[rocky] Professionalism killed the Rocky star

[jrising]

There was a fantastic discussion at the Rocky party about the state of the cast. The vocal consensus was this:

There's an undercurrent of over-professionalism at the show. In small but definite ways, the drive for professionalism stifles some of the fun of the show and makes working at it a chore. Because the show isn't as much fun, it isn't as good, and the audience has noticed. Both directors, theater 3, and Acid's absence were blamed for these problems.

It's so tough to disentangle real harmful effects from nostalgia. So, tell me: do you agree? Have we gained the world and lost our soul (or raised the bar and broken our backs)? The drive for screen accuracy can push us to do better, but if it drives out jokes and connecting with the audience-- if our performance just duplicates the film-- do we want it? The cast members used to work up the audience waiting outside before the show. Does anyone do that now? We have such a great group, and we can fix these problems, but maybe not without big changes.

Feel free to post anonymously or email me separately.

Comments

[dariusdraven.livejournal.com]

Professionalism is what really sets the FBC apart from other casts. I saw firsthand how many hours Diana spent rehearsing at home when she had a role. Getting that screen accuracy down as second nature allowed her to really shine through as a character. Take pride in the time you put in practicing your role and getting your costumes as screen accurate as possible! As Amy said, this is Theater!

I'll also disagree with those saying the show isn't going in the right direction. Cast members come and go, but I see a lot of very talented younger people who have joined in the past few years. The future looks bright with Bethany, Peaches, Mali, Mike, Orlando, Kyle, Kelly, Kathleen, Jimmy, Spencer and others up on stage. Techies too, I just don't always notice what you're doing! Too many half nekked people on stage :)

Take what the directors and the old schoolers say to heart. Alex, Gary, Jon, JD, Diana, etc... all care about the show very deeply and are there to help it and you get better! Take advantage of their experience.

Just don't listen to Wombat - he's a crotchety old man ;)