Chapter 13: the Theatre Today
New York and London
College athletes dream of one day playing professionally. The baseball player dreams of the major leagues. The football player dreams of the NFL.
The student who has his own band, rehearsing every weekend in the garage, dreams of his first record contract. The art student dreams of the Louvre.
For the acting student, for the actor, the hoped-for destination is Broadway. The highest achievement is to work in a Broadway theatre, to perform before a Broadway audience, and to receive a Tony award (Broadway theatre awards).
The term Broadway refers to the Broadway theater district. In New York City, the area sits between Sixth and Ninth Avenues and between 41st Street and 53rd Street. Thirty-four (34) theater houses make up Broadway. These are the professional theaters in the heart of New York City.
In recent years, costs of production in New York City have made it extremely difficult and extremely risky to produce on Broadway. It can easily take more than a million dollars to mount a show on Broadway, and the show may need to run for more than a year to break even. As a result, most Broadway shows now are very popular musicals or revivals of great works which already have a track record.
Second to Broadway, in terms of professional theatres, would be the United Kingdom’s West End theater district. The West End theaters are the British equivalent to America’s Broadway. In fact, in recent years, successful shows on Broadway have opened next on the West End, and successful West End productions have made their way to Broadway.
Off Broadway
The term “Off-Broadway” refers to more than 100 professional theaters in New York which are located outside the Broadway district. These theaters have found their place in unusual, somewhat hidden, and therefore lower rent buildings. The auditoriums have anywhere from 100 to 499 seats. As a result, the producers can mount productions less expensively.
As Broadway theaters honor their artists with the Tony awards, Off-Broadway theaters honor their outstanding performers, designers, directors, and choreographers with the Obie awards (O.B. for Off-Broadway).
Off-Broadway theaters developed their reputation with experimental and avante garde works. Off-Broadway theaters could take more changes because their costs were lower. They were very influential in the 1950s and 1960s.
Eventually, however, Off-Broadway theaters have also succumbed to the high costs of doing business in New York. Their experimental and risk-taking works have been slowly replaced with productions which will bring in higher ticket prices and more audience members.
Off-Off-Broadway
As Off-Broadway producers became more and more like their Broadway counterparts, the need for experimental, non-traditional, and new theatre productions was taken up by what became Off-Off-Broadway houses. These theaters have found homes in basements, attics, empty warehouses, etc. They contain no more than 99 seats. And while they are considered professional theaters, the actors are not paid at the same rate as the Broadway or Off-Broadway houses; they may receive only a small stipend, and in some productions actors are not paid at all.
Off-Off-Broadway theaters produce experimental works: symbolist, surrealist, futurist, expressionistic, avante garde, bizarre, performance art, etc.
Off-Off-Broadway theaters produce non-traditional performances of traditional texts: risk-taking (educational) productions of Sophocles, Shakespeare, or others.
Off-Off-Broadway theaters provide production opportunities for new playwrights, new directors, and new actors. This is where theatre artists can showcase their talent and craft in the hope of being spotted by a New York producer or theatrical agent.
In addition, many Off-Off-Broadway theaters have become home for theatre groups producing works within particular social or racial cultures. Gay/lesbian theatre, Women’s theatre, Black theatre, Latino theatre, Asian theatre – theatre groups which may not bring in large audiences or command high ticket prices – are able to produce good theatre in the New York area in Off-Off-Broadway theaters.
Some Off-Off-Broadway theaters, like LaMama Experimental Theatre Club, have maintained a lengthy production history and have been influential in contemporary theatre. Oftentimes, Off-Off-Broadway theaters are able to produce only one or a few shows before succumbing to the demands of rent and utilities.
Regional Theatre
Not everyone can travel to New York to see theatre (and not everyone wants to travel to New York to see theatre). For many years, professional theatre companies based out of New York would tour the U.S. and present their productions in cities throughout the forty-eight states. And they still do. However, today there are a number of cities which have found funding and support to establish their own professional theatre companies.
Regional theatre is the term used to refer to these professional theaters in places like Chicago, Minneapolis, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Dallas. They are typically production companies on par with Broadway and Off-Broadway houses. In fact, superb regional productions have been imported to Off-Broadway and even Broadway stages. So the quality of professional theatre is now available throughout the United States.
Educational Theatre
Educational theatre is the term used to classify the broad category of theatre programs and activities in schools across the U.S.
At one end of the spectrum, there are the professional training programs maintained by graduate programs in some of the largest, most prestigious universities on the continent. These programs are typically linked with a professional theatre company, and their student-artists are provided opportunities to work, train with, and learn from professionals in their chosen field. In fact, for directors, choreographers, and designers, it is essentially impossible to break into professional work without the mentoring function of the professional training programs.
At the other end of the spectrum are the drama clubs and public school teachers in elementary and secondary schools. These are groups of interested students and teachers, typically working with little to no budget, producing dramatic and musical works in the gymnasium or cafeteria of their school. In these programs, student-artists are encouraged (and sometimes required) to lend a hand in all areas of production. A student may have a supporting role in the play, help with set construction and painting, and walk the neighborhood putting up posters for the upcoming performances.
Some high schools and community colleges have theatre programs which are well-funded and produce quality work. These performance and training opportunities provide an excellent preparation for the universities and the professional training programs. It is not uncommon for an incoming freshman at the university to have years of study and performance under her belt, having been involved with twenty to thirty productions before she was old enough to vote.
Thousands of drama students participate annually in productions at hundreds of high schools and community/junior colleges. By the time he is getting his driver's license, the student-actor has already been told: “For every professional acting role available, there are one thousand qualified actors available.” The purpose of the announcement is not to discourage the young actor; but rather, it is said to remind the actor of one very important truth in today’s American theatre experience. Many have the desire, few have the opportunity, and fewer still get that hoped-for phone call.
Community/Amateur Theatre
Many interested theatre artists are unable to break into the ranks of professional theatre. Many other individuals who enjoy participating in theatre productions have no desire to seek professional work. These lovers of theatre have grouped themselves together in community and amateur theatre companies.
Most community theatre companies use rented or borrowed facilities. Some organizations have their own permanent space. Some community theatre organizations are associated with local or civic organizations for mutual support (and survival). Other community theatre programs have been in existence for many years and have grown into functioning, healthy organizations.
The American Association of Community Theatre (AACT) was founded in 1986 to provide help and support to community theatre groups and organizations across the U.S. The association provides assistance in such areas as formation and incorporation of your community theatre group as a formal entity. And they provide a clearinghouse for information and help regarding all phases of theatre production. In addition, they sponsor festivals and competitions among community theatre members of the association.
Amateur theatre also takes place in such organizations as civic clubs and churches. You may be familiar with a church in your area that produces an annual Christmas or Easter program. Some churches sponsor a drama program for their youth. Some civic or service clubs have theatrical activities and programs as part of their club offerings.
The idea is that, if you are interested in participating with a local group of people who love to “do theatre,” there is probably a group working in your area.