 9 May 2006, 08:37 am

Which shows?

Tim, If only the males out there would get more involved! I dont know many males who are willing to speak up and offer much advice or feedback about what they WOULD like to be in. I'd love to hear some enthusiasm from the guys out there and see them get involved at the production or committee level. Better still I'd love to know EXACTLY what shows they want to see produced so that we can put them on!

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