School theatre- At a school theatre directors will be a lot looser with the general age of a character. This being on account of the fact that all of the cast will be about the same age. Appearances must and will be altered so don’t worry too much if you don’t look a whole lot like the character you’re auditioning for.

Community theatre- At a community theatre the age of a character will have an impact on whether or not you get the role. A community theatre would never cast, say a twelve year old, for a grown man/woman whereas this would be completely acceptable at a school theatre.

2. Familiarity between cast members.

School theatre- If you’re doing a play at a school theatre chances are you already know everybody, even if it’s just by sight. You’ve seen them often and have a general idea of what to expect from everybody. You probably even know the director as one of your teachers.

Community theatre- At a community theatre there’s a lot less familiarity between cast members. After you’ve been doing it for awhile everyone starts to look familiar, but there’s still the awkwardness that’s bound to happen when you have adults working alongside elementary students. When going into an audition, you also won’t have any idea how the director is going to run it so this can put you into unease if you aren’t confident.

3. The plays they put on.

School theatre- Naturally a school theatre will have plays chosen that are specifically for a certain age range, and the plays they  choose will almost certainly be perfectly appropriate. Especially if you’re working at a middle school or even elementary school they’ll probably put on a popular play that’s familiar to almost everyone.

Community theatre- Community theatres are for adults to enjoy as well as children, so not all the plays they put on will necessarily fit your age range. Chances are sometimes they’ll do a play with only an adult cast, or a play with Old English. Just be prepared for anything, and make sure to look into the play before showing up for auditions.

Those are the top three differences between school and community theatre, if there’s anything you’d like to add definitely leave a comment!

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1. Don’t say “Macbeth”

This is probably the most famous superstition you’ve heard. If you say it during show time, or even a rehearsal, you have to go outside and spin around 3 times to reverse the curse.

Now what is the story behind this superstition and why is everyone so stuck to it?

Well, Macbeth is a scottish, Shakespearian play written in the 1600s. The play is full of spells and curses that will leave you shooketh – so it’s no surprise someone spread the idea that the Scottish Play itself is cursed.

And so the superstition among actors and actresses was born.

2. “Good luck” is bad luck

Of course, you don’t even have to be performing for very long to know about this. Usually we hear the terms “Break a leg!” and “Merde!” and say “thank you!” without giving it another thought.

But have you ever stopped and wondered why it’s so bad to say “good luck?”

Well, according to the original theory (which highlights discouraging evil spirits away so they don’t interfere with the performance), saying “good luck” is the equivalent to invoking the evil eye.

As theatrical people are one of the most superstitous groups in the world, we can’t help but abide by this rule.

3. Never say the last line

If you ever say the final line of the show before it even opens, you may be giving the cast bad luck. There’s really no history or evidence of this superstition, but it has been around for a while. This isn’t a very well-known superstition but it’s always nice to be cautious, right?

4. No broken mirrors!

It is said that breaking a mirror onstage during a performance will cause misfortune for both the theatre and the people in the show for the next 7 years. This superstition is derived from the original “broken mirrors equals seven years of bad luck.” No one knows who came up with it or where it even came from, but we believe it anyway!

5. You better bring flowers

Another superstition theatre peeps believe is that getting flowers before the curtain call of the performance will cause a very terrible show. With that said, we shall not be accepting flowers before the show. Got it?

There it is. Those are only SOME of the superstitions that theatre geeks hear constantly. Thanks for reading and break a leg!

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To help you out, here is our advice for community theatre first-timers:

Auditions

1. Avoid picking a song from the show for which you are auditioning. Choose something that showcases your vocals and acting ability.

2. Come prepared with everything they’ve asked for and more. Having a second song ready can be helpful, just in case.

3. Wear something that makes you feel comfortable and confident. It will help steady your nerves.

4. If there is a dance audition, make sure you have proper attire and don’t hide in the back. They can’t cast you if they can’t see you.

5. Don’t let the talent of the other auditionees psyche you out. You never know what the creative team is looking for, and it might be something you have!

Rehearsals

1 Show up on time. This cannot be stressed enough. You are a part of a team. Being late without an exceptional reason gives the impression you feel your time is more valuable than others’.

2. If you are sick or can’t make it, be sure to contact your director. They don’t need to waste rehearsal time tracking you down. If you are an integral part of that session’s rehearsal, they might use the advance notice to alter the rehearsal and work on something else instead.

3. When you miss a rehearsal, take the initiative to find out what you missed and get caught up before the next rehearsal.

4. Always have a pencil on hand. You will need to jot down stage directions and notes as they happen. Don’t leave it until the end of rehearsal, or you may forget things. The creative team will be annoyed if they have to tell you a second time.

5. Whether you’re playing the leading role or a mute tree, give it 100 percent. Every person who is part of the show is integral to the finished product. If you want to earn larger roles, show the creative team you can handle more by being the best at whatever you’re given and doing it with a smile.

6. There will be regulars and already established friend groups. Don’t let it intimidate you. If it does, find other newbies in the cast and start there. Then, get to know everyone as you work on scenes together. Just being friendly and saying hello goes a long way.

7. Another way to bond with members of the production and get involved is to help out with backstage tasks when you have downtime. Making props, helping build or strike the set, marking up the floor or even just tidying up the stage or rehearsal space are all good options.

8. Every production has drama going on backstage and onstage. Try to stay out of it. If you find yourself involved, diffuse the situation to the best of your ability. Keeping the group as cohesive as possible will ensure the best performance onstage.

9. In some companies or groups, you will be required to provide your costumes. Establish that as early as you can and start hunting for those perfect pieces. Don’t leave it to the last minute, or you may end up disappointed.

10. If you are responsible for getting your own costumes, be sure the director approves of all your choices. Don’t wait for them to see the costumes onstage during dress rehearsal. If they tell you what you chose isn’t going to work, you’ll be left scrambling at the last minute.

11. You will be expected to practice and review on your time. Showing up to a rehearsal unprepared is unfair to your fellow castmates and the creative team. Block out a small pocket of time a few times a week to go over what you’ve learned.

12. Ask questions if you are confused or need something repeated. Don’t be embarrassed — someone else may have the same question and is also afraid to speak up. Giving a poor performance will be far more embarrassing, so get clarification if you need it.

13. If you have a conflict, speak to that person directly, if you can, or take it to the director. Avoid spreading gossip at all costs. The worst thing you can do is talk to someone else in the cast. The more people involved, the bigger the problem gets.

14. Don’t take constructive criticism of your performance personally. A lot of first-timers will get upset if the director or choreographer corrects them or asks them to change what they’re doing. They are just trying to make the show the best it can be, and their approach may not be the same as yours. Keep your chin up, listen to what they are saying and take everything in stride.

15. Make sure you warm up before every rehearsal. There may not always be time to warm up as a group, so leave yourself a few moments to stretch your limbs and vocal chords.

16. Keep the diva moments to a minimum. Respectfully voicing your ideas to members of the creative time is fine, but it’s ultimately up to them to decide how the show is put on.

17. It is good to try new things and grow as an artist, but if you are really uncomfortable with something, speak to the director about it. Most are very accommodating and will do their best to rework it.

18. Be patient. There will be a fair bit of standing around and waiting for others. Keeping a positive attitude will help maintain a pleasant and creative environment.

Tech Week

1. Tech week is grueling. Go into it with that in mind, and you will avoid an unpleasant surprise.

2. Be patient. There are a lot of elements at play, and everyone is tired and on edge. Emotions run very high during this period, and a little bit of patience can go a long way toward avoiding a major incident.

3. Stay positive. Tech week rehearsals are notorious for having everything go wrong that can, but 99 percent of the time, it all turns out okay in the end.

4. Stay focused. There will be a lot going on, and this is when injuries can happen. Adding set pieces, costumes, props, lighting and sound can cause a lot of confusion. There will be people everywhere. Be aware of your surroundings, and don’t get distracted by what others are doing.

5. Do everything you can to stay healthy. The stress, rehearsals and physical demands will take their toll on you. Be preventative by doing things that keep you relaxed, drinking lots of water, resting when you can, taking vitamins and staying warm.

6. Do not schedule anything social during this week. You will not make it to that. Tech week is very demanding, and adding commitments will just add to your stress.

7. Keep your area of the dressing room as neat and organized as you can. Quick changes are a recipe for lost items, so try to have designated places for your things. A storage container for makeup and hair items, a bag for shoes, a bag for laundry, your own hangers and clothing bag for costumes and a general bag or suitcase to store it all in can be beneficial.

8. Make sure you label all your things with your name or initials. That way, if they are misplaced, you’re more likely to recover them.

9. Bring your own small mirror. There are never enough mirrors for everyone, and you’ll need one.

10. Always have water on hand. It gets extremely warm onstage and in dressing rooms, and the last thing you want is to pass out or get sick from dehydration.

11. If you can, do as much preparation at home before you go to the theatre. It will help you stay relaxed among the backstage frenzy.

Performance

1. Invite your friends and family as soon as you know the date of the show. Booking people ahead of time will ensure you have some friendly faces in the crowd to give you that extra energy during the performance.

2. Promote your show as much as you can. Tell everyone you know and advertise it on your social media. The more people there are in seats, the better it is for the group.

3. If something goes wrong or you mess up, don’t let it break your focus. Treat it like it was intentional and keep going. It’s unlikely the audience will even realize or remember.

4. Give every performance as much energy as opening night. Most people in the crowd will be seeing the show for the first time and deserve the best performance possible.

5. Keep track of your cues. It’s easy to get distracted backstage, and there’s nothing worse than an angry stage manager tracking you down.

6. Treat your backstage crew with respect. They are the unsung heroes of every show, work just as hard as the cast onstage and are often unrecognized for their contributions. Be sure to thank them when you see them around.

7. Don’t eat in your costume. If your stage manager finds out, you’ll live to regret it.

8. Use the bathroom before the show starts and at intermission. It sounds silly, but it can mess up your focus if you need to go. Plus, trying to go to the restroom with your costume on can be really tough.

9. Nerves are completely normal and expected. Try to channel that energy into each performance. Keep yourself from freaking out by taking everything one step at a time, one scene at a time. Breaking it down into smaller chunks will make it less frightening and more manageable.

10. Don’t freak out if the audience doesn’t laugh or react when they are expected to. Some audiences are more reactive than others. It doesn’t mean they didn’t find it funny or enjoyable — they might just be more reserved theatergoers.

11. When it’s all over, be sure to thank everyone involved. Appreciation is always remembered.

It’s easy to get caught up in the chaos of community theatre, but before you know it, the show will close its last performance. Whether it’s your first show or your 20th, try to enjoy each moment and each experience for what it is: pure magic.

What advice would you give someone joining community theatre for the first time? Let us know in the comments below…

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Those who have done community theatre can attest to the fact that it’s not as glamorous as it seems, and many of the pitfalls are things that make you want to laugh and cry simultaneously.

Here are 21 problems only community theatre actors can understand:

1. When you go out in public looking like a hooker because you’re still wearing show makeup.

2. Getting out of rehearsal so late and still having to work or go to school the next morning.

3. There are never enough guys to fill the required male roles.

4. When you are only one-third of the way through the show, and there is only an hour of scheduled rehearsal time left.

5. Makeup is running low and most of your bobby pins are missing, but there is still another show to go.

6. Being cast as the romantic lead opposite someone half or twice your age.

7. Mic tape that doesn’t stick — until you have to take it off.

8. You’ve had the most exhausting work week, and you have to spend your entire weekend building or striking the set.

9. Your friends and family who aren’t in theatre don’t understand when you talk about show problems or tell them you can’t come to things because you have rehearsal.

10. When your friends and family think you are dead or have joined a cult because they never see you anymore.

11. You get covered in glitter while helping with costumes and sets.

12. When all of your costumes come from your closet.

13. There is always one girl who gets the best role in every show, and while she is undeniably talented, she is an insufferable diva.

14. When you are halfway through a number, and you feel your mic slipping.

15. Your dressing room is a broom closet or a church basement.

16. There is only one mirror and 20 girls are trying to use it at the same time.

17. When the show budget is $100.

18. When you are trying to take a prop offstage with you, but people are loitering in the wings.

19. Trying to practice choreography on your lunch hour during your day job.

20. When you are also part of the crew and have more job titles than time.

21. Being in community theatre is your second job that you love, that takes up all of your time, but makes you no money.

In spite of it all, we keep coming back, season after season, show after show, because deep down, we love it and wouldn’t have it any other way.

You might enjoy: A Beginners Guide To Community Theatre

Thought of one that we missed? Let us know in the comments below…

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From Robert Pattinson to Emma Stone, here are seven well-known actors who got their start in community theatre:

1. Robert Pattinson

The mega-famous “Twilight” star says he “owes everything” to community theatre.

Before sinking his fangs into the hearts of teenage girls everywhere, Robert Pattinson discovered his love of acting in community theatre. Propelled by the desire to meet girls, he auditioned for a local amateur dramatic society, the Barnes Theatre Club, in Southeast London. Although he didn’t find a girlfriend there, a talent agent spotted him during a show at the theatre. As fate would have it, the agent introduced Pattinson to the then-director of “Harry Potter,” Mike Newell, who cast him as Cedric Diggory. The rest, of course, is history.

“I just decided that I should try to act,” Pattison told Mirror. “So I auditioned for ‘Guys and Dolls’ and got a little tiny part as some Cuban dancer, and then I got the lead part, and then I got my agent. I owe everything to the Barnes Theatre Club.”

2. Kristen Bell

Do you want to build a … banana? Prior to reaching stardom with hit films such as “Frozen,” Kristen Bell was vying for roles in community theatre. She “flipped out” and cried at her first community theatre audition for a part in “Raggedy Ann and Andy.” Bell told NY Daily News that she ended up being cast “in the complex and dual role of the banana in the first act and the tree in the second act.”

Bell continued acting in community theatre up until college, saying that the friendships she made encouraged her to pursue her passion.

3. Chris Evans

Chris Evans didn’t start out as a superhero. The “Captain America” star grew up performing in community theatre, acting with his two sisters and his brother in a children’s company called the Concord Youth Theatre.

“Each of us have done at least 15 to 20 shows there,” Evans told Backstage. His family was so into the Concord Youth Theatre that when Evans was around 18, his mother took over as the artistic director there and has been ever since. Seeing his older sister, Carly, onstage inspired Evans to be an actor.

“Her play would end, and she’d get flowers and candy, and it just seemed like such a good time,” he said. “She was having a ball and hanging out with her acting friends — it just looked awesome. I was like, ‘I’ll give this a shot.’”

So, he got involved in the theatre. “I fell in love,” he said. “I started doing plays year-round. I was always onstage.”

4. Jane Krakowski

The “30 Rock” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” star credits community theatre for fostering her love of acting. In fact, Krakowski practically grew up at the Barn Theatre in New Jersey.

“My parents were involved in community theatre in New Jersey. Instead of hiring a babysitter, they would take me with them,” Krakowski told Newsday. “So my love of acting seeped in from watching my parents and seeing them have fun. When I was very little, I was in ‘A Christmas Carol,’ and my mom was Mrs. Cratchit. I also was in ‘Gypsy,’ and my dad was Herbie. Every time there was a part for a kid, they would see if they could sneak me in.”

5. Anna Kendrick

With her “pitch perfect” presence, Anna Kendrick is currently a go-to performer for musical theatre films. Despite hitting it big with a Broadway role in “High Society” at age 12, the Oscar nominee’s first taste of theatre was through auditioning for local shows.

“My first audition was for ‘Annie,’ when I was like five years old and auditioning for community theatre,” the Maine native told E! News. The “Into the Woods” actress didn’t get the lead that time around, but she did play one of the other orphans in the production. Kendrick remembers the experience fondly, telling NPR that singing “Hard-Knock Life” was “the best.”

In an interview with The Portland Press Herald, Kendrick recalls doing multiple community theatre shows. “I think I only did shows at Lyric Theatre and smaller places,” she said. “I had some very formative experiences.”

6. Kristin Chenoweth

Now a veteran performer of Broadway stages (not to mention a Tony and Emmy winner), Kristin Chenoweth started out learning the ropes on a community theatre stage. The “Wicked” star played in musicals such as “Anything Goes” at the Theatre Tulsa during her college years. Located in Oklahoma, Theatre Tulsa is the seventh longest-running community theatre in America and strives to educate artists through training and experience.

Chenoweth isn’t the only star to come out of the Theatre Tulsa, with actress Jeanne Tripplehorn and author Sam Harris receiving their first stage experiences there as well.

7. Emma Stone

Although she is now a Hollywood darling (and a Best Actress winner!), Emma Stone began performing at a small theatre in her hometown in Arizona. The Valley Youth Theatre was a haven for Stone, who has said that performing helped curb her panic attacks when she was growing up.

Before leaving for California, Stone played in 18 different shows at the nonprofit theatre, including “Winnie the Pooh,” “The Princess and the Pea,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Cinderella.”

Bob Cooper, an acting coach at VYT who has known Stone since she was 11, revealed in an article with Daily Mail that she credits the local theatre for giving her the skills she needed.

“Thank you thank you thank you,” she wrote to him. “It’s all because of you.”

Do you have any other cool stories about stars in community theatre? Let us know in the comments below!

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A Brief Background

There was a form of regional theatre in American by the late 1800s, when The European Theatre Movement began to affect American Theater, and small theatres and performing groups were springing up across the country. These early groups were often focused on “art theatre” and performing classic European works like Ibsen. One early example is Lousia May Alcott, the famous author of Little Women, who founded a performing group in 1874 called the Concord Players. Another example is the Footlight Club, in Jamaica Plain, Massachusettes, which the American Association of Community Theatres recognizes as “the oldest continuously producing community theatre in the U.S.”

Over 100 community theatres were founded in America just during the 20 years after World War I alone. This movement caused a revolution in playwriting, where community stories were prioritized and told onstage

By the 1910s to the 1920s, regional American theater had coalesced into a vibrant movement referred to as “The Little Theatre Movement,” named of course for the size of these theatres’ performance spaces. This movement largely represented American civic pride, community involvement, and a revolution in how theatre was produced and for whom it was produced. Over 100 community theatres were founded in America just during the 20 years after World War I alone. This movement caused a revolution in playwriting, where community stories were prioritized and told onstage; it led to the development of more American playwrights; it created accessibility to theatre in small communities all over the United States. This meant that diverse kinds of people were involved in theatre, working together, studying scripts, writing, performing, and engaging in art with their communities. And in the beginning, The Little Theatre Movement was really a backlash against commercial theatre then, which the people saw as limited in who it could reach, and limiting in who it represented. One catalyst for this new style of community-driven drama, according to Robert Gard and Gertrude Burley, was after a famous tour of the Irish Players who came to America in 1911, which “fired the American imagination” and “aroused the antagonism of American citizens against the feeble productions of the commercial theatre, and seemed to be the catalyst that caused countless dramatic groups to germinate all over America , as a protest against commercial drama.” (Community Theatre: Idea and Achievement, 1959). According to the AACT, after World War I, there was a definite shift in that these small playhouses were formed by individuals, not groups or clubs.

Important Figures in Little Theatre

Jane Addams (1860-1935), famous to most Americans as a leader in social reform, created the Hull House as a social settlement to provide wrap-around social services for the poor or Chicago in the late 1800s. According to the Hull House Museum, not only did the settlement provide “kindergarten and day care facilities for the children of working mothers; an employment bureau; an art gallery; libraries; English and citizenship classes,” but it was a “cultural center with music, art, and theater offerings.” Jane Addams was a precursor who embraced the concepts underlying the Little Theatre Movement, and developed a theatre as a critical part of her community. Wilfred R.Cleary, a frequent actor in the Hull House Players as far back as 1933, says the theatre began “enriching the lives of neighborhood audiences under the inspired leadership of Jane Addams” as early as 1889. Stuart J. Hecht, in his scholarly article, says that Chicago’s Hull House Theatre “was developed specifically to combat the corrupting influences of urban tenement life.” In other words, the arts component to the settlement was “a safe haven and a place where the immigrants living on Chicago’s Near West Side could find companionship and support and the assistance they needed for coping with the modern city” (Hull House Museum).

During its height, the Hull House Players were well-known nationally and even internationally, and they toured in major cities in the U.S. Cleary says their work was “ambitious and adventuresome, with work by celebrated dramatists as well as new, yet-to- be-proven plays.” What we still see is that the major functions of community and regional theatre today are precisely to enrich the full community, to provide a stage for audiences to see new works, ground-breaking works, or smaller venue works that everyday audiences wouldn’t have the chance to see otherwise. They usually do this at prices more affordable to all, and they commonly go out of their way to offer free showings or enrichment activities for students, senior citizens, and those needing special services. Susan Glaspell (1876-1948) was a famous and prolific playwright, actress, and novelist known as a pioneer feminist writer. She wrote the acclaimed play Trifles. Glaspell, her husband George Cram Cook, and their theatre friends were part of an avante-garde writers and artists group and eventually, she and her husband founded the Province Town Players in 1915, recognized as the first official Little Theatre. According to scholar Martha Carpentier, this was “the most important, innovative moment in American theatre,” in part for “launching the career of Eugene O’Neill and building an audience for American playwrights.” George Cook described the aim of the group: “to give American playwrights a chance to work out their ideas in freedom. “The Players intended to create a group where playwrights could write and produce their own productions “without submitting to the commercial managers’ interpretation of public taste.” After two years, they moved the Players to New York City and began performing there, where they were part of a Bohemian spirit that ultimately became the heart of Greenwich Village. They were associated with groundbreaking American writers like Upton Sinclair, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Wallace Stevens; and Robert Edmund Jones came out of Glaspell’s theatre. Eleanor J. Gainor says that the Little Theatre Movement was a direct response to the “tepid” commercial theatre of the day, and provided an outlet for stories of social significance. In many regional theatres today, this is still a primary focus in works they choose to produce.

Viola Spolin (1906-1994) trained in social work and then taught theatre classes at Hull House in the 1920s under Jane Addams. The Little Theatre Movement and its connection to communities and everyday people paired well with Spolin’s work with children and immigrants, who participated in theatrical activities as both a method of rehabilitation and as creative expression. Spolin became the originator of Theatre Games, and founded the first improv acting company in America, The Compass Players. Chicago has a well-known theatre scene, particularly in improvisation and comedy, like the Second City group, which Spolin also founded, and which has launched many American comedy careers—think of modern examples Jerry Stiller, Fred Willard, John Belushi, Dan Akroyd, Amy Poelher, Tina Fey and Stephen Colbert. All of this came out of the Little Theatre Movement, and it symbolizes its power for a wide cross section of people in every community to participate in the arts and be affected by the theatre.

The Debate Continues

Community theatre and the Little Theatre movement have waned and waxed with the seasons, with a decline post-World War II, and a resurgence in the socially-aware 1960s. Over the years, many of these little theatres became quality training schools for actors and directors, and conversely, over decades, many of them ended up evolving into professional groups contrary to their original charters. Some in the theatre world think community and regional theatres are producing more “big sellers” these days, like musicals or a reproduction of the latest Broadway hit in order to make money, stoke popularity, and improve the bottom line. The questions some theatre people are asking today is what happened to the extraordinary drive and mission of the Little Theatre Movement in America? Has it been stunted, and have we forsaken our forebears’ intentions? If we’re indeed in a downturn of American “little theatre” innovation, is it out of choice or necessity? It’s clear that there is a place both for commercial and community theatre, but the important question is, will our community and regional theatres endeavor to keep revitalizing our vibrant Little Theatre heritage?

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