It’s been a curious process. I’m so used to putting in maybe 10 hours of preparation to do one impro show and this time round I’ve done 70 or 80 hours of preparation to put on 12 shows. The problem is that being rehearsed, people’s expectations are higher. I was quite surprised at how quiet a full audience was and figured it just wasn’t going so well, but then afterwards the rest of the cast were delighted about how appreciative they’d been.
I’ve become spoiled by Impro audiences who hoot with delight at the merest hint of cleverness. In scripted theatre you’ve really got to work.
It’s time to kick some ass or words to that effect.
Of course the other thing to wrestle with is that the theatre shows are getting reviews. Not just ‘I liked it and want to share my delight’ style reviews, but ‘My job is to write reviews and here are the things that I didn’t like’ ones. It takes the wind out of your sails when your pour your heart and soul into a project only to have someone mention that maybe you shouldn’t have bothered. Still, there’s always at least one really nice thing to read in each review. And the positive ones are like a drug.
Of course the other thing to wrestle with is that the theatre shows are getting reviews. Not just I liked it and want to share my delight
style reviews, but My job is to write reviews and here are the things that I didn’t like
ones. It takes the wind out of your sails when your pour your heart and soul into a project only to have someone mention that maybe you shouldn’t have bothered. Still, there’s always at least one really nice thing to read in each review. And the positive ones are like a drug.
Am I addicted yet? No.
But maybe I’ll become a casual user.
Smart enough to know better 