[SFX: AWARDS SHOW BACKGROUND, WELCOME, APPLAUSE]
THERE WAS PLENTY OF EXCITEMENT IN MANCHESTER’S PALACE THEATRE ON A RECENT SATURDAY NIGHT, AS THE 6TH ANNUAL NH THEATRE AWARDS GOT UNDERWAY.
[SFX: “AND THE WINNER IS…..” APPLAUSE]
THE AWARDS BRING A LITTLE OSCAR-STYLE GLAMOR TO NEW HAMPSHIRE EACH FEBRUARY.
THE BIG SHOW HANDS OUT TROPHIES FOR OUTSTANDING ACCOMPLISHMENTS BY NEW HAMPSHIRE’S NEARLY 40 COMMUNITY THEATRES.
THOUGH THEY’RE LESS NUMEROUS, THE STATE’S PROFESSIONAL THEATRES ARE HONORED, TOO.
(SFX: …”AND THE WINNER FOR BEST ACTRESS, PROFESSIONAL, GOES TO….”)
AWARDS NIGHT IS ABOUT THE ONLY TIME YOU’LL FIND NEW HAMPSHIRE’S AMATEUR AND PROFESSIONAL THEATRE PEOPLE HAPPILY OCCUPYING THE SAME SPACE.
THE REST OF THE YEAR, THEIR RELATIONSHIP IS A LITTLE MORE COMPLEX.
Delle (16:14): Well, the first thing, and I found this also when I worked at American Stage Festival, the first thing is that the community theatre folk do not come to see our product.
SUZANNE DELLE IS THE FOUNDING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF YELLOW TAXI PRODUCTIONS, IN NASHUA.
Delle: (20:14) …in the beginning, when we first started five years ago, actually more community theatre people came to see our shows, and that was because they were trying to get cast, and as I didn’t cast them…..they lost interest in coming to see the shows.
YELLOW TAXI’S LEAD PERFORMERS ARE OFTEN UNION PROFESSIONALS FROM OUT OF STATE.
AND THE COMPANY DOESN’T OFFER STANDARD COMMUNITY-THEATRE FARE LIKE ANNIE OR THE ODD COUPLE.
Delle: (:30) We are a professional theatre, we do hire Equity, which is the professional actor’s union…..and we do, really focus on, brand new, or within the last ten years, scripts that focus on the modern, contemporary condition.
SUZANNE DELLE SAYS THESE DIFFERENCES MAKE IT HARDER TO CONNECT WITH THE STATE’S TRADITIONAL THEATRE AUDIENCE.
Delle: (19:19) Because the community theatre is so strong here…(17:49) it’s often confusing to audience that we are different. Our bar is a little bit higher because we’re using professionals.
THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT YELLOW TAXI IGNORES NEW HAMPSHIRE’S ENORMOUS POOL OF COMMUNITY THEATRE TALENT.
Delle: (17:04) At the same time, we do use some of their actors. We do use local actors that are working full time jobs, and we do fill out our shows with those actors, on many different levels….so in that respect I do go see community theatre shows…so I can see who’s out there.
SUZANNE DELLE OFTEN NEEDS THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF LOCAL, NON-UNION ARTISTS.
BUT HER USE OF EQUITY PROFESSIONALS FROM ELSEWHERE SOMETIMES LOOKS LIKE CRITICISM OF THE QUALITY OF LOCAL PERFORMERS.
IT’S A DILEMMA JOHN MCCLUGGAGE IS QUITE FAMILIAR WITH.
McCluggage: (15:10) Well, I think there’s always a challenge when you’re in a community such as ours which is a fairly insular…..
MCCLUGGAGE IS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF PORTSMOUTH’S SEACOAST REPERTORY THEATRE.
(McCluggage, continuing):….where there is a kind of wariness, a questioning of, really, the Equity contract and what that really means, and they sort of, well, we’re doing quality work, and we’re not Equity, and what are you saying, that you have to be Equity to be good, and that’s not the dialogue at all, actually….
MCCLUGGAGE SAYS MANY TALENTED ACTORS WORKING IN NEW HAMPSHIRE’S LOCAL THEATRE SCENE DON’T JOIN EQUITY BECAUSE THERE’S NOT ENOUGH UNION WORK.
ACTORS’ EQUITY ALSO PROHIBITS ITS MEMBERS FROM PERFORMING IN COMMUNITY THEATRE.
THAT’S TOO STEEP A PRICE FOR MANY LOCAL PERFORMERS TO PAY.
McCluggage: (16:09) ….If you’re in an area where there’s only one Equity theatre, how many job opportunities are you going to have to not take at the community level or the semi-professional level?
JOHN MCCLUGGAGE IS WELL AWARE OF THE DIFFICULTIES FACED BY LOCAL PERFORMERS IN SMALL REGIONAL MARKETS LIKE NEW HAMPSHIRE’S.
HE EMPLOYS THEM AS MUCH AS HE CAN BECAUSE HE KNOWS IT’S THE BEST WAY TO MAKE SEACOAST REPERTORY A STRONGER PART OF THE STATE’S PERFORMING ARTS COMMUNITY.
THAT INCLUDES ITS COMMUNITY THEATRES, WITH THEIR LARGE AND LOYAL AUDIENCES.
BRYAN HALPERIN AGREES.
Halperin…..(10:02) You know, we sell out our community theatre shows a lot more frequently than we do our professional shows.
HALPERIN IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE WINNIPESAUKEE PLAYHOUSE, IN WEIRS BEACH.
IT’S PERHAPS THE ONLY THEATRE IN THE COUNTRY THAT OFFERS SEPARATE SEASONS OF PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY PRODUCTIONS.
HALPERIN THINKS THIS APPROACH STRENGTHENS BOTH SIDES OF HIS THEATRE’S BUSINESS.
Halperin: (10:02) ….I think both of our programs and seasons really help each other because people who discover us in the summer season as an audience member get involved in the community and youth productions in the winter, and visa versa; (10:02) …..people in NH really just need to get used to you and get to know you before they take you in as their own –
Ciardelli: (12:15) I think what makes or breaks a theatre is the community within which it resides.
BROOKE CIARDELLI IS THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF NORTHERN STAGE COMPANY, IN WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VERMONT.
Ciardelli, continuing: (12:15) And for years I bristled at the idea that – I’m not a community theatre, we’re a professional theatre and it took me a good long four, five, six years to really realize that theatre exists because a community decides it’s important…..(to come and hear stories told.)
IN A WAY, NORTHERN STAGE IS NEW HAMPSHIRE’S MOST SUCCESSFUL YEAR-ROUND PROFESSIONAL THEATRE.
EVEN THOUGH IT’S JUST ACROSS THE CONNECTICUT RIVER FROM HANOVER, IT SELLS MORE THAN HALF ITS TICKETS TO NEW HAMPSHIRE RESIDENTS.
NORTHERN STAGE’S COMMUNITY OUTREACH INCLUDES DISCOUNT TICKET SALES, CLASSES, AND PROGRAMS FOR YOUNG PERFORMERS.
THESE AND OTHER STEPS HAVE HELPED BREAK DOWN THE WALL BETWEEN THE AMATEUR AND PROFESSIONAL THEATRE WORLDS.
Ciardelli: (34:36) I think we have a very good, in the Upper Valley as a whole, the relationships between the community theatres and the professional theatres are quite positive. We allow a number of the community theatres to use our rehearsal space when we’re not using it. We lend and borrow costumes and props and set pieces. And I think that willingness, to be one whole theatre community, has to come from the professional theatre.
THE NORTHERN STAGE MODEL SHOWS HOW PROFESSIONAL THEATRES CAN BECOME VALUED MEMBERS OF A COMMUNITY WHERE AMATEUR THEATRE IS DOMINANT.
BACK IN NASHUA, SUZANNE DELLE IS RENEWING YELLOW TAXI’S EFFORTS TO DO THE SAME.
Delle: (18:50) .… my board has definitely made it more of a priority to try to reach out once again to community theatre folk – part of that is through our educational programming – if you want to be involved with Yellow Taxi, and maybe your skill set isn’t there yet, come take some classes. I’ll get to meet you, you’ll get to meet me……
THAT’S WHAT SEACOAST REP’S JOHN MCCLUGGAGE IS TRYING TO DO, TOO.
McCluggage: (13:09) I need to be able to let …artists know in the region that Seacoast Rep is open for business and is looking to grow and develop and bring the best artists in to work.
IT’S GOING TO BE A WHILE BEFORE SEACOAST REP, YELLOW TAXI PRODUCTIONS, AND THE WINNIPESAUKEE PLAYHOUSE REACH NORTHERN STAGE’S LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT.
BUT THEIR WILLINGNESS TO TRY IS ENCOURAGING FOR BOTH WINGS OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE THEATRE SCENE.
(SFX: AWARDS SHOW ANNOUNCEMENT, “AND THE WINNER IS……” W/ APPLAUSE, FADING THROUGH END)
AND IT JUST MIGHT MEAN THEIR ANNUAL COLLABORATION ON AWARDS NIGHT IS NO LONGER THE ONLY TIME THEY GET TOGETHER.
FOR NHPR NEWS, I’M KEVIN GARDNER.
