There are tricks for every trade. In community theater, there are lots of things that help make a production run more smoothly. I learned a few during my journey from audition to last curtain call. For those of you new to community theater, I offer you these last few tips to help you make the most of your adventure. Anyone with community theater experience, feel free to add your favorite tips and tricks.
As actors do when a show is over, I miss hanging out with Edna each night, I miss my fellow actors, I miss the crew and I miss the hectivity of the production. But I am grateful for all that I learned, the most important nugget of which was that I love community theater. There will be other roles and other productions. And there is much more for me to learn. I look forward to every moment of my future in community theater.
Micki Bare, mother of three, wife, daughter & writer is the author of Thurston T. Turtle children's books.
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| Water is essential. Your body and voice must stay hydrated. The trick is not just having a bottle of water backstage, but knowing how much to drink. Too little and you dry up or lose your voice. Too much and you'll need a restroom break in the middle of an important scene. BE SURE TO PRACTICE HYDRATION DURING DRESS REHEARSALS!!! |
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| I kept an ice pack handy for between-scene breaks. I'm not sure if everyone of all ages gets overly heated during a production, but 40-something women like me can spontaneously combust at any time, anywhere, especially while acting. It's best to have a personal cooling system available, because actors have no control over the venue's heating or cooling units. BE SURE TO STAY COOL DURING PERFORMANCES. |
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| I kept the accessories for each costume on the hanger with the costume. Earrings, necklaces, watches, scarves--anything that I had to use or wear during that scene while wearing those clothes. This is something I had to incorporate during rehearsals after first organizing items neatly across a chair didn't work and I kept forgetting which earrings to wear at what time and when to put on my watch. AVOID CHECKING YOUR BARE WRIST FOR THE TIME, HANG ACCESSORIES WITH COSTUMES. |
Micki Bare, mother of three, wife, daughter & writer is the author of Thurston T. Turtle children's books.
Email: mickibare (at) gmail.com
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Micki Bare's Blog (Arkansas News Bureau)
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