Hello, im doing a set design but i need to make a lot of wood texture for it? How can i achieve it? What materials i can use different from wood sticks for ice cream?

I’ve recently been doing some comparison work for a study, the work being comparisons between modern day Sit-Coms and Commedia Dell’Arte. I’ve landed on wanting to delve into this comparison using Schitt’s Creek cause I personally enjoy the show, but I’m finding it hard to accurately pin down which characters from the cast resemble any Commedia Dell’Arte characters. Basically, if anyone’s willing to help or provide some insight to my work that would be so helpful!

Hi Everyone,

I’m directing a production of Twelve Angry Men at a local theatre in Australia, and I could use some advice on two key props. Toward the end of Act One, the iconic switchblade and Juror Eight’s identical knife are revealed. Since real switchblades are illegal here in Australia—and I wouldn’t want to use real knives anyway, given that the jurors handle them frequently and mimic stabbing throughout the show—I’m struggling to figure out a safe and practical solution. The knives also need to be stabbed into a wooden table, which adds another layer of complexity.

If anyone has suggestions or ideas, I’d greatly appreciate them!

Thanks!

I was always under the impression that story were reserved for truly exceptional performances, but it seems customary now to give every single performance a standing ovation. I can't actually remember a show in recent years where that hasn't been the case, and I end up feeling like an asshole because everyone is standing up around me so I eventually end up standing too. I saw a production of A Christmas Carol earlier today and it was mediocre at best. When the entire house stood up during curtain I was so confused, but it seems like that's just what people always do now. Am I alone here? Have other peoppe noticed this? Am I just being a theatre snob?

I'm dumbfounded at how much I was asked to pay when submitting 3 prescreens today. As an aspiring musical theatre major this gave me a heart attack as I'm submitting prescreens for a bunch of other schools (not all of them are making me pay but this is already insane). Does anyone have experience with this and have any advice or is this just something I need to push through in my college audition journey? For context all these submissions were through Acceptd.

I live half an hour away from Houston, Texas. And I've been thinking recently of starting to pursue acting specifically in the theatre over there. I haven't performed on stage since high school -which was more than six years ago. I want to find a place that is inclusive and welcoming and willing to train new actors with little to no experience. I'm not quite confident at the moment in my acting skills since I haven't worked on it in many years. But I miss the stage so much and want to get back to it again.

I've been finding lots of film and tv acting classes online in Houston, not much for theatrical (on stage acting). Does anyone know what's classes are good if you're familiar with the theatre/acting community in Houston? I don't want to end up falling for a scam or end up joining some lousy class or teacher.

And how does one start pursuing acting professionally in Houston? What's a good place for me to start as a novice do you think?

I think I need training first and to learn acting concepts and the history of theatre first. I feel I don't know much about theatre. I thought many years ago to study theatre in college like at a community college (HCC or Lone Star College) or the University of Houston. But majoring in theatre (or any major really) is expensive and I will likely have to take out federal student loans (which are hard to pay back) so I gotta be careful with that. Plus, I don't know if I can make it pass those college theatre auditions since I haven't done theatre in many years.

Hi, howdy, hello!

I am a director for a youth community theater. My kiddos are mostly 2nd - 10th grade.

I have an extensive background in MT performance but lost my footing during the pandemic. Never thought I'd be teaching/directing but here we are 😅

I am getting ready to close out the fourth show I've directed - next up is Beetlejuice Jr.

I am wondering if anyone has any rules, tips, tricks that helped them streamline the process with the parents. Right now, we hand out schedules before auditions, we ask everyone to fill out a conflict sheet, we have contracts that they sign saying that the parent and the child both agree to the role as it is written (we had some folks get upset and legally blonde because Enid is a lesbian). We have safety waivers and emergency forms and things like that. But I feel like something is missing. I want to draw a really hard line with the parents and make sure that this is as structured as it can be.

Is there anything you've done as a director that has helped set expectations for both the young actor and their families?

Also, if you direct in a community theater or at a park district, would you be willing to share what your fees are and what you expect families to contribute? Right now we charge $200 for 4 months of rehearsal twice a week and then three to six shows. We provide all the costumes, hair and makeup. Folks think seem to think that's expensive but there are other theaters in the area that charge upwards of $800 and require the families to purchase costumes.

i (17f) am considering going into the medical field (likely radiology tech or sonographer), as it's interesting and makes enough starting pay to move out as soon as possible.

however, I also love the arts, and I don't want to stop doing theatre after I graduate from high school. I'd love to do community theatre as an adult!

...how does one balance this, though? when do you rest? please enlighten me 😭

i’m in high school, and this week there’s auditions for my school’s musical. i’m REALLY looking forward to it, but the problem is this weekend i came down with something and i have a horrible cough, stuffy/runny nose, sore throat, and my voice comes and goes. that all should pretty obviously show my problem, but i don’t know what to do. it’s really hard to go to an audition where i can barely speak and my singing sounds flat and strained, but there’s no way for me to reschedule or work around this and i want to still be in the production. i’ve been keeping hydrated as best as i can, but i don’t know if ill be better by auditions. any advice on what to do?

Hello everyone! 👋

I’m a photographer who recently moved to NYC, and I’m trying to connect and meet new people, but it's been hard to find the best way.

My background is in theater/dance/music photography, so I’m familiar with capturing live performances, but I have no idea how to start in a new city.

I’d love some advice:

• Who should I be reaching out to? I’m not working for any media/press outlets—are theaters, production companies, or independent artists the best people to contact or should I try to get assignments?
• What’s the best way to approach them? Is it better to pitch directly (e-mail?) or build connections by attending shows and networking?
• For those who’ve done this, what’s the typical pay for photographing a performance if it’s a paid gig?

Any tips, personal experiences, or resources would be hugely appreciated! Thanks in advance! 😊

Please use this thread to ask for help with your auditions. Try to add as many relevant details as possible; age, gender, comedy/serious, vocal range, etc. For those adding answers, writing the names of the suggestions in bold is nice, to make it easier for people skimming the thread to pick out the suggestions.

Feel free to also check out our FAQ for information on things like how to pick a monologue: https://www.reddit.com/r/theatre/wiki/index/faq#wiki_auditions_and_casting

(17f, UK based) Hello! I’m in my last year of high school, and musical theatre has always been my passion/special interest. It feels like what I was born to do! Unfortunately, I have severe HEDS and cannot stay standing for more than 2 hours without excruciating pain. Even in my school productions, facing 3 hour long rehearsals and choreography was extremely difficult. So, I’ve been at odds wether I should even try pursuing a musical theatre degree (or even a general theatre degree) at university. Given the already extremely competitive market, would I have a place?

My backup plan is applying for an LLB Law degree instead, as I’m very interested in the analytical and written skills provided, but I’m not necessarily passionate on the subject. If I do this, I could get a stable career-path and theoretically pursue theatre as a hobby? What theatre-related jobs could I get with this degree? As this is an extremely difficult decision, I’ll appreciate any advice anyone can offer <3

I am in need of some help.

I saw a really cool design of a set that somebody did for a production of the lightning thief and I forgot to like and or comment on a video on Instagram. I want to save it for inspiration later. If any of you have seen it, and could help me that would be great!

The production was pretty recent or about to happen it looked like. It was a college production. Off the top of my memory, the set was white, possibly almost two-story high. It’s the entire length of the stage. It was nonmoving. There was three openings that were large enough to fit rolling platforms through and in the openings they had painted white vinyl flaps. (like what you would see at a warehouse) they had two Greek ionic columns on the middle flat of the building and the whole set was graffiti over as well. They also had a small thrust in front of the stage.

I hope y’all are able to help me, thank you

i have my thespian competition next week. i’m doing two pieces that require loads of belting. i got sick earlier this week, lost my voice for a few days. it’s still SUPER sore and i’m worried i may have a sinus infection as well (getting it checked tomorrow). does anybody know anything that could help me power through my songs? even if it’s a temporary remedy i really need it.

Hi, any theatre artists / playwrights around?

What are some of the AI technologies you have seen being used?

Are you using AI for any stage of theatre making and if yes, how so?

#AI #Theatre #Playwriting

Hey, all, I need some advice on college.

I’m a current high school senior who would really like to go to NY, Boston, or LA for school. My top two schools are NYU and USC right now, and I’m pretty confident I’ll get into both academically. However, I can’t exactly afford that.

My dad lost his job this year but the tax data from the year before on the FAFSA means we aren’t getting much financial aid. My parents don’t support my dream and have been adamant that they are not going to help me pay nor co-sign on loans.

On the flip side, I got into my top school in-state, University of Northern Colorado, and I am in the honors program and have scholarships there that total more than their tuition annually. Plus, thanks to an in-state offer, My first year’s total cost there would be covered, housing and all. My girlfriend is also going here and if I commit early I could get a dorm with a private bathroom and kitchen to share with her.

Would it be worth it to hold out hope and see if I can get scholarships enough to cover the outrageous cost of attendance out of state at schools like Juilliard, Boston U, USC, and NYU, but lose out on a great in-state dorm and early bird prices with my girlfriend, or should I commit early and stay in state and graduate guaranteed debt-free and then move to NY after?

On that note, is it even worth it to go out of state at all?

Hii! I'm 17f and I am the lead in my school musical. My character has a love interest and I've never had a boyfriend before so I feel like I'm a bit awkward with the whole romance thing. Just to see if anyone has any advice please :)

I am hoping to direct a show in a theatre showcase next year, but it’s for one act shows only, and I want to do a gay/lesbian piece. No preference on genre.

I have had little success with google, does anybody have suggestions? Would be much appreciated!

hey all! im looking for a good bag to put all the essentials in that is also aesthetic enough for my little pins and things like that! i don't like totes because they hurt my arm but anything else would be great! thank you!

I have no idea if this is the right sub for this question, but I'm looking to watch the 2019 National Theatre production of the Lehman Trilogy directed by Sam Mendes. Any help at all would be appreciated :)

I recently found out I’m pregnant. While the pregnancy was planned and wanted, I’m finding myself mourning potential theater roles I won’t be able to do, and how long it may be before I do any theater again.

For context, I mainly do community and independent theater, and I’m in my early 30s.

For those of you with children, how long did it take post-pregnancy to be able to commit to a production again? I’m also aware that kids age you and am mourning the fact that some of my dream roles that I’m already on the verge of aging out of will probably never come to be now.

Any advice? Words of wisdom? Thank you.

I performed both dukes at another nearby theatre about twelve years ago. I have never reprised before and I am very excited. It was nice, because the director said he wanted me in the show on the spot. My audition piece was the Chorus at the top of Henry V, which I've had at performance level for some time now, and it's a wonderfully written monologue too. Of course it's wonderfully written, it's Shakespeare. When I looked at my lines again it was like I had tracings in the my head that had been floating around for ten years looking to be filled again by words. My memorization is going to be really easy and much more deeper than the first go around. Having the experience of performing the roles before will allow me to delve so much more deeply into backstories, motivations, and all kinds of dramatugical references for which I did not have the time to persue the first time. Beyond that, I look forward to hearing the play recited over and over again each night. When I did the show back then I would take every chance to stop backstage and just let the bard's words wash over me. (Sorry to get sappy). I do like Shakespeare. I'd love anyone's input on all this.

So I'm my highschools theatre clubs vice president, and our theatre program sucks to put it lightly. We have no microphones, no costumes,no props from previous years or anything. We get no funding and my school is very picky with how/who they let fundraise (so far we have like $180 saved up). Last year we had an ok turnout but we want to do a big spring show and we want to have a somewhat mainstream play so people actually come. But we can't do a musical because half the kids can't sing and we only have 15 kids. So I'm really struggling to figure something out. I would really appreciate if anyone could give me some advice on what plau to pick or just overall 😿.

Edit: Ok so what I'm getting is basically, ignore microphones get everyone to project, do a simple Shakespeare play, and for costumes either go simple/thrift or sew. Thank you so much everyone with the help!!!

We are starting to plan for the next play for high school. But we can’t find any play. I was hoping that Reddit might help us.

We need a play with 9 roles where every character is female or it can be adapted as such. No romance. We already made the adaptation of “The House of Bernarda Alba” and “A Murder Is Announced”

Thank you!

Hi folks! With none of us in shows for the coming season, my friends and I have decided to put on a play together just for fun in the basement of my house that I’ve converted into a mini DIY show space. There are 5, potentially 6 of us participating, with one person who only wants a smaller role and is willing to step out if we find a really perfect piece with a smaller cast size. We are all also community organizers and are ideally hoping to find something with relevant political themes, queer themes, or that uplifts leftist political values, but if it doesn’t have any of that we’ll live. More important is that we’re hoping for something with a good mix of comedy and raw/emotional moments. Thanks for any help!

EDIT: we have no gender preferences but the cast is all women & non-binary folks

EDIT: cast is very racially diverse, something with mostly white characters (where race is important to the script) won’t work

I don't even know if this fits the topic of this subreddit. I've spent days searching for a more appropriate subreddit to post this on and couldn't. Anyways here it goes.

So there's me who wanted to watch Victor Hugo's Ruy Blas online and couldn't find anything then I said let's go for something less ambitious and more well known perhaps I'll definitely find that, right? So I searched for Goethe's Faust and again nothing at this point I couldn't believe it. I thought there must definitely be an archive or website where I can find it, there's no way these theatrical works have been lost forever.

Actually most of the time I watch opera works like, let's say, Rigoletto. When I watch these works I watch them in their native language (Italian in Rigoletto's case) it must a recording of a stage (no movie adaptations) and it should've been shot in 1950 onwards. I've enjoyed several opera works this way already but can't find any plays.

I just can't believe it..

I'm currently preparing a play where I play some nazi torturer and for that I have to be sadistic, i think i'm starting to get the flow of the character, but i still want to affine my playing, and for that i need to know how do i look sadistic, I wanna know what's makes you able to tell just by his attitude that a dude is a dangerous sly mf

Hi! I'm looking to audition first time for a local theater. They are putting on 7 musicals, one of which is Bring it On (which I'd ideally be in ensemble for), but I'd be happy to be cast in any. I have danced kpop for a long time and have beginner ballet training. I have a lot of kpop choreo in my repertoire - can I use that at all or do i need to put something else together? I used to perform and I really miss it. I love musicals and would do anything to be a part!! I think I'll have about a month to put something else together if necessary.

I did tech (light design mainly, but also set design and costume) for 4 years when I was in undergrad, which I also greatly enjoyed. But it doesn't appear they're looking for that rn.

Thank you🩷

I'm in 12th grade and we're looking for a good play that we can use as our class play. We need a play with multiple roles, we want to stand up for something as a community and give the audience a message that is currently important. We're also good at creatively redesigning things, but we need a suitable foundation that we can build on.

Thanks for any suggestions!!

I’m in my freshman year of high school, and I want to become a theatre kid because I’ve always loved acting, and have done voice acting gigs in the past. But something that’s been on my mind is stopping me from auditioning at all. I have short term memory loss, and I’m worried that it could affect my performance in auditions or performances. Along with me having dyspraxia, which causes me to have trouble dancing. Is it still possible for me to do good in an audition despite my disabilities? Advice from anyone with a similar problem?