The value of amateur shows
As an amateur stage manager and deputy stage manager I was very pleased to see the item in The Stage about amateur theatre (“Is ‘amateur’ a dirty word in theatre?” November 12, page 10).
Please bear in mind that amateur shows in professional theatres open to the public after one technical and one dress rehearsal. I have finished lighting plotting sessions an hour before the house opens, and often the first time I call second act lighting cues is in front of a paying audience.
Professional shows will typically be reviewed after a number of technical and dress rehearsals and a week or two of previews. Of course, we struggle to approach that level of slickness, but our ticket prices are substantially lower than those for professional productions.
Perhaps we should be judging shows on value for money for the audience, not on who is being paid.
Bob Cockshott
Ravensbourne Light Operatic Society
Email supplied
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