Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2007 - 3:48 p.m.
Doing Something You Love
Operating a community theatre is hard work. Operating a community
theater back in production after a two year hiatus, trying to increase an
audience base, performer/director/volunteer base, trying to increase overall
resources all on a very limited budget is even harder work. You rely so
heavily on the goodness of others to give of themselves, their time, and even
the contents of their wallets that at times it seems like an uphill battle with
no success in sight. Word of mouth advertising, promotion and marketing,
mass emailing, posts on forums, all used to get the word out about your upcoming
productions, auditions and requests for financial assistance and
underwriting. Then there are those who are seemingly tireless volunteers
who at times seem to single-handedly keep the organization running. There
are issues related to keeping those who perform, direct, run tech and other
production duties happy. Are we a theater that is easy to work
with? Do we have adequate resources? Do we have a decent space
to rehearse and perform? Are board members easily accessible and
responsive to the needs of each and every production? Once someone works
with us, will they want to do so in the future? And in a nutshell, do we
suck? Today I am dealing with three major issues: coordination of
our first annual variety show and silent auction fund raiser, a four page letter of
constructive criticisms from the director of our most recent production (most of
the issues he raised are just a matter of us being "reborn" as it were
and are organizational in nature and symptomatic of getting our theater back on
its feet after two years), and the resignation of an extremely valuable board
member. As the president of the board I am responsible for administrative and
organizational aspects of our venture, which includes dealing with PR and image
concerns. Its allot of work, its difficult work, it can be very stressful
at times, but in the end, it is very rewarding. I take my duties very
seriously as the image of UpStage Theatre in the Houston theater community is
extremely important to me. Are we the "best funded" theater in
the city? Certainly not. Are we the most organized and efficiently
run theater in the city? Of course not. We don't even have our own
building and must rent a shared space with another performing group. Nor do we
have that same space to rehearse in. But what we DO offer is inclusiveness
and open arms to all in the Houston theater community, a wonderful space to
perform in, a sincere desire that all who work with us will want to again in the
future, and a burning passion to perform and ensure that any experience with
UpStage is positive and enjoyable for all involved, from the actors to the
audience. We pride ourselves on being audience and patron
accessible. We are even known to let those who are unable to pay come on
in to see the show. All WE ask is that you either pay us later, make a
donation, or volunteer. We want everyone who walks in our doors, to walk
back out with a smile on their face and the intention of returning. Song Virus du Jour: Guaranteed to put a smile on your face, I present to you
"Manamana" as performed by The Muppets on the first episode of
"The Muppet Show." Useless Trivia du
Jour: Today is my wedding anniversary and I have been
married for nine sometimes so, and sometimes not so wonderful years. But I
love my husband utterly, and they have gone by very quickly. I
remember when I got married thinking that I couldn't wait for my tenth
anniversary so we could have a vow renewal ceremony, and I still feel that
way. Interesting to note, Tarik and I met when we were 18-19 (20 years
ago). We are now both 38 and have known each other more than half of our
lives.
More updates on another blog home. - Wednesday, Feb. 06, 2008
Where are my zzzzzz's? - Thursday, Nov. 08, 2007
Halloween '07 - Friday, Nov. 02, 2007
Hallween is All Good! - Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2007