{"id":301,"date":"2014-05-07T15:31:45","date_gmt":"2014-05-07T20:31:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theatre1234.com\/?p=301"},"modified":"2014-05-07T16:14:36","modified_gmt":"2014-05-07T21:14:36","slug":"the-beginning-may-8-may-12-preview-chart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/theatre1234.com\/?p=301","title":{"rendered":"The Beginning: May 8 – May 12 (Preview & Chart)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Look!<\/a>
Look! A list of plays that are playing in Chicago! Go see one! Go see more than one!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Right. \u00a0Serious chat time. \u00a0Before I get to talking about this week’s chart and what plays on it excite me, I want to give a moment or two over to the topic of behavior. \u00a0Specifically, pre-show behavior. \u00a0On the part of those attending shows, those reviewing shows, and those who are on the production side of things (i.e. house managers, ushers, ticket sellers, actors, etc.)<\/p>\n

You may or may not have realized this, but the experience of attending a play isn’t only comprised of the time spent viewing the performance itself. \u00a0For me, when I’m reviewing a show, I start making my observations long before the curtain rises (or in the case of most Chicago theatre performances, prior to the curtain speech). \u00a0That’s because as consumers of theatre, you and I are affected by what goes on around us. \u00a0A show may be objectively brilliant, let’s say that it’s the best show since the invention of footlights (the actual lights, not the theatrical program publisher), but that might not be the perception you come away with if an usher is horribly rude to you just moments before the show begins.<\/p>\n

Human interaction goes both ways, though. \u00a0Audience members and reviewers can be badly behaved and have an effect on what’s to come performance-wise, too.<\/p>

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Well, that’s a bunch of generality that says very little, Chris. \u00a0What are you trying to get at?<\/p>\n

Okay, so… I went to three plays this past weekend. \u00a0At each of the three shows I was directly reminded of my thoughts on the subject of how one ought to behave at the theatre. \u00a0Two of the shows for the worse. \u00a0One for the better.<\/p>\n

The first show of the week was “Attack at Bikini Werewolf Beach: Part II”. \u00a0You can see my review on CenterstageChicago.com<\/a>, if you so choose. \u00a0Occasionally, when I go to review a show, the various reviewers in town welcome each other, say hello, and chat a bit prior to the show. \u00a0That’s what happened at the press opening of “The Way West” at Steppenwolf earlier this year. \u00a0Even when the air of friendly familiarity isn’t in our midst, the reviewers normally know when the others are there. \u00a0So, I can safely tell you that there were 3 reviewers in the audience of the show on Friday night. \u00a0I can even tell you that given their reactions, the other two were split on their opinions of the show. \u00a0One was really into it. \u00a0The other looked like his childhood pet’s funeral was more enjoyable. \u00a0Nevertheless, their opinions of the production aren’t what I take issue with. \u00a0After all, it’s our jobs to have opinions, and I hope that mine aren’t exactly the same as anyone else’s, otherwise why would you bother reading my stuff?<\/p>\n

No, what I take issue with is that one of the reviewers whipped out his phone\/camera and took a picture of the set previous to the show. \u00a0That’s not a big deal, you might say. \u00a0But, really it is. \u00a0As reviewers, we are normally given photos by the producing companies to use in our stories. \u00a0They’re edited, and captioned, and everything. \u00a0They are also photos that we are given permission to use. \u00a0That is the rub, right there. \u00a0Now, I don’t hide the fact that I work in this field, in addition to critiquing it. \u00a0As a producer, I always make sure that my program states very clearly that no photographs are allowed. \u00a0Why? \u00a0Because the designs of each and every part of the production belongs to someone. \u00a0Namely, the designers. \u00a0That photo of the set was taken without the expressed permission of the set designer, and is therefore potentially infringing upon the designer’s rights. \u00a0Perhaps there were mitigating circumstances. \u00a0Perhaps the reviewer in question needed that photo to refer to later, to jog his memory while writing his article. \u00a0While I’d still take issue with shooting the photo to begin with, I can understand the reasoning behind that. \u00a0However, I watched said reviewer tweet the photo from his phone. \u00a0Just because one is a reviewer doesn’t mean that they get to do the things that the rest of an audience doesn’t get to do. \u00a0The title of reviewer doesn’t let you be a bad example.<\/p>\n

At some point, I might\u00a0accidentally (not so accidentally) start a war of words with another critic in town. \u00a0Douchebaggery is likely to be the cause. \u00a0If you write reviews, you’re already giving people enough reasons to dislike you from time to time. \u00a0Don’t ensure it by being an asshat*, too.<\/p>\n

The 2nd show of the weekend was “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”. \u00a0(Review here<\/a>). \u00a0I’d been having a pretty good night up until the moment that one of the house management\/usher staff made my row move seats in order to create more seats together. \u00a0Here’s the thing: \u00a0I understand that a sold out show has to have someone that controls how the audience sits and makes sure that everyone can have a seat, preferably with the people they came with. \u00a0What I don’t understand is the lack of common courtesy in taking those actions. \u00a0The lack of “I’m sorry for the inconvenience”, or even a “Please”, is disturbing. \u00a0I don’t know about you, but I don’t normally go out to the theatre to be bossed around and treated rudely. \u00a0If that’s what I wanted out of my evening out, I’d go to Ed Debevic’s<\/a>. \u00a0They do the rude thing in a fun way that’s expected. \u00a0Oddly enough, it colored the entire evening for me. \u00a0Not that it ruined my night, but it’s now three days later, and the two or three sentences said to me by the young woman are still affecting my feelings toward Porchlight’s operation. \u00a0Not too seriously, but enough that I’m writing about it. \u00a0Wot wot**?<\/p>\n

Show #3 of the weekend was at the same place as show #2. \u00a0And so it is that I come to find that Stage 773 has a very friendly bartender with a lot of cool knowledge about the products they’re serving. \u00a0Makes for a great bit of ambiance prior to the show. \u00a0The house manager of that show was friendly and helpful, too. \u00a0All in all, I was put in a better situation to enjoy the show by decent treatment. \u00a0For those of us in the business of putting on plays, it has to be part of our job to make sure that our audience wants to see another play after this one, or we go out of business really quickly. \u00a0For those of us who review plays, we have to remember that our actions are not only for the benefit of our readers, but also those whom we write about. \u00a0We must treat both sides with respect. \u00a0We don’t necessarily have to be nice, but we do have to be fair. \u00a0And when it comes down to it, we have to remember to behave.<\/p>\n

* Use of the word “asshat” is in honor of my former agent and friend, Tom Poole. \u00a0RIP.
\n** Use of the word “wot” is because it’s one of my favorite words that is seldom used nowadays.<\/p>\n

Now… on to the chart for this week: \u00a0I’m seeing two shows for CenterstageChicago.com this week, and therefore will only be rolling the dice once on my own chart. \u00a0There are a number of new shows on there. \u00a0In fact, there’s nothing on the chart now that closes before June 1. \u00a0That’s sort of thrilling in a way. \u00a0It’s got me thinking about summer. \u00a0It’s also a bit scary in a way. \u00a0My own company’s “Master Works: The Degas Plays<\/a>” closes on June 1 (it opens May 29, in case you want to attend). \u00a0Time is rushing by fast!<\/p>\n

Ready for some randomness? \u00a0Here we go!<\/p>\n