377 days, blog #81 - 20+ questions about community theater

A little while ago I was trying to collect some thoughts for a meeting on Sunday night.  I wrote a question on a piece of paper that I intend to ask, as well as some answers that run through my mind.  What makes a good successful community theater?

I’ve visited a variation of the question already in this series of posts and will likely come back again before the year ends.  It is something on my mind and a way through which I continue to evaluate how I split up my time and creative energy amongst the many projects that keep my brain whirling.

So in good brainstorming fashion I found that one question inspired many more questions.  I suppose it is something I’ve mostly taken for granted in the years I’ve participated in this civic art.  It should be obvious.  Good is when a theater puts on a show (that I like) in a standard of quality (based on my personal interests and emotional interpretations of the script) and features talent (of people I like, but not enough to appreciate the different emotional interpretation of a script without thinking a little bit that it’s wrong).  Successful is when there is a standing ovation and a full house (of people I like in the theater community) and there is a glowing review or five in the local media. 

And yeah, those are some very noticeable gauges of success.  But they are short-lived and often have a second edge to the blade. 

There are some very real, very bottom line measurements.  Like, did the ticket receipts exceed the royalties and costumes and stipends and set and advertising expenses?  Is there enough beyond the show expenses to pay the bills for the facility?  To put aside for some larger capital improvements and purchases?

There are intangible gains.  Did the show attract new people on the stage?  Talent that left with a good feeling and will come back for another go… and bring friends?  Or at least bring friends for the audience?  Was there new audience?  Did the repeaters feel like it was a good investment to come back?  And not just because they had a friend in the show.  Is the audience diverse?  Does it appeal across ages and interests and backgrounds and ethnicities?  Will they go away and tell friends to see this show while they have the chance?

Did the show itself take risks?  Did it produce those financial rewards without having to rely on a cliché like Annie or Neil Simon or whatever other musical is newly released for public consumption?  Did it use the medium of entertainment to ask a tough question about the world?  Did it push the boundaries without being tacky or offensive just because you can? 

 

Did it give a senior citizen in a wheelchair a day in new scenery and a chance to laugh?  Did it give a five year old an opportunity to gaze up at tap dancers and plant the wish to someday be one of them?  Did it create the perfect chance for a new couple to sit and hold hands together?  Did it fill a parent’s heart with pride?  

Did the volunteers build a set that took you to another world?  Did the lighting change the sense of place and time?  Did the sound sculpt the story into a three dimensional, multi-sensory piece?  Did the scene changes step to a perfect choreography?  Did the ushers smile and make a warm welcome?

Did it make Shakespeare understandable?  Did it make the audience mouth the words silently along with the chorus?  Did they tap their feet with the beat?  Did they boo the villain?  Did they laugh until their stomachs ached?  

Did the cast bond into friendships that seem like family?  Did the crew feel a part of the family and yet maintained a knowing independence?  Did the director help the actors grow?  Did the teenagers feel safe and accepted?  Did the seniors find a way to fill all that time left empty with retirement and the youngest child moved off to college?  Did a child find a voice?  Did the cast and crew showcase their baking talents in the green room?  Did the cast party end seemingly too soon, but in just enough time to promise to come back for the next show?

Did it serve or create the community?

A lot of questions… with so many possible answers.