VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

Don G. · King's Row Joined: 11 Nov 2004 Posts: 1071 Location: MA

I know that several of the folks here do stage work, so I figured I'd get some honest answers here to a question I've been curious about.

When you're doing a play/musical/improv or whatever, does your effort or performance level change depending on the day of week or size of audience? If you have performances Thurs-Sun, is the Saturday evening performance to a full house likely to be any better than the Thursday evening performance to a not-quite-packed audience? I know it shouldn't necessarily be, but we are all human, and I wonder if there's an element of "saving up" one's A-game for a bigger crowd.

Just curious, as I'm going to a show tonight and I'd hate to think I'm getting less for my money than if I went Saturday night. Smile

Bish · Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 6:44 am Post subject:

For the last ten years we've been walking the boy through the start of an acting career, so my observations are a little vicarious rather than from personal stage experience. Although now concentrating on screen work, his stage career started in professional musical theater. One recurring theme was the quality of the audience having an effect on the quality of the performance. Live theater is a two-way street and a receptive/enthusiastic Wednesday half-house could enthuse the cast more than a full, but lackluster, Saturday night crowd.

The only time I ever heard any comment regarding raising a specific performance was when the buzz went around that there were agents or the like out there beyond the footlights Money Mouth

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Bruce · Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 7:29 am Post subject:

I don't think Deirdre has enough disc space on the site for me to give you my full answer, annotated with a few hundred personal experiences, but in short, yes, every audience, every night is different and so are the actors and their performances. I produced 40 plays in my own theater and I've been in about that many myself including one that ran for two whole years, and every one of those performances was different and it was usually hard to predict how the audience would react. It's a different chemistry every time. That's what makes the business so thrilling/challenging/heartening/frightening/soul fulfilling/horrible/delightful......well you get the idea.

If the play is well written, the director was insightful, and the actors are competent and comfortable in their roles, you're likely to have a very good time no matter what night. Go prepared to enjoy yourself.

I will say one thing audiences can do to enjoy a play more when there's a small audience, especially with a comedy, is to sit together in a group and not scattered about the theater. You'll all laugh a lot more when you have neighbors than when you're alone.

B
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I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

imaginator · Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 9:07 am Post subject:

it comes right down to how professional the actors and their director are.

a really "pro" group will give the same effort regardless. i've been in several productions where the pre-show pep talk reminded us that the people in the audience were probably there for the one/and/only performance they'd see, and they deserved the same effort we had given opening night. sometimes it took a little more adrenaline, but we'd do it.

there are always exceptions. i trust your experience won't be one of them.
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Deirdre · Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 9:22 am Post subject:

The people in those seats are there to see the show, so we give them that show!

There will be times, as those above have said, where the audience does indeed become that other cast member,
and sometimes,
once in a splendid while,
you get to experience the real magic where the ensemble becomes greater than the sum of its parts.
That is one of THE most transcendent experiences on earth— it's the cocaine of theater.

There is no excuse for anything less than excellence on any night. You never know when the muse will visit.
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TQuinn

Hi Don-

I'm just wrapping up a repertory run of HENRY V and RICHARD II here in DC. You asked:

samowry · Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 11:29 am Post subject:

Good points. Say hello to my friend Louis Lotorto. He was out here in Portland an age ago. That double bill sounds like an amazing experience.

Nice website for you by the way.
Sam Mowry

TQuinn · Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 2:34 pm Post subject:

Sam-

I'm in scenes with Louis. What a wonderful actor and a phenomenally nice guy. Also, from Portland and Ashland you may know Dan Kremer, Larry Paulsen, Derrick Wheeden, and Robin Rodriguez, too. They all made the trip to DC for the shows.

Final push. 1 HENRY tonight, 2 HENRYs tomorrow, and a HENRY and a RICHARD on Saturday . . . then we close.

I'll post some of the production stills on my webpage after I wake up.

Thank you for taking a look at the page.

Tony

Don G. · King's Row Joined: 11 Nov 2004 Posts: 1071 Location: MA

Thank you all for your enlightening responses. As it happens, my schedule didn't allow me to go tonight. But the info pretty much aligns with what I expected.

My daughter (22) and I went to see RENT just a week ago at the somewhat local professional theater. I'll qualify any comments by saying that we saw it in Providence last year and she actually got to see it in Boston when Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal joined for the special tour, so she's been spoiled. That said, I have a great appreciation for anyone who can sing (and act) professionally, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a very talented company, and the theater itself is mall enough that there really isn't a bad seat in the house. We were in the fourth row smack in the middle, and while the sound mix could have been a little better, the performances were very good; enough so that I was planning on going again tonight, albeit alone.

To make things even better, they're doing the rush seating a half hour before the show, so I could have been enjoying it for a whopping $16! Good thing I still have 10,080 minutes to catch it before it wraps on the 18th. Wink

JBarrett · Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 8:12 pm Post subject:

Thanks for all the comments that have been shared in this thread. I wish I had something to contribute besides echoes of previous comments. It's been about fifteen years since I was last on a stage, and I can't tell you how much I miss it. One of these days...
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Chrissy · Guest

I always try and do my best no matter what night, size of audience, or who's out there. I ask that people don't tell me the size of the audience or who's out there. Once I start preparing for the performance I make that my total focus. I spend my time clearing out which means getting rid of all that has happened prior to coming to the theater, warming up, and getting in character.

You can equate it to doing a VO job. Are you going to put less into a $100 job than a $500 job?

Bruce · Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 6:50 am Post subject:

Admittedly, if you're going to see a truly amateur production, you may have a better time if you lower your expectations a bit and then allow yourself to be blown away when the cast and crew exceed them. It's much like watching minor-minor league or little league baseball. Hey, they're really trying out there and lots of folks have a good time watching.

B
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VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

craigcrumpton

Coming in after the fact, but since I'm already typing...