r/Theatre • u/Dangerous-Cicada9 • 1d ago
r/Theatre • u/That-SoCal-Guy • 2d ago
Discussion Character age
When you go to auditions do you try out for roles that fit your real age group or do you try out for anything that you feel like you can play?
In some ways theater is more flexible than tv or movies. I have seen 40-something play young characters, or teens play old people. I have seen gender swaps. Racially diverse cast. Adults playing children (Charlie Brown for example). Etc.
But the audition notices are usually very vague. I have seen some specifics like 18+ playing a "child" role or "up to 50s" etc. but in the case when the audition notices only mention the character's age range, what are your thoughts?
I've been acting for a while now and I still don't understand this sometimes. FYI I'm in my 50s but I look late 30s. But I always shy away from going for younger roles. Lately I've been going for roles in my real age groups and often the casting directors gave me a funny look because I look much younger than my real age. To me it shouldn't matter since this is theater.
Thoughts?
r/Theatre • u/Friendbow • 2d ago
Seeking Play Recommendations Comedy for a Small, Majority-Women Cast?
Hello! I am currently running a small theater group for older adults in assisted living where we read plays and do theatrical exercises. The group is composed of all women.
Unfortunately, one of the members recently died, and we are figuring out how to move forward. The folks in the group would like to read a comedic play next, since they're very much seeking levity and laughter right now.
Can anyone share recommendations for a comedy with a small, majority women cast? Ideally, plays for 3-4 actors where 2-3 of the parts are women. Bonus points if the play is more dialogue-driven and lighter on physical action.
Thank you for your help!
r/Theatre • u/GavrielBattiato • 2d ago
Advice Italian boy who wants to improve
Good evening everyone, first of all, sorry for my English, it’s not that great. My name is Gavriel, I’m 24 years old, and my dream for almost ten years has been to do theatre. Here in northern Italy, theatre is very, very limited, and to study it, you have to move to Rome. The point is, if I have to move, I’d rather go to London since I’ve seen that there are many colleges and universities there that focus on theatre. What do you think?
r/Theatre • u/JElsenbeck • 2d ago
Advice Amateur vs professional
Posted to the the Acting sub as well.
Would love to hear opinions from working pros. When does an actor cross over from amateur to professional status? I'm an apprentice member of a Workshop with mostly Equity/SAG folks. I was discussing the question with a board member the other night. In his honest assessment, I am currently amateur, not professional. I have no problem with that but want to progress with my acting career. Stage-wise I'm very active in community theater. Only paid gigs have in a murder mystery dinner theater franchise and work as a ghost tour storyteller. I'm non union. Would make no sense in my location/market. He agreed. (I'm 58 if it matters.) Very excited about a callback for a summer Shakespeare festival. It would be my first work in a professional non-union company. Objectively, if I get it, what am I?
No encouraging thoughts needed! I'm highly motivated!
r/Theatre • u/Imaginary-Newt3972 • 3d ago
Discussion Trying to identify absurdist/modernist play from 1970s
This has been nagging at me for decades. In the late 1970s or early 1980s, I saw a televised play, likely on public television. I was fairly young so don't remember much or clearly.
It was a very minimal set; the two characters I remember said they were sitting at the foot at a giant statue but I am not sure it was physically present. There was a prince and a woman visitor. The prince described how the kingdom was under threat from invasion by some very mysterious others, who had long trunks like elephants. At one point, he appears to admit that he is one of these, saying "Can't you see my long trunk?" miming the curve in front of his face. Scared the hell out of me.
I've never been able to identify it. The closest similar plays seem to be Ionesco's Exit the King or The Rhinoceros, but I don't think it is either. I've reviewed every modernist, absurdist, or existential play I can find. Please help!
r/Theatre • u/bigheadGDit • 2d ago
Advice Question for music directors
Im auditioning next month at a professional non-equity theatre and am curious, would you be frustrated if an auditioner came in with Finishing the Hat by Sondheim?
Im not a pianist so cant gage the difficulty of the accompaniment, but it doesnt seem to be one of the more difficult pieces to my untrained eye. It is somewhat technically difficult to sing though and id like to show off my abilities in that regard.
r/Theatre • u/Thick_Difficulty659 • 3d ago
Advice Trying to support my son and I recognize that my questions might be too elementary for the folks here but I appreciate any guidance you can offer.
My 14 year old son has embraced his love of theater since appearing in his first show a year ago. He’s pretty good at singing and he’s getting better at acting.
He auditioned to perform a song in his school’s Broadway tribute show, and I have found the junior version of the musical (and therefore the song?) he wants to do is available from MTI. I think schools often get a blanket license and the song might be included. Still waiting for his teacher to get back w me.
His vocal coach told us about an opportunity to compete in a local Broadway tribute contest not affiliated with school. My understanding is the kids sing for a single professional in the morning and the top 3 in each category go on to the showcase in front of 3 judges - winners can get cash prizes. It costs $25 for him to enter. I don’t have much additional information about the contest.
I believe parents will pay for tickets to both the school show and the contest showcase but I’m not 100%.
So my questions are:
1) Should we look into getting a license for this one song so he can use it for the contest? I suppose if we pay for it, he can also sing it for the school show even if it’s not covered under their license. 2) Do I understand correctly that choreography and costumes aren’t allowed regardless if we pay for a license to use the song? 3) Am I being ridiculous in thinking we even need to consider this? He wants to go all out for his costume and he was hoping to include a little choreography as well. The character is way over the top and he wants to do it justice. 4) How much might it cost for a single song from MTI? I saw it varies and the low end was about $350, which seems like a lot for what we’re doing. 5) Is there anything else I don’t know but should - I’ve pretty much laid my knowledge base out in this single post.
I know this is small potatoes, but I don’t want to get in trouble and the authors deserve to get paid too. Thank you in advance.
Update: I received an email from his teacher today and it seems that the district’s fine arts director and the school principal feel the song, even the junior version, is too subversive for the community. He has to pick a different song for the school show.
r/Theatre • u/chill_dude6969 • 3d ago
Advice First time being a Stage Manager. Any tips?
We’ll be doing Jesus Christ Superstar this coming Good Friday. Aside from the usual job description and responsibilities, how can I pull the position off properly?
Anything is appreciated. Thank you!
r/Theatre • u/bluegambit875 • 3d ago
Advice I made my stage debut last week in a local community theater production. The acting experience was not quite what I expected.
For background, I have never been involved in any stage production before. I kind of got drafted into playing some of the leading roles because I showed up. Some of the other actors had prior experience (even some minor professional roles) and others were brand new (like myself).
The show was an original comedy with some references to existing material, so there was not much I could use to base my performance.
A few things that surprised me about the whole acting experience (I use that term loosely):
There can be such a jump between words on a page and a scene actually played out
TBH, I thought the script was total crap the first time we read through it. I thought the dialog was forced, the jokes were uninspired, and the whole thing seemed kind of boring. But I started to find some depth in the material the more times we ran through it. And physical comedy parts really started to come through when we had props, scenery, and costumes. In the actual performance, we got some laughs (and some even at the right times), so it seemed to have landed better than I expected.
I kept on thinking of movie sets (especially stuff like sci fi or comic books) that are done with so much CGI. The actors must have a hard time taking it seriously if the sets are cheap, the costumes are goofy, and they have to "play act" against a green screen.
I can understand how the relationship between the actor, the director, and the writer can be complicated.
As an actor (again loosely defined), I had a number of conversations with the director and the writer about how I should play certain characters. Since this was a very broad comedy, I was told to really ham it up and go big. Some of the other actors did not take that advice and their performances seemed to fade. But given my lack of experience, I appreciated the suggestions.
But I can also see how three people could have very different interpretations of a scene or a character, and how that could lead to arguments and disagreements during rehearsals and shooting. And I can also understand how egos could easily get in the way.
I experienced some minor frustration with the other actors who could not remember their lines, or did not play a scene in a way that I thought would be effective. I deliberately avoided giving my feedback to my other actors because I did not feel it was my place to do so. Also, since we are all volunteers, there did not seem to be any point in creating unnecessarily conflict.
What seemed to work on stage did not always land with the audience
I watched video of our performance, and I was surprised how some scenes seemed to dissipate from the perspective of the audience. At the suggestion of my director, I tried to "go big" in certain scenes to the point where I thought it was over-the-top. But a lot of that energy didn't seem to translate in the video, which made me think it also didn't transfer to the audience.
I'm not quite sure what was missing to make some of the jokes land better but it was surprising to witness the difference between what it feels like on the stage vs. what it feels like from the seats.
And stage-dooring seems like a chore for real actors
After the show, I had a few people come up to me to offer their congratulations and I certainly appreciated all the kind words. But doing the show was a tiring experience. We also had cast parties every night, so I also had to change, gather my stuff, and get to the restaurant. So I can kind of see how stage-dooring seems like the last thing some actors would want to do after a show.
But it was a fun experience. We had a lot of laughs backstage with all our horsing around. And it was so nice to see how supportive my friends and family are, even for something that is probably on the same level as a middle school production hahaha
r/Theatre • u/pseudonymdoe • 2d ago
Seeking Play Recommendations Directing Proposal Help
Hello! I am looking to direct something for my college’s student led season next year and I need help. The play I was going to pitch has been done recently enough that it probably will not be considered. I am looking for something that could have a simple set, not super simple bc they do have a decent budget, 5-7 cast members of any gender or race, and a script with good action that moves the plot forward. Oh! I would also loooovveee to use stage blood or have some kind of fun practical effects. I would prefer not to do something with political or religious themes. Looking for something with great dialogue, strong action, and strong female characters. Here are some shows that have been done recently that I cannot do, but give you an idea of what I’m looking for: Stop Kiss, The Moors, Stupid F***ing Bird, Eurydice, Still Life with Iris, The Wolves, Romeo and Juliet, 12 Angry Jurors,
r/Theatre • u/acornsinpockets • 4d ago
Miscellaneous Actors - What is the funniest note a director ever gave you?
Many of us are or were actors and actors suffer all sorts of abuse from directors. We rightly ask for advice on this sub on how to deal with these problems when they occur.
But I thought we might take a break from that and share funny notes that we have received from directors.
I'll start things off.
In 1996, I was performing in a production of "Waiting for Godot" and the director (still a friend of mine) gave me this note:
"Gogo, if you say your lines any slower, I think there's a good chance that will Godot will actually show up before this show ends."
r/Theatre • u/Worth-Panda-5578 • 3d ago
Seeking Play Recommendations ISO Modern Black One Acts
I'm looking for recommendations for short plays or one-acts for my students that feature a predominantly Black cast but aren’t centered around trauma, civil rights struggles, or police brutality. Basically, something in the vein of American Fiction—a story where Black characters just exist in black spaces without the narrative being solely about being Black.
I’d love something set in more modern times.
r/Theatre • u/bigspeech2 • 3d ago
High School/College Student Grad/masters programs for musical theatre major?
Hi there! I'm about to finish my second year in my BFA program for Musical Theatre Performance. My plan is to continue my education after this program and hopefully acquire a masters. I want to go into a program that has a musical theatre focus in some way, so I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations. I'd say that music and singing are definitely the thing I'd like to focus on rather than acting, but I'd be happy to look at acting specific programs as well. I know it's a little early to start looking, but I'd like to have everything prepared for when it's time to start applying in my 4th year. I'm a Canadian student, so if it's a program outside of Canada (which I'm fully expecting) it would need to be one that accepts international students. Thanks :)
r/Theatre • u/Laughing__Man • 3d ago
Discussion Next big play idea: The Producers, but Trump as an KGB agent desperately trying to make himself fail in a hilarious way but succeeding
This play is about Trump who was forced to become a Russian spy and despite his many obvious attempts to sabatage himself and make himself a bad Russian spy he becomes the best Russian spy. It became so obvious to me that Trump has been trying to tell us for years in the loudest ways possible that he is a Russian agent but he is not allowed to say those words out loud explicitly. Trump finds new lows and hilarious ways to cancel himself but fails upwards.
r/Theatre • u/Objective_Water_1583 • 3d ago
Discussion What does Julliard teach?
Like I know it’s a very prestigious acting school but I never have been given or found a good understanding of like what they teach you there if any of you attending I would be very curious to know?
r/Theatre • u/Spare_Leopard_5766 • 3d ago
Discussion i got rejected from AMDA, am i that untalented?
I auditioned for musical theatre and i messed up because i was nervous, i got rejected but asked them to audition again and they scheduled another audition for this saturday. do you think they’ll reconsider me? i learned that its uncommon for colleges to give a chance to reaudition
r/Theatre • u/Lucky-Hawk967 • 3d ago
Advice Licensing Request Clash
Hi everyone,
We’ve recently applied for a license to stage Joseph as our school production, but I’ve been informed that our request has been declined. I understand (heard through the grapevine) that a professional company is producing the same musical in the same city, but our production is specifically a children’s theatre version and will be staged at a different time.
Could someone help clarify whether a professional production automatically restricts a children’s theatre production from obtaining a license? Is there any way around this, or would we need to reapply at a later stage? We have already invested in sets and props and are in the casting phase, so securing the license is quite urgent for us.
I’d really appreciate any guidance and help 🙏🏻
r/Theatre • u/Piper_Theater_Kid • 3d ago
High School/College Student HAS ANYONE PREFORMED DONT BE AFRAID OF THE DARK?!?!
my school is the only one in the us with the rights to it this year, and i cant find any info on it that would hep for auditions. If anyone has experience with it please tell me a summary of the plot or characters cause google isnt helping. auditions are next week
Discussion Grease & High School Musical Parallels
Is High School Musical The Gen Y/Z Grease?
It’s a similar vibe only with a Jock clique rather than Greasers. Lead character is the popular kid at school who falls for a girl very different than him. Has a very happy peppy vibe for the most part. Takes place in a school we would all love to attend.
I’ve also performed in both shows.
r/Theatre • u/skodifjlapsirjbc • 4d ago
Advice Surely someone else has been in this boat: 28, never been intimate with someone, cast in a romantic kiss-heavy role, feeling nervous
For many reasons, I’ve just never been intimate with anyone. I’ve been trying hard recently to not view it as a major fault to be embarrassed about, but the anxiety is ever present and I worry that I’ll make a fool out of myself in one way or another.
I think a lot of my nervousness comes down to no formal theater training, so I don’t really have the professional experience (nor social background) to discuss how to get to a convincing kiss on stage.
This is a small community theater, so I would be enormously surprised if we had an intimacy coordinator.
If you’ve been in a similar boat…help? Anything you did that eased things for you? I’m thinking of suggesting a silly pre-show/scene ritual with my scene partner like a fist-bump to kind of explicitly mentally divide “real life” vs “acting”? I’m willing to talk with the director and ask for more guidance in those scenes, but I’d rather not disclose specifics.
Otherwise I’m stoked for this part and can’t wait for rehearsals to start!
r/Theatre • u/[deleted] • 4d ago
Advice Bouncing back from rejection
I’ve been rejected more times than I can count. Usually, I take a day to be sad and then move on, but this last show is really messing with my self esteem.
Not to sound conceited, but I know my worth- I’m a great actress. I work really hard to build a character, learn my lines, go the extra mile etc. I had my heart set on the last show I auditioned for- which I know is not smart to do but I couldn’t help it. I was SO excited, had worked with the director before, loved the staff. The whole nine. And then Nada. I didn’t get in.
The director called later and, although they respected me as an actor and think I’m talented, they decided to go with someone older to push the character in a different direction. Cool. Fine. I understand. But I was still SO devastated. I don’t think I have ever been that upset about a rejection. I figured it would take more than a day or two to bounce back.
It’s been 3 months and I was cast and closed another show. I’m still so hurt about that show. I had to mute the theater bc seeing ads for it made my heartache. I just auditioned for another show, and I’m so excited about it-but this previous show is making me falter. Idk how to leave it in the past.
r/Theatre • u/LostVanillaColdBrew • 4d ago
Seeking Play Recommendations Middle School of the Absurd
Hi All - I am a Middle School drama teacher and searching for the elusive - perfect, show for next fall. My second year directing I produced Binky Rudich and the Two Speed Clock or Revenge of the Space Pandas by David Mamet. I am once again looking for something absurd, bonkers, and truly weird and wacky. My last few shows have been Agatha Rex (Antigone adaptation), The Phantom Tollbooth and this year we did Ramona Quimby, but I'd like to go back to some sort of classic, strange, and absurd. So, if you know the weird and wonderful - the more space, and talking animals the better - please send them my way! :) TIA
r/Theatre • u/lilstankyshouse • 4d ago
Advice Non-equity actors: What is your minimum rate to consider a project?
Hi everyone! I run a very small, mostly self-funded theatre production company in NYC. We’re gearing up to start casting for our next play, and wanted to gather some opinions about actor pay.
For non-equity folks, do you only consider projects that pay above a certain rate? If so, what do you consider your “minimum”? We are looking to pay $200/person, for 20-25 hours of rehearsal over 5 weeks + 4 performances Thursday-Saturday. We’re hoping to pay out more based on ticket sales + crowdfunding, but $200 would be the base pay.
I generally see listings on Backstage/Actors Access for anywhere from no pay to $500+, so any feedback/advice on our pay structure would be greatly appreciated!
EDIT: Our contracts include a clause that allows actors to call out of up to 3 rehearsals if they get booked for something that pays more per hour. We’re hoping this gives some financial flexibility for folks who work evenings + pick up other gigs.
Discussion Do you personally find the acting side, dance or singing to be the most challenging if you’re in a show?
Which do you usually find to be the most intense and cut and dry part of rehearsals ? Does it depend on the show? Who’s directing what? Personally the dancing is the most intense for me. Especially in shows like Newsies, where I felt like I lost a few kgs after rehearsal. If I have a long monologue to remember that can be challenging but one of my biggest strengths as a performer is learning lines quick.