Local Theater
This past weekend I went to three, yes three, local theatrical productions. At the final one (I'm not going to name names) I spoke to someone who clearly stated that he/she didn't, as a rule, go to amateur productions. This of course means that this person doesn't attend much local theater since that is almost the only option here. We do have the odd traveling show, usually the third or fourth run or the barely professional bus-n-truck tours.
This person, who still remains nameless, doesn't really have an issue with the production quality. For the amount of money available, the production quality on most shows that I have ever seen in Fresno is amazingly good. The issue is the actors. Having come across this problem myself, I can relate, and feel the need to expound.
Even having recently moved back from New York, and having worked with actors there, I don't know if I have any particular insight into why the actors here are so limited and so unprofessional. I did community theater in the areas around New York City and can honestly say that the worst show I have ever seen in Fresno is much, MUCH better than the best I've seen in the equivalent there.
The thing is, the amateur actor isn't driven. Pardon me for going off on semantics again (by the way, the book is Revelation NOT Revelations- it's a linguistic thing, it is easier to say "Revelations 8:1" than "Revelation 8:1" (try it) sort of like "a" and "an" they aren't there for any other reason than it is easier to say "an animal" than "a animal"; regardless, there was ONE revelation given to John that he wrote down, not more than one, so it is Revelation, not Revelations, remember that!) but shall we look at dictionary.com?
Again, I love the American Heritage Dictionary, it includes word origins. Amateur is French, from Latin amtor, lover, from amre, to love. (Or, one who does something for the love of it rather than remuneration of it.) The definitions are as follows:
1. A person who engages in an art, science, study, or athletic activity as a pastime rather than as a profession.
2. Sports. An athlete who has never accepted money, or who accepts money under restrictions specified by a regulatory body, for participating in a competition.
3. One lacking the skill of a professional, as in an art.
This pretty much defines (with the exception of the sports definition) the acting community (for the most part) in Fresno. It is a pastime, lacking the skill of the professional.
There has to be a statistic somewhere about the percentage of a community that will actually leave the house of an evening and go to a "cultural event", and I imagine it is very low. Now calculate in the number who will actually work the long and thankless hours required to produce a "cultural event". This is a pastime, not a profession, for anyone in Fresno. Even if the Woodward Shakespeare Festival succeeded in its goal of becoming a regional theater with an LORT equity contract, making us eligible for the Tony (r) awards, we would still have the same problem. Unless we import the entire cast from out of town, there aren't enough jobs here to support a professional acting community. Even if the WSF succeeded in its goal of becoming a year-round resident theater we couldn't alone support a professional acting community.
Just the fact that I am worried about this problem, though, I think is a good sign, really. The fact that it is plausible for Fresno to host a professional theater year-round is an amazing thing. We just need a way to support the professionals needed to see that goal realized.
This person, who still remains nameless, doesn't really have an issue with the production quality. For the amount of money available, the production quality on most shows that I have ever seen in Fresno is amazingly good. The issue is the actors. Having come across this problem myself, I can relate, and feel the need to expound.
Even having recently moved back from New York, and having worked with actors there, I don't know if I have any particular insight into why the actors here are so limited and so unprofessional. I did community theater in the areas around New York City and can honestly say that the worst show I have ever seen in Fresno is much, MUCH better than the best I've seen in the equivalent there.
The thing is, the amateur actor isn't driven. Pardon me for going off on semantics again (by the way, the book is Revelation NOT Revelations- it's a linguistic thing, it is easier to say "Revelations 8:1" than "Revelation 8:1" (try it) sort of like "a" and "an" they aren't there for any other reason than it is easier to say "an animal" than "a animal"; regardless, there was ONE revelation given to John that he wrote down, not more than one, so it is Revelation, not Revelations, remember that!) but shall we look at dictionary.com?
Again, I love the American Heritage Dictionary, it includes word origins. Amateur is French, from Latin amtor, lover, from amre, to love. (Or, one who does something for the love of it rather than remuneration of it.) The definitions are as follows:
1. A person who engages in an art, science, study, or athletic activity as a pastime rather than as a profession.
2. Sports. An athlete who has never accepted money, or who accepts money under restrictions specified by a regulatory body, for participating in a competition.
3. One lacking the skill of a professional, as in an art.
This pretty much defines (with the exception of the sports definition) the acting community (for the most part) in Fresno. It is a pastime, lacking the skill of the professional.
There has to be a statistic somewhere about the percentage of a community that will actually leave the house of an evening and go to a "cultural event", and I imagine it is very low. Now calculate in the number who will actually work the long and thankless hours required to produce a "cultural event". This is a pastime, not a profession, for anyone in Fresno. Even if the Woodward Shakespeare Festival succeeded in its goal of becoming a regional theater with an LORT equity contract, making us eligible for the Tony (r) awards, we would still have the same problem. Unless we import the entire cast from out of town, there aren't enough jobs here to support a professional acting community. Even if the WSF succeeded in its goal of becoming a year-round resident theater we couldn't alone support a professional acting community.
Just the fact that I am worried about this problem, though, I think is a good sign, really. The fact that it is plausible for Fresno to host a professional theater year-round is an amazing thing. We just need a way to support the professionals needed to see that goal realized.
posted by Christien at 9:38 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home