I've been having an e-mail discussion with a friend of mine. I have posited the theory that in areas in and close to major cities, such as Dallas, the concept of "Community Theatre" may be past its time. The folks who used to be the backbone of such endeavors have become too busy with other things, e.g. their kids' soccer games & practices, their kids' baseball or softball games & practices, their kids' piano/ballet/karate lessons, activities related to church, etc. We've heard stories about the "over-programming" of our children's lives. What seems to be lost in many of those discussions is the necessary result of leaving adults with very little time to pursue hobbies or interests of their own.
Maybe there is still room for the Community Theatre. However, in order to survive, I believe they can't demand an inordinate amount of people's time. It's a double-edged sword. If you use local talent, it really takes more rehearsal to put up a good show, but those folks are the ones who don't have the time to commit to several week's of rehearsal. If you start using more of the regular theatre talent, you lose the nature of being a Community Theatre.
I may be completely wrong about the futility of Community Theatre in big cities and their suburbs. I'm not usually pessimistic about anything, but I'm pretty firm in my opinion on this. I'd love to hear some theories or explanations to the contrary.
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The problem may be even worse in small, rural towns. We recently had an audition for which no one showed.
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