All the World’s a Stage… is it Community Theatre?

To quote an earlier post:  “Would anyone out there like to hire a competent and well-rounded theatre person?  The only theatre position at which I do not believe I could perform well is head electrician.  Actually, I’m only a mediocre scenic designer, and I’ve only ever designed lights with a pre-fixed lighting grid, but I’m a fair hand at most everything else, and I am absolutely invaluable during strike (bring on the heavy lifting and the power tools!!).  I act, produce, direct, design, stage manage, and work tech/crew with comparable verve, and I’m even skilled at things like web design and office filing.  I write decent plays.  While we’re at it, I’ve been told I’m an excellent teacher, though I consider teaching a secondary passion to theatre.  I’d take a job teaching theatre, certainly, especially if I could produce, direct, or perform on the side.”

To expand on that, I feel that I can give myself points for not feeding into other people’s daily, off-stage and back-stage dramas.  That’s what has made me a successful producer in the past, certainly, though I’ll admit that in my experience it can make angry people angrier when others do not rise to the occasion and become angry in return.  I strive to treat people with courtesy, politeness, and respect, even if they are not extending me the same kindness.  I’m realizing more and more in recent days that that is my real and true strength as a human resource.  I make it a point to be professional about the way I perform my world-stage’s acting role (playing the role of 100% myself, of course!  I wouldn’t want it any other way).  I suppose it would be unfair of me to expect full-out professional quality acting work from the world at large in daily interactions, though, because I’m pretty sure that if all the world’s a stage, it’s clearly the universe’s largest instance of community theatre ^_^.  Community theatre is valuable, vital, worthwhile, and important, but not necessarily held to the same standards as the shows one would expect to see on the West End or Broadway.  Such is life.  At the very least, it’s awfully entertaining!

I dearly hope to find myself in the thick of a threatre company soon, because I know I have so much to give and would love to give it.  I miss being a part of a defined artistic team.  I’m sure there are a great many theatre people in the same boat, though, at the moment.  Competition is fierce!  I suppose that all I can do is wait, hope, and continue to apply to every position I can find.  Wish me luck!