I am very sorry you were offended. It was absolutely never my intent to offend anyone. If I did, I apologize. My intent, as my previous answer tries to explain, was to encourage theatre managers and members to strive to do their best to make an evening at the theatre an event to be cherished by those who pay for the experience.

I also want to explain that perhaps I should have defined “small theatre” in the piece. I was referring to the very small spaces, usually covered here in LA by the 99 seat Waiver Agreement (theatres seating under 99 people operate under a special agreement with Actors Equity relieving them of many of the responsibilities large Equity houses must adhere to) Theatres such as you describe, in the 100 seat and up range, have much larger budgets and employ full time house managers, maintenance staffs and often have a subscription base that provide them with the economic power to make their spaces very comfortable. You are very fortunate to be able to perform in them. I hope you understand that yours is not the kind of space I was referring.

I’m glad you were able to tell everyone about the wonderful experiences available at your theatre.

P.C.Clarke

As an actor in small and regional theaters, I was offended by your generalization of small theaters. Theaters such as the Long Beach Playhouse, Newport Theatre Arts Center and Gem Theatre in Garden Grove may have less than 200 seats, but they have loyal subscribers and take great pride in their theaters. They have Gala nights where champagne and hors d’oeuvres are served for typically only $5 more per ticket. They provide snacks and drinks at intermission and the volunteers are helpful and happy to be there. After my most recent performance, I spoke with some patrons who said they were “new” to attending live theater, but now prefer spending a night at the theater over going to a movie.

Maybe the scene in downtown LA is a different one, but don’t take down all the small theaters that produce great work and have loyal audiences. There are small theater enthusiasts out there (that aren’t actors) and I am so grateful they aren’t as cynical as you about attending a performance!

What I found thought provoking was your take on the lack of care in small theaters (I refuse to spell “theater” with an “re”, but please don’t let that colour your opinion of me). I’m fairly new to the world of small theater and have only seen, maybe, twenty plays tops, but I do share your feelings about the dinginess of some lobbies, crossing the stage to use the restroom and waiting on the street or packed tightly in the lobby until the audience can be seated. I’ve also sat in folding chairs that were brought on in the last minute to accommodate the “extra” audience members, sometimes sitting so close to the stage I often felt like yelling “Line!”. Until I read your article I just accepted it as status quo, but you’re correct, more care should be taken to ensure a better experience, especially when a ticket can cost twenty-five dollars.

I’m not sure if actors don’t care as much as they don’t know, though, as you said. It’s the old right brain/left brain thing, I suppose. Is it that they are so caught up in the play, their performance and everything else that encompasses being an actor, that they just have never thought about possibly breaking out the glass cleaner and wiping off the door? I suspect it could be the “that’s not my job” syndrome, that somehow all of that will magically get done, or, quite possibly, they are completely ignorant of the business aspect of theater. I didn’t state that out of disrespect to actors as a whole, it’s just that most people have their strong suits and, I believe, for most actors, it’s acting, not business. However, once made aware of these problems (such as your article has done), I feel it’s an actor’s responsibility to learn what can be done to improve the audience’s experience and implement this knowledge.

I understand that small theater productions usually have a very tight budget and if the storefront that has been converted into a theater has the bathroom in the back, there’s not much that can be done about that, but actors who cannot afford large entourages have to be aware of the quality of the entire production, from programs to clean lobbies. It only takes a few dollars and a little elbow grease to spruce up any public area. It would behoove them to stop for a moment, step back, and really take a look at their “space”. Then ask themselves, “do I feel welcome?”

Thank you, Mr. Clarke, for, hopefully, opening many eyes. By the way, does P. C. stand for Politically Correct?

Sincerely,

Steve Mancini