Is it a theatre company or a theatre club....?

So, the artistic veracity of institutions ebbs and flows. For years, a company can be motivated by core values that put artistic quality first and, then slowly over time, can be more and, then, solely motivated by the social experience - more of a club. Either is fine. No judgement here. But, let's say the idea of artistic expression is paramount to you: a theatre club may not be your cup of tea. Or, let's say you're tired of busting your ass for thankless arteests and want to have some fun? Maybe a theatre club might be a better bet.

So, how can you tell? Is it a Company or is it a Club? Well, gosh. They often look and smell the same but really the core values of the two are completely different. Some ways to tell...

It could be a Club when....

1) They spend a lot of money on a nice clubhouse. (Don't confuse this with groups that have been gifted space.)
2) Casting decisions are based on friendship or who has done the most work for the group.
3) Artistic staff are hired based on friendship or who has done the most work for the group.
4) Every show is considered the best show ever. No criticism of the shows is allowed.
5) Artistic Staff tends to stay the same.
6) Significant resources go into parties or other social events.
7) Decisions are made with the comfort of the club members as primary.
8) The amount of resources thrown at a show is dependent on who is most popular.
9) Most of the members are in all of the shows.

It could be a Company when....

1) They have no or minimal resources going to permanent space, using space only when absolutely necessary.
2) In fact, all resource decisions are based in the needs if the show.
3) Casting decisions are based on who performs the role best in auditions.
4) A Company will hire pro directors whenever possible and only occassionally hire a (very) talented amateur.
5) Artistic Staff can be the same (especially if they're good) but there is always new blood coming and going.
6) Shows are internally critiqued and effort is put into getting better.
7) There may be a lot of going to the bar after rehearsals and shows but not a lot of social events, otherwise.
8) Membership grows with the needs of the show and members come and go.  But there is often a dedicated core membership.

So, if you are looking to join a group that is all fun, join a club. If you are looking to win some awards, join a company.  Don't go in and try to change everything; one person cannot change the culture in a group. Just go and find a group that suits you best. The end.

Jacqui Burke is a freelance director, writer, and theatrical teacher living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  She is currently directing Lend Me A Tenor for Scarborough Theatre Guild, directing The Wild Life (a Kidsplay production), and prepping for the all female version of Taming of the Shrew for Jaybird Productions going up in the fall of this year. She is, also, serializing The Pretender, her first novel, online at http://thepretender-amarcienoelnovel.blogspot.ca/.  


Jacqui Burke
talk/text: 647-292-0210
twitter: @jaybird01
skype: Jacquiburkecell, jacqui.burke
www.wordsnimages.com
www.jaybirdproductions.ca
www.shakespeareisboffo.ca
http://jacquiburke.blogspot.ca
http://thepretender-amarcienoelnovel.blogspot.ca/
http://jaybirdproductions.blogspot.ca/

So, who is this chick, anyway?

How do we know anything about this character we want to play? How do we know what she wants? What she needs? As an actor, you will probably spend a lot of time fleshing this character out.  I suggest you go through a process of determining what happens, asking the question why these things happen, answering the why, and, then, making conclusions from there.

For the what, you need to go to your first and best mine of information: the script itself.

Well, you say, it's a big script! How do I deal with it in terms of my character? Great question. When analyzing a script for character information, I suggest you make lists of points taken straight from the script that answer the following questions:

1. What does the character do?
2. What does she say about herself?
3. What do other characters say about her? How do they treat her?

What does she do?
This is a simple list of each salient plot point that includes your character.

• She gets up in the morning. 
• She talks to her fiancee about their upcoming marriage. 
• She gets to work and finds a pink slip. 
• She goes out and buys a gun. 

And so on. Once you have gone through the whole script, you should know exactly what happens to this person during the show.

What does she say about herself?
This is a simple list of statements that she makes about her own self - things she likes, dislikes, cares about. Key phrases to look for:

• I want/don't want [insert thing here]
• I hate/love [insert thing here]
• I couldn't/could 
• You do/don't think [insert thing here] about me

Many plays reveal very few of these statements. Write them down. They're important clues.

What do other characters say about her? How do they treat her?

• Do other characters describe or comment on your character? Write these statements out in full.
• Do they treat her with respect or disdain or....? Make a list of how folks treat her.

Once you're done you will have a solid amount of basic information from which to start understanding this person:

• She is a maid who is late for very the first time in five years.
• Everyone says she is usually reliable. 
• She says she loves her work.
• She often goes out of her way to make her male boss happy.
• He fires her for being late once.
• She says she is devastated by the loss of her job
• She goes out and buys a gun.
• She returns and kills her employer.

Well, well, well. This is the what. The what that happens, the what that is said. In this list, you will see that there is none of the why. Why was she late for the first time? Why does she go out of her way to make her boss happy? Why does he fire her, really? Why does she kill him?

Answering those questions can lead to unbelievably different conclusions; so, make sure your answers make sense or jibe with all of what she does or says. Further, the back story or any choices you make for this character, any fleshing out you do, must also accommodate these key character points.

Oftentimes, you might come across points that might seem hard to reconcile. In our example, we see that despite this being her first time late ever, she gets fired. The why of this could be very interesting. Clearly, the lateness is being used as an excuse.....

Happy character building!


Jacqui Burke is a freelance director, writer, and theatrical teacher living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  She is currently directing Lend Me A Tenor for Scarborough Theatre Guild, directing The Wild Life (a Kidsplay production), and prepping for the all female version of Taming of the Shrew for Jaybird Productions going up in the fall of this year. She is, also, serializing The Pretender, her first novel, online at http://thepretender-amarcienoelnovel.blogspot.ca/.  


Jacqui Burke
talk/text: 647-292-0210
twitter: @jaybird01
skype: Jacquiburkecell, jacqui.burke
www.wordsnimages.com
www.jaybirdproductions.ca
www.shakespeareisboffo.ca
http://jacquiburke.blogspot.ca
http://thepretender-amarcienoelnovel.blogspot.ca/
http://jaybirdproductions.blogspot.ca/

Gotta have faith.

I have spoken to a number of actors who tell me they won't let the director know when they've been blocked to perform a move or action that hurts them physically or scares them.  They don't want to rock the boat. They don't want to be labelled as difficult.

As a long time theatre person, I know that getting a bad reputation (deserved or no) can be a killer for an actor. You just stop being cast and nobody tells you why. Just brutal. A nightmare. Same thing goes for just about every position, however. The community can, with no notice nor chance to change one's behaviour, quietly close ranks and stop letting an individual do anything. I've seen this happen to highly effective people, highly talented people. I've seen it happen in professional and community level theatre. Ostracism is rampant. Course, I don't think ostracism is wise but that's a topic for another post.

Long and short, though:  If this happens to you, you're out in the cold. Often with no recourse. Which is why I understand the fear of standing up for yourself. You don't want to get a reputation.

But the very same actors who don't let you know they are hurting, will argue with you for half an hour before accepting a bit of blocking that they don't understand. That's okay. But personal safety? You don't want to be a problem?

When it comes to safety, we should never muck around. And you have to have faith that you're working with adults who care.

Don't be afraid to come forward. Theatre is dangerous. And, if the move or action hurts, imagine how it's going to feel after you do it a hundred times? N'up, let me know right away. That information, truly, helps me in my opinion and, if you're not working for someone like me, if you're working for a bunch of jerks who couldn't give a shit about your safety, let 'em ostracize you. You may live longer.


Jacqui Burke is a freelance director, writer, and theatrical teacher living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  She is currently prepping and leading her Shakespeare is Boffo! theatre arts camps for active kids, directing directing Lend Me A Tenor for Scarborough Theatre Guild , directing The Wild Life (a Kidsplay production), prepping for Shakespeare is Boffo! 2013, Summer Camps, and prepping for and all female version of Taming of the Shrew for Jaybird Productions going up in the fall of this year. She is, also, serializing The Pretender, her first novel, online at http://thepretender-amarcienoelnovel.blogspot.ca/.  


Jacqui Burke
talk/text: 647-292-0210
twitter: @jaybird01
skype: Jacquiburkecell, jacqui.burke
www.wordsnimages.com
www.jaybirdproductions.ca
www.shakespeareisboffo.ca
http://jacquiburke.blogspot.ca
http://thepretender-amarcienoelnovel.blogspot.ca/
http://jaybirdproductions.blogspot.ca/