Community Theater. Or is it Theatre? Either way, those that have broken into the virus that is community theater, will realize that sometimes, yes, all theaters are different. And yet... some are very much the same.
Picking An Audition Song:
Expectation
Congratulations! You've decided to audition for a community musical. Make sure to pick a good song! You should pick something relevant to the character.
Reality
What song from theater do I know that I'm good at?
Not that is to say, it's not a bad idea to sing "Popular" but not all of us are Kristin Chenoweth.
The Auditions:
Expectation
For anyone that has not done community theater before, will expect the audition to be look something like this..
A private audition with just the director, on a large stage with hundreds of seats. FALSE.
Reality
Let's be honest here. The audition may take place on stage, but you are not alone. Community Theater almost always more often than not, has a ton of people to have audition in a short amount of time.
And it is never just the director. The production team is made up of at the very least (usually) the director, assistant director, producer and vocal director.
Set Build:
Expectation
Well, everyone that was casted in the show has to be involved, right? You may not be able to handle a nail gun, but there must be something you can paint! With all these people, the set will be done in no time!
Reality
Most of the time, until the director cracks down, the production team is lucky if a handful of people show up. You work for a few hours. Break for pizza. Continue next weekend. Eventually, you are roped into learning how to use the nail gun. And you almost always end up in paint.
Um. Yeah.
Tech Week:
Expectations
Congratulations! You made it to tech week! It's sometimes known as 'hell week' among your fellow cast mate, but surely it can't be that bad, right? Rehearsals every night sounds like so much fun! Plus, you get to start using costumes and makeup!
Reality
The reality is... you're sleep deprived, irritated, anxious, excited and a whole lot of other emotions you just don't know how to handle all at once. Because you're so tired.
Break a leg. Because you're basically a zombie foe the entire week.
Closing:
Expectation
You did it! You closed the show. It's time to strike the set and pack up. Maybe the cast party is after! Or maybe you had it last weekend, when you opened. Everyone is proud of themselves and feel as if they've closed the show on a good note.
Reality
You're a mess of tears. How dare the shows fly by. You were not emotionally prepared for this to be over. You and your friends can barely work together to clean up the set, props and etc. It's too hard to see through the tears.
Well. That's is. Show closed. That's it. Feel that emptiness in your stomach? The only way to fill it? Do another show. Go audition.
