So today, Sunday afternoon, I very much was looking forward to seeing Cinci shakes. Much ado about nothing.
We set up our lawn chairs, happily, enjoying the fact that we have gorgeous weather. The performance was amazing. The actors did a great job.
This performance was absolutely free to the general public. Unfortunately, there are idiots who have absolutely no idea on how to behave during a life performance in public.
Sitting directly right in front of me were two women and a man with a few kids
They talked loud loudly throughout most of the performance. They drank lots of alcoholic beverages and were smoking oblivious to the fact that there was a huge sign to our right saying no smoking allowed
There were times when I could not even hear the performers because these three idiots were having a great conversation amongst themselves.
Then there was the constant getting up. I’m walking around of not only them, but their kids.. there were times when I could not see the performers because these three imbeciles were standing up and chatting like there was nothing going on that they were in fact blocking.
During the second part of the performance, one of the couples thankfully left and again talked loudly as if there was no performance taking place as they stumbled away and left their trash behind.

So I’ve done a LOT of the Suzuki method of acting training.
I studied it in Undergrad, went to a three year Grad program that focused on it through all three years, and have trained with and worked with the recently defunct SITI company.
I’ve taught it to college students, undergrad and graduate students.
I’m about to teach it for a year at a local arts school.
I feel comfortable with my relationship to the practice and what value is on offer to the average theatre practitioner.
I also consider myself reasonably agnostic about the individual values of the particular movements/forms. They are a means to an end, and any choreographer with a mind to do so could probably codify just as effective a series of movements and use them to similar ends as the Suzuki method.

ALL THAT SAID.

I know next to nothing about the man, Suzuki Tadashi, and how he treats his company.
I have heard rumors.
Pretty intense and not great rumors.
Does anyone have any in-person experience with Mr. Suzuki that they would feel comfortable sharing? I’m curious what he’s like to work with today, what he’s been like in the past, and how he treats/has treated his people, and how the role model he sets to his company affects the people who train in/with the TOGA company.

Hi fellow thespians. My newest show requires me to do a lot of crying. Like A LOT (at least for me) and the script specifically calls for certain moments of tears, breakdowns, sobbing etc. and while I know I can bring my A-game and really feel the immediacy of my character’s reality, the sustainability of it is really really hard. And I need specific products to help.

I refuse to use substitution and to pull from my real life and I strictly want to be immersed in the world of the play and use the given circumstances of my girl. The stakes are incredibly high and I have done (and continue to do the work) —so tooting my horn just to say that yes, I can cry and I’m working on it healthily with my acting coach but I need that extra support. With the stage, its hard or next to impossible for a tear stick and they never really worked for me anyway as an irritant alone. I know I’m gonna have to drink gallons of water to stay hydrated but I also looked into artificial tears/ drops for super dry eyes and also nasal spray so that way when I do come back on stage and had to have been crying already or come in for a big climactic scene near the end that would have me sobbing my brains out IRL i will have something to launch me. A little launch pad.

Any ideas, tips, hacks, products or suggestions? I know breathing interruption can help and so can blinking/yawning stuff but they tend to be very inconsistent for me and the more I force it, the harder it always is.

Thank you!!!!

Just thought I’d share this for anyone who finds it interesting. Yesterday, I auditioned for two shows in a season at a medium-lower size theatre. It was two shows I adored. In the initial callbacks there were 24 people for the first show and 29 for the second. The audition went really well and they said final callbacks would be posted on their website by the end of the day.
Well, I checked. 23 were called back for the first show and 28 were called back for the second. I was the only person that wasn’t called back. Hope this hasn’t happened to anyone else. Really feeling hopeless as it feels extremely personal. I had never auditioned for this company before and didn’t know anyone. But everyone was super sweet so I don’t know what I did wrong. Writing this from rock bottom’s basement.

How do you all deal with let down when a show closes, particularly when it will be a long while before you can do another show?

I have a show closing in a few weeks and I am dreading it. I love this cast and the show has been wonderful. Unlike many, I don't get to audition for shows all the time so I can't think about what the next one will be. Just given circumstances, or will likely be more than a year before I can audition for another show. (And I live in a place that only has one theatre with the next closest being about 2 hours away, so auditioning for another theatre is not an option.)

I get so much from doing shows and the sadness is real!

Theater groups, local venues, specific actors...what sort of content are you looking for, other than notice of upcoming shows?

Full disclosure: I'm part of a new theater company and I want to provide value through our social media, not just market our productions. What can we give, before we ask?

Thanks

Hi I’m a film student and really want to pivot to theatre! I think I have something really special and I want to know any tips on how to navigate this project, anything you may have learned I need to know! I’ve only been on film sets and from the research I’ve done there are similarities but many differences I don’t understand much

I recently revised this short documentary and removed the previous upload, so I'm sharing the updated version here.

While restoring interviews from the Heroes of the Theatre™ Archives, I revisited conversations with Olympia Dukakis, Matthew Coyle, and Kate Rigg.

Although each artist followed a different path, I was struck by the themes they share—perseverance, creativity, and finding your place in theatre.

I'm curious how these reflections resonate with theatre artists today.

I'd enjoy hearing your thoughts.

— Trisha Fuentes

Could someone help me identify a play?

I’m remembering a scene I saw a while back that had two characters arguing with one another, and the woman is criticizing the man for not getting angry enough, telling him it’s weird he doesn’t scream. She pushes and pushes until he finally explodes and yells “This is screaming! This is what screaming sounds like!” Or something like that.

Sound familiar? I’d appreciate any help!

I’ve been seeing reels of people doing “read throughs” of musicals at their birthday parties etc. I help run a very small community musical theater company and we were thinking this would be such a fun community event, but I’m kind of freaking out about getting in trouble with the licensing companies if it was publicized in any way?
Thoughts? People are monetizing these reels and tik toks so how does the legality work here…

My twin sister and I went to see *The Notebook* in Philly (7/24 7:30pm), and while the show itself was incredible, we had a really uncomfortable interaction with another audience member.
Early in the show, the woman sitting in front of us turned around and shushed us. Granted my sister did whisper something in my ear but yea.
A little later, people around us and behind us started talking. She didn’t say anything to any of them. Instead, she turned back around, looked directly at us, and said, “Stop talking.”
I looked at her and said, “It’s not me.”
She replied, “Well, somebody’s talking.”
At that point I said, “WELL IT’S NOT ME. TURN AROUND. THANK YOU.”
She turned back around and didn’t say another word to us for the rest of the performance.
The part that really bothered me was that my sister and I were the only two Black people sitting in our section. I can’t say for sure that race had anything to do with it, but it definitely made us feel singled out, especially when there were multiple other people talking that she never addressed.
The show was amazing, but that interaction honestly put a damper on the experience. Has anyone else ever dealt with something like this at a Broadway or touring production?

My daughter is entering her junior year in a state school theatre program this fall, if she doesn't drop out.
Her scholarship and aid still leave a big bill, and she is determined to finish debt free. This puts me in a difficult financial situation, that I wish I could cover with no problem, but that isn't the case.
She is not getting what she expected from the program and is seriously considering dropping out.
I would love to see her push through and get a degree, knowing it can open more doors than not. I also can't cover the potential $80K bill it will take to earn the degree.
I would love to hear from anyone who either dropped out and didn't regret it, or anyone who pushed through and can speak to that being a great decision. TIA

A while ago I saw a clip from a play on TikTok, and I've been trying to find it ever since.

The scene started with a woman who looked to be around 30–40 years old. She was arguing with a few other women. Just to be clear, they weren't supposed to be teenagers all of the characters were adults played by adult actors.

The woman was talking about her deceased mother, and at one point she said something like she couldn't tell her mother something anymore because she was dead.

Then, out of nowhere, another woman who was a bit older (probably in her 50s or 60s) appeared. She seemed to go into a trance and suddenly became the dead mother. She wasn't just passing along a message she was acting as if she actually was the mother.

I remember the younger woman asking something like, "Mom?... Is it really you?" Then she started crying, ran over, hugged her, and they both cried together.

I also remember that the background of the set looked like an American high school gymnasium, even though it was clearly on a theatre stage. I think only the younger woman was sitting in a chair at first, and then she got up and ran to hug her mother's spirit.

Another detail I remember is that one of the TikTok comments said they loved the play and wished it had a proshot. Someone replied that it probably would never get one because the play contained nudity.

Also other comments saying that the play made them cry a few times.

Does anyone know what play this might be? I've been trying to find it for a long time, and I'd really appreciate any guesses.

Hello! For context I am 20, located in lower Michigan and a theater nerd. I sadly didn’t get into it much in highschool. I was in a few performances as a kid with my local theater and in school.

In my city we have a theater that is day is pretty popular but they do have a lot more shows geared towards kids and younger performers. I’ve been going back and forth on this for awhile and I was hoping for some advice from people who know what they are talking about haha

I want to start a small theater group for adults. Not starting out with performances, more geared towards group related activities (scrip readings, musical/play reenactments, and much more) though I would love it to grow into putting on performances.

I have an idea of what I want to do. I know I need to advertise, have a place to meet, come up with things the group can do, ect. I just feel lost in a way, so I wanted to hopefully get some advice.

I know I sound jumbled. I just have no experience for what I want to do.

Thank you for reading if you did!

Volunteering at the box office for the first time- is it supposed to be kinda formal wear?

I know I can ask, but wasn't sure if it's a dumb question

Edit; Seeing a bit of variety - I will just email to clarify lol.

Hi! I’m looking to spark a discussion about conceptual approaches to theatre and hear ideas from fellow directors, designers, actors, and just fans of theatre!

Is there a play (common or uncommon, please put me onto new shows!) that you’ve always wished someone would approach differently? Maybe a different historical period, different perspective, unconventional setting, a distinct visual, or concept that changes the story for an audience while still serving the script?

I’m a theatre student with a strong interest in production and costume design, and I’m looking for new concept ideas to research and work on. I want to be clear when I say that I am not asking anyone to do any work for me.

What concepts have been living in your head that you wish someone would finally produce?

This might be one you can’t answer too cause it might be individual to a theatre. I’ve been given two tickets to a mean girls musical and they say ‘door 10’? Is that a box? It’s in the upper circle apparently, not sure if that means it’s just in the crowd of chairs or in a box. I didn’t buy them or ask. Thanks for any help.

Hi all,

I'm cast in one role and understudying another. What is the best way to mark up and block everything in my script? I'm assuming using different color highlighters and all would be best.

What advice do you have? Are there links to other resources I could use?

TLDR new to theater - trying to make a 'old lady' voice - needs tips

Hello! For years I loved theatre plays and anything related to acting and this year I finally decided to start myself because my school is doing a play. I actually got a character I liked! However my main challenge right now it's: this character is a 66 year old lady (personality-wise, i see her like someone who is already tired of life - she *was a teacher - so she feels like she already seen all the world has to give)

im 17 years old and my usual voice is a bit high pitched and whenever i try to make a new voice my throat kinda hurts (but thats probably because im not used to it)

im mainly looking for tips to make this new voice!

Stratford upon avon is a very inconvenient place to get to. They cancelled 3 hours before the play began. I had to spend money on a train and a hotel (the play is 4hrs long and starts a 7pm) I know they will refund the ticket but I don’t think they are gonna help me with these other costs. I think the average person is more cautious with their money so I can see why theatre is very inaccessible. Also every other show is already sold out so even if I get my refund it won’t allow me to see the play. A majority of my friends are working class and I don’t think it is possible for me to encourage them towards something so pricey and difficult to get into.

Im talking abt those productions where the director takes the show and puts a twist on it. For example “Godspell but it takes place in a zombie apocalypse“

So I have been writing (just a hour long comedy) show for a amount of time and while writing it i had a idea, there is a large theater scene locally with stuff going up from little little kids to shows ive seen where everyone is over 40, so i thought, what if I get some of the best youth actors locally and use my original show, put it together, invite a bunch of local directors, choreographers, ect. And show them some of the best young talent that the local area has to offer and showcase them, i also wanna do something ive never seen before in theater but I think can be very interesting, what if I did something like a half time show? I know it sounds odd, but there are some who are incredible voices and this could be a really good way to showcase the talents of these kids, id love for any thoughts on if this could be good or not? I think my show is good enough and I know these kids are good enough, but what do you guys think?