Dose It Work?

[The Doctor Alt 8]

II hate to have to say it but there is a serious (to my mind) problem with my Drama group. in a word many lack... commitment.

Like... the commitment to learning their lines/ stage positions.

         the commitment to understand that it "doesn't matter" because a vast majority of the audience is made up of friends & relatives and "Mistakes are just part of the fun!"

The commitment to realize that NO our props and costumes are simply NOT GOOD ENOUGH in a majority of situations and of course your family/ friends aren't nasty enough to tell you the truth.

The commitment to realize that NO "home written" plays are NOT good enough...yes we save on performance fees. We also lack quality... I am sure that are plenty of decent... even well know plays that are now out of copyright due to the death of the author.

I could go on. They are letting themselves and each other down and don't understand this.

I say these things because I care. Not just for the group... but for the art of acting.

So to my question... do these much vaunted techniques of person management & motivation actually WORK? or is it all a bunch of shoe menders?

[Sideshow Bob]

Hi Doc,
Personally I like local 'am dram',  but, and this is my personal opinion.....If members of the Cast haven't learnt their lines, or stage positions, the whole thing develops rather quickly into farce......And unless that's what it's supposed to be,  I'm not going to waste my time watching it.....A couple of mistakes are Ok...after all it is amateur dramatics....But...
If the Cast can't be bothered to learn lines and stage positions, why should I be bothered to go and watch.......( even if they are family and friends )...So, Yes you need commitment and a fair bit of application to their 'craft' ......
As for 'stage props, etc'........I'm usually not too bothered about that, as long as they look 'reasonable' ...
after all, I find that the props should be / are usually 'secondary' to the acting.....
As for 'home written plays'.......seriously ??!!.....Unless they are written by an 'undiscovered' major talent, they are usually pretty s***.......And as you say there are plenty of other great plays out there that are no longer in copyright.....

As for Personal management and motivation techniques / building morale sessions, coming from an Oil Industry background where these things were trotted out on a regular basis......Basically because everyone is afraid of 'missing a trick'......They are ( for me ) just buzz words / attitudes stemming from the great USA...where we get other useless 'buzz-words' like 'blue sky thinking'...
It's a load of cobblers.....

If your group want to 'perform' what is the point of doing it 'half-heartedly'.......
Good luck...

[Frank]

Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion.

[Banners]

Join a different group. Any theatre affiliated with the LTG will have a pretty decent standard.

[The Doctor Alt 8]

Thanks for that. I may have slightly over exaggerated the lack of talent .... but the first night was ... dire.

So... are the scripts.

But they don't seem to care.

Another fact: the group is running out of money (surprise surprise)

I suggested that we have a jumble sale...

The committee couldn't agree to doing that and doubted they could "raise enough stuff to sell"

So a local town group run a fair .. I suggested we get a stall. for £25 we could of run a raffle... raised our profile...

No, apparently "The committee decided 3 years ago not to do events like that as despite our efforts and people expressing an interest... no one was ever successfully recruited to the group though such advertising"

So you can see what I am dealing with...

[Banners]

Join a different group.

[HdE]

I can relate. When I was involved in music, I met loads of people who wanted to play music, form or join bands, but when it came to the crunch, when they actually had to do things that made them feel uncomfortable just so that they could DO what they claimed to love... they evaporated.

And I've had similar experiences in comics. I've pitched in on fan projects where contributors just upped and disappeared without any communication, and never a thought about how it let everybody else down.

It really is tough to find people who feel the way you do about these sorts of ventures, and have any real sense of dedication.

[Sideshow Bob]

Join a different group.

Yep, I'm with Banners on this one.....
You are obviously dedicated to improving both the 'standard' and the performances of your group.....and it seems as if 'mostly' everyone else is just happy to 'bumble' along.......If you are serious in getting into a forward thinking, and dedicated group of performers / company.....as Banners says....You need to move to another group...
It sounds like your best efforts are being ignored, and most are happy with the 'status quo' so you need to cut your losses and move to somewhere your efforts are appreciated...
Sorry, and Good Luck.....

[The Doctor Alt 8]

I think your right... which is a damned shame. I'm not asking for total dedication. Just a but of effort...