My original comments weren’t directed as much toward the issue of censorship as they were on the thought process that goes into choosing a show to produce, and how much of that decision may be based on the appropriateness of the show.
I wonder, how many shows aren't even considered by local groups because they're not “happy” shows. An example is Sweeney Todd. I feel that some of the shows I am most interested in, while they are not necessarily offensive, are never produced locally because they contain either darker themes or material that might warrant a PG or PG13 rating if they were films. I understand that community theatre needs to attract a large audience in order to pay all the bills and make a profit. But I think a misconception is that only time-tested classics and very family-friendly shows will bring in an audience. There’s nothing wrong with those shows in my opinion. I love some of them… but if that’s all that is ever produced, Huntington runs the risk of stagnating and misses out on some great theatre that we are just afraid to take a chance on.
I realize that the dominant community theatre groups in Huntington concentrate on children’s shows and outdoor family based theatre, and I fully understand the limitations of that. Marshall University is its own animal, because it doesn’t fully depend on ticket sales or community support to survive, and therefore is able to take on shows that explore more difficult themes. The thing is, MU shows are almost always sold out. So there is an audience in Huntington for those kinds of shows.
I have been at parties talking with fellow thespians and ideas for shows will often come up in conversation. And you can feel the excitement in the air… The theatre community really wants to do these shows!… but when it comes down to actually putting one of these shows onstage, themes involving death, violence, sexual innuendo, language or tragedy in general seem to send up red flags. The thing is, a lot of these fears are sometimes based on a false perception or a distant memory of the shows, and the themes are not as bad as you think you remember.
I’m not advocating that we introduce more risky shows just for the sake of including adult content, or that we shouldn’t ever censor shows. There is certainly some responsibility to exercise good judgement and consider your audience. But on the other hand we shouldn’t be so afraid of losing an audience that we are afraid to take on shows that have such potential to actually revitalize an audience base. What will the future audiences want to see onstage? And when do we begin to make that transition locally?
What I love about theatre is that it can present all of the elements of life…happiness, pain, comedy, fear, love, suspense, guilt, passion…and it takes place right in front of us…with real people. When it’s done well, there is a strong connection. For me, the experience is far more immediate and intense than watching TV or movies. This is probably why people are hesitant to put the same content on the local stage that they would accept and enjoy on TV or movies. When you are in public, seeing people you know display the very same behavior and language and going through the very same emotions, it hits you much harder… That should be an asset, and a reason to take on more challenging and emotionally provocative shows.
Excellent comments, Ryan! (I should mention that I edited Ryan's comments for length - you can read the entire thing in the comments section of this post.)
I absolutely agree that there's an audience out there looking for more mature shows. It's a market that Marshall University has a corner or right now, but there are so many great shows out there that the existing, family-friendly groups aren't going to tackle. Certainly several groups in Charleston have enjoyed success tackling those kinds of shows - does anyone really think a group in Huntington can't find the same success?
5 comments:
I think that Ryan has made a great point in his comments. I agree that it is important to do the classics such as "Oklahoma", and "Music Man" in order to gain profits and expose a new generation to these wonderful shows, but it is true that those of us who work in the theatre community, as well as regular patrons, get tired of participating in and seeing the same old shows. I, myself, have been involved in 7 productions of Oklahoma",3 productions of "Music Man", and I am currently working in the upcoming production of "Hello Dolly" (which is the 4th production of this show that I have worked with).
There are so many new shows that are out there, and even some old ones, that theatre groups won't tackle because they are afraid that they won't sell tickets because audiences have never heard of them. Ten years ago, I created a small group called Renaissance Players just in order to address this very topic. We did a little known shown called "Baby", which many people criticized because many of the scenes took place in a bed where a couple are going through the very difficult time of trying to have a baby. We did the show in the basement of the Renaissance Bookstore, and we were quite a success. Audiences loved it. We were also the first group in Huntington to do "Nunsense" at the Huntington Museum in 1994. Many people thought that we were taking a risk but we performed once again to sold-out audiences. Appalachian Regional Theatre took a chance and decided to put on "The Rocky Horror Show". Many people on the board were against the idea because they felt that we would lose money - but we had sold out crowds for each performance.
I agree with Ryan, I think Huntington is ready for more "risky" theatre options. There are too many wonderful shows out there that need to be performed so that those of us who work onstage and behind the scenes feel challenged and excited about what we do. I also believe that we need to give the audiences more credit, and believe that they are ready for more challenging viewing material.
Thank you Ryan for your great comments. Hopefully, board members and directors of community theatre will read this blog and attempt to bring more challenging choices to the theatre audiences.
I'll speak as the newbie. Although, I've been knee deep in shows the last couple of years, I'm brand new to all of this. I'm in my first production of Oklahoma right now. I only saw Music Man for the first time a couple of months ago, and I hopefully will be involved in my first production of Hello Dolly this fall. (Sorry I'm so behind, but I really on started about 3 years ago).
I think Eddie brings up some very valid points. The new generation does need exposed to these classics. These shows are the basis of what made American theatre what it is.
He is also right in saying that are a large number of classics that have failed to be tackled in this area. What about "Anything Goes", "Camelot", or even "Kiss Me Kate"? I would guess the problem with musicals is the same thing everybody keeps mentioning...money. Musicals are hugely expensive.
Do risky if you want, but what about some nice straight shows. There are tons of shows that are just not getting done. Shows that can be done in a small venue, a black box with a hundred chairs or so. Other than Danny Ray, has anyone else even staged a Simon play?
As the new guy, I want to see it all, classics, standards, new stuff, whatever, and honestly I just want to see as much as can, as soon as I can.
Eddie and Stephen, thanks for your comments! It's fascinating to hear comments from a new theatre fan lke Stephen and an experienced veteran like Eddie. (And let me say that theatre in Huntington has such a great asset in Eddie - he's been part of so many great shows, and created the Renaissance Players from sheer force of will - an amazing success story!)
What it comes down to is, there should be room for both classics and edgier productions - the problem is, right now we're only getting the former, and precious little of the latter.
I couldn't agree more. While I love "Annie", "The Wizard of Oz", and "The Sound Of Music", I found myself wishing someone would just go ahead and announce auditions for "The Best Little Whore House In Texas!"
That's another great example of local "editing." I was in the eastern part of the state many years ago when the movie version of "Whorehouse" was out, and the ad on a local radio station - honest to Pete - changed the title of the movie to "The Best Little House in Texas." Amazing.
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