2012 South Bay Fall Season Preview

12:50 PM | By Paul Sawyer
While the heat may still be on outside, the first days of school are upon us. Time to get back into classes, AP classes, carpools, marching band, pep rallies, homecoming, and of course, high school theatre! It is time to check in around the South Bay (and a little beyond) for some previews of what is coming up at a high school near you.

Pioneer High School - 1290 Blossom Hill Road, San Jose
Director Steve Dini is going to be a busy man this coming year by the looks of things. Pioneer will be mounting a touring production of Mary Poppins, and evening of David Ives one-acts, and a duo of musicals in The Fantasticks (winter) and Hello Dolly! (spring). Steve is also the man with the plan for Willow Glen High School (2001 Cottle Avenue, San Jose) for their spring musical Anything Goes! Some real heavy hitters for sure.


Valley Christian in Scotland
Valley Christian High School - 100 Skyway Drive, San Jose
From the mouth of Matt DeMeritt himself:

“As I mentioned, 21 of our students and three faculty members attended the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland from July31-August 13.  They performed an original, musical adaptation of Shakespeare's 12th Night, call Twelfth Night: Serenade.  Our performance was part of the American High School Theatre Festivals presence at the Fringe.  The AHSTF selects approximately 40 schools from around the country to represent the US at the Fringe.  We had an amazing time seeing world class theatre from around the globe and got to perform for some amazing audiences.  
  
Our Season this year is as follows:
Fall Musical – You'e a Good Man Charlie Brown – October 18-20, 25, 27
Winter Play – It's a Wonderful Life -  December 12-15
Spring Musical – Guys and Dolls – March 7-9, 14-16, 21-23
Student Directed Production – Experiments in Comedy and Tragedy – May 9-11
Summer Theatre Production – Disney's The Little Mermaid – July 10-13

It's a busy year, but we look forward to seeing you and you're team at our shows!  All the best!”

Congrats on a successful trip to Scotland!


Westmont's '12-'13 Drama Dept. Officers
Westmont High School - 4805 Westmont Avenue, Campbell
Jeff Bengford and his students really have a lot of hard work ahead of them (as usual) with a pack season of shows and events. There is their yearly Haunted House, a production of The Man Who Came To Dinner (Kaufman and Hart), several events with the California Educational Theatre Association, and a production of 9 to 5, The Musical. A full season of great stuff. Can’t wait to see it all when it hits the stage.

Lincoln's Walter Zarnowitz as the Beast.
Lincoln High School - 555 Dana Avenue San Jose
Over in the Rose Garden area of San Jose, Lincoln High School under the direction of Charles Manthe is taking on another ambitious season as the performing arts magnet of San Jose Unified. Their season includes Avenue Q, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon and Tartuffe. From puppets to Moliere is quite impressive indeed. Break legs to you all, and special kudos to your venerable theatre guild for all their help!

Saratoga's ComedySportz
Saratoga High School - 20300 Herriman Avenue, Saratoga
While the full season has not been announced, I see that ‘Toga will have a ComedySportz Improv team performing as part of their season, as well as several student productions. Great to see the students taking the lead on their own projects. Bravo!

TriSchool Productions - 451 West 20th Avenue San Mateo
For those who are not familiar, TriSchool is a cooperative company made up of Mercy, Norte Dame (Belmont) and Serra High Schools. Their season packs a punch, starting with the Commedia del Arte classic, A Servant of Two Masters and finishing up with The Drowsy Chaperone. They always do great work, and have the passion to make it even better than great.

M-A's Once Upon A Mattress
Menlo Atherton High School - 555 Middlefield Road, Atherton
Straight from the mouth of Ms. Z (D.J. Zwicker-Sobrepena):
"We are kicking off the school year with Shakespeare's The Tempest. I love all the themes: magic, love, revenge, forgivness. I am hosting a Shakespeare Bootcamp on campus to jumpstart the understanding of verse and how to physicalize Shakespeare in performance. We open the show on October 26. We will also have an Arts Cabaret Night on November 16 (and probably the 17th) in collaboration with the Choir and Guitar classe showcasing their musical talents and two duets, a one-act, and four monologues that we will be taking to the Bob Smart Theatre Festival in February 2013 (a.k.a. Lenaea High School Theatre Festival)."

Amen to connecting the show to curriculum. It is bizarre that I have seen many shows mounted by schools where they don't address the challenges of that particular show. Thankfully, there are still those that prep kids for Shakespeare instead of just jumping in, and teach kids tap before even getting into choreo for 42nd Street (thank you Steve Dini) and so on.

Presentation High School - 2281 Plummer Avenue, San Jose
Another busy year is coming up at the San Jose all-girls school with the ever-popular Legally Blonde in the fall, followed by Bertolt Brecht's Good Woman of Setzuan as the spring play. Ambitious as always, and Jim Houle and his staff do good stuff. Private school funding is hard to beat, but it is a real example of how far a school can go with good funding. Public schools/districts should take note.

Leigh High School
Bryan Ringstead and his students have a big year ahead of them with some challening plays, the district DramaFest, one-acts, and a few TBD's on the calendar. Here is the schedule directly from the director.

Haunted House "A Little Bit Grim"October 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30th from 7-9:30 pm
Fall Play "Bury the Dead" and "Actor's Nightmare"December 7, 8, 12, 14, 15 at 7 pm; 8 and 14 at 3 pm
Advanced Drama One Act ShowcaseJanuary 11th and 12th at 7:00 pm
CUHSD DramaFestJanuary 16th @ Prospect High School. 7 p.m.
Spring Musical TBDMarch 28th-April 6th
Musical Theater Class Show TBDMay 2, 3, 4 at 7 p.m.
Spring Showcase children's showsMay 16, 17 @ 7 p.m.
Senior Showcase Awards ShowMay 22 @ 7 pm.

 

Big seasons ahead for everyone! I can’t wait to see what else is revealed as schools come back from summer break. On that note, I hope it was a good one for all of you. Here is to a great 2012-2013 theatre season!
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The Theatre Bill of Rights

2:15 PM | By Paul Sawyer

All theatrical artists shall be entitled to:
-Accurate scheduling/time management by staff so that time is not wasted.
No one should be subjected to hours upon hours on a call with nothing to do. While “holes” sometimes happen, they shouldn’t be a frequent thing. Having an someone be done early on a regular basis is also cause for concern since it results in wasted time at the end of a rehearsal. Plan ahead by knowing the approximate pace your artists work at and the difficulty of what you are working. The logistics of scheduling can make or break the strength of a show. Imagine having all that wasted time given back to you in tech week when you need it most. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, don’t waste it in the first place.

-A safe and usable place to rehearse/work.
In theatre, we have to adapt to our resources. But when it comes to rehearsal spaces, artists deserve a place where they can really work. Is it too hot? Too cold? Bright? Dim? Drafty? Moldy? Other things to consider… Concrete floors causing shinsplints for dancers/stage combatants, small rooms becoming over-crowded for rehearsals, having usable pianos for musical rehearsals or lifts/ladders/scaffolds for technicians, keys for access to other rooms, usable sound equipment etc. Bottom line: Can this room do the job for the artists so that they can do their job for the show?

-Clear and collaborative direction from creative staff given in a pleasant manner.
Artists are fascinating creatures. At any given moment, their emotional/impulsive compass can point in one direction with such strength that they throw themselves forward without thought. Often, it leads to a great discovery. Sometimes, it doesn’t. When the latter happens, it is the responsibility of the creative staff to guide the artist, not close them in or spoon-feed them. Creative personnel deserve to make choices, albeit intelligent ones under the direction of the people in charge. They should expect firmness and decisiveness, but they are also entitled to kindness and compassion.

-Respect for their skills.
When an actor/director/designer is chosen for a place on a creative project, they were chosen for a reason. Therefore, it is not anyone’s place (other than the person in charge) to discuss or debate that person’s input. Keep petty things under wraps, and do the work you have been designated to do.

-A “drama” free zone.
Again, theatrical artists are potent vessels of emotions. Get enough of them churned up and watch the show go down in flames. Therefore, whatever crossed your path during the day, whatever is gnawing at you, whoever is getting under your skin, check it at the door and come in ready to work. Everyone is expecting that of you, so do not waste their time by being distracted (or worse) by transferring that negativity onto others.

These are simple and basic categories, but they encompass a tremendous swath of things that everyone in theatre deserves to have. There are probably things that have been missed, but that is up for you to decide. Have anything to add? Comment below or discuss on our Facebook page.
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The In's and Out's of Equity

6:03 AM | By Paul Sawyer
For many actors who have already gotten some professional shows under their belts, a common choice that needs to be made is the decision to become part of the theatre actor’s union. Most are unsure of what the union really does for them, and what benefits they would get out of being a member. Some don’t even know what “Equity” is.

A little history
Actor’s Equity Association, or AEA is the union which represents theatrical actors and stage managers in the United States. It was created in 1913 to protect an unrepresented part of the labor force which up until that point was at the mercy of producers and financiers. The formation of the union made it possible for actors to have more structured contracts which gave them more protection and workers rights like any other worker in a labor union. Minimum pay, working conditions, contract negotiations, publicity and billing rights and many other facets of the actor’s life were now protected by Equity. The choice to become part of the union is a choice being faced by actors old and young. And it is just that, a choice. Like any career decision, there are upsides and downsides to being a member.

Staying independent
As a non-union actor, your performance options are far greater. You have the opportunity to perform with any company you please, even some companies that are part of AEA. You can attend auditions for Equity companies, but you will have to attend the Non- Union calls, which are generally very crowded. There are other obvious downsides like low or even non-existent pay, no contracts to protect your safety or professional rights, and no protection over your very employment as an artist. Most theatres are sensitive to the needs of their actors for the sake of the art form and the sake of their own reputations. They would never slight an artist for fear that their organization would have a bad reputation in the community. As we have discussed before, reputation is key in this business, even for the companies themselves. Unfortunately, there are those who take advantage of eager young performers who are just looking to get in the spotlight at almost any cost. Thankfully, those are few and far between.

Taking the plunge
For those who have made the career choice and do end up as part of Actor’s Equity, you are protected by the union from the very perils the non-union actor faces. You are given your own audition calls for union members only, and sometimes even have exclusive rights to audition where non-union actors cannot. However, your options are far less. As a union member, you are restricted from performing with non-union companies unless you go through the difficult task of getting a waiver from Equity (which they don’t always grant). Some union actors have tried to perform outside the union under a different name. This is risky as AEA can take action against you if they find that you violated your agreement with the union.

As you can see, there is a give and take. It really is up to you either way, and each way had its benefits. Generally speaking, for the artist that is intent on consistently performing in a city where there is a large amount of union work to be had, Equity may be a good choice. But, if you have any doubts about getting reliable work, or there just aren’t very many Equity contracts to be had, staying independent is probably the right choice. Talk with members of the union in your area, or other industry professionals who you have worked with. This decision is best made with their help as they know the kind of prospects you may have in front of you, and the kind of opportunities that are available in the region you perform.

How it’s done
If you do decide to work towards becoming Equity, there are several ways to go about it. Simply put:
-First, you can get an outright union contract from a producer. In this situation, you have been cast in an Equity show and the company offers you an Equity contract. While you are under that contract, you can apply to become a member of the union.
-Second, you can become Equity if you are already a member of one of its sister unions. These include AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists), AGMA (American Guild of Musical Artists), AGVA (American Guild of Variety Artists), GIAA (Guild of Italian American Actors), and SAG (Screen Actors Guild)
-Third, you can earn your Equity membership through the Equity Membership Candidacy program (EMC). In this program, you earn points for every week you work with an equity company. One week is equal to one point, and fifty points makes you eligible to join the union.

Any way you go about joining, there are initiation fees and yearly dues that you have to pay to the union. After all, they are protecting you and all that protection isn’t free!

Your career as an actor can be prosperous and successful no matter which path you choose. It really is a matter of what you are trying to get out it. Many actors decide to remain out of Equity so that they are free to perform at the many high-quality semi-professional theatres that many cities have. Some work to get as much experience as they can, climbing the ranks from community theatre up to high-budget marquee production houses just so they can join the union and make their way towards theatrical hotbeds like New York and Chicago. Either way, just be sure to assess your particular situation and see which choice is the best for you at the time.
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