TETA Board of Directors
Vice President - College/University
We just finished a production of NO EXIT on campus, and Wednesday the same show will go on the road to the Texas Community College Speech and Theatre Association 2012-2013 Play Festival (www.tccsta.org). Once again, I am amazed at what dedicated people, hard-working people, passionate people can create. I have never been one to let the “magic” of live theatre be the foundation of our shows, although I have seen, time and time again, how a show just simply “comes together” at the 11th hour! We all know there is a LOT of hard work, and trying times, that occur to get a good show up-and-running.
Last year at the Tony Awards, Clybourne Park’s producer Jordan Roth summed up the enormous effort every show requires beautifully in his acceptance speech for Best Play:
“There are those rare people who look at the world and see things the rest of us don’t see until they show us. These are the writers. There are a special few who can take that and turn it back into a world; these are the directors, the designers. There are fearless beings who can live in that world and show us who we are, these are our actors. There are dedicated people who know why that world matters so very much - crew, theater staff, producers, investors, managers, marketers. And then there are the people who step forward and say, ‘show me this world. Open, change me.’ These are our audiences. And when all of these people come together and say, ‘yes,’ there is theater.”
I often joke in my acting classes that “Actor’s get all the glory, and the Director gets all the blame.” That adage aside, have you really thanked the people involved in your productions? Take a moment to ask yourself how your department reaches out to appreciate ALL the people who helped the show “make it.” Does your audience know how much you appreciate them being in attendance? Do your angels, investors, season ticket holders know how much they matter? Does your front-of-house staff get a nod for one of the most important jobs – public relations? Stage crew? Publicity? Custodians? Maintenance? Police & Security?
As we all get ready to begin selecting shows and schedule the 2013-2014 season – take a moment to assess. Think about all the dedicated, hard-working, passionate people that are involved – at every step – to help your productions reach fruition. Reach out to all of them. Say Thank You. As Jordan says “...when all of these people come together and say, ‘yes,’ there is theater.”