JOB DESCRIPTION: When the show is going bad

[MatthewShiner]

So, you are sitting in rehearsal for a show, and you get the growing feeling the show is going to be bad.  Maybe really bad.  Or maybe just not what the producer was looking for.  Or the director is taking the show to a really bad place.  Is it part of your job to alert the producer/artistic director?

Just wondering people's thoughts about this - since often our job is to maintain the show, but rarely do we get a chance to make it better.

[sievep]

I think, ultimately, we are there to facilitate the artistic vision of the director.  Since not everyone has the same definition of "bad", I don't think it's our place to say something if you think the show is headed in the wrong direction.  Ultimately, the artistic director should be checking in to make sure the piece is following the artistic vision of the company.  I'm sure some of us have been in a situation where the entire direction of a piece was changed late in the process due to the Artistic Director's requests.

[Sarah]

I agree with Paul. We are to facilitate the director's vision. In the same vein, if the director asks you your opinion of a scene, or the show, do you give it? It always makes me uncomfortable to give my opinion of a crappy show/scene, even if the director asks, and even if couched in the most forgiving language.

[KMC]

In my opinion the SM team is an arm of the theatre's management, ultimately reporting to the producer.  While yes, we are there to facilitate the director's vision, our ultimate responsibility lies with management and to look out for the best interests of the theatre as a whole.  The vast majority of the time the director's vision of the show will fall in line with management's best interest, however in some situations that will not be the case. 

[Jessie_K]

I can't think of the best way to word all of this.

Having been "caught" in between a director and a producer before, I recommend keeping out of it as much as possible.  If you even hint at getting yourself set up as a "spy" or "reporter" to the producer, it will destroy any control you have in rehearsal.

PM me if you want examples of what I went through.

[Sarah]

Well said, Jessie.

[MatthewShiner]

At the end of the day, I don't work for the director, I work alongside the director.  My producer is the one who hires me, the producer is the one I work for.

What if the producer comes and asks you for their opinion?

(I know I am in a very different situation in that I am a resident production stage manager - where it's very apparent I work for the theatre)

[Jessie_K]

Again, based on a very negative experience I had, where the producer did come to me and ask for such info, I would caution you.  I recommend inviting the producer to watch rehearsal and schedule it with the director.  But I would not insert opinions of my own or be willing to report back outside of standard rehearsal report.

You work FOR the producer, WITH the director but IN the rehearsal.  Keep your rehearsal space sacred.

[maximillionx]

I would have to agree with Jessie.  If you have a sneaking suspicion that the show is bad, then invite the producer.  And maybe this is the naive student part of my mind speaking, but shouldn't the producer be keeping an eye on the rehearsal by attending every once in a while?

From what I have experienced in college and part-time work, the artistic direction of a show should be left to the artistic staff and how smoothly a show runs and is managed should be left to the managerial staff.  This can change from theatre to theatre though probably, depending on how members of the theatre work with each other.

Sarah and sievep pose a good question however: if you are asked your opinion, shouldn't you answer honestly?

[sievep]

I agree with Jessie . . if I'm asked for my opinion by a producer, I invite them to rehearsal.  If I'm asked for my opinion by a director, it's usually a good sign they know something is wrong and I then ask the question right back to them. They should be able to think their way out of that dilemma.

On the rarest of rare occasions I have given artistic advice to a director who is a dear friend of mine, but I don't think that's the situation of which we speak. 

[SMrose]

Been there (as many of you have been, too).  In my situation, the producers were very involved (as it was their $$$) and one producer recognized that the director was..frankly..a bad director.  That director was replaced just before tech rehearsals began and although the cast was a little upset--the show was much better for it and ran 5 months!
If the producers had not been involved--I would have politely suggested (or insist--in a polite way) that they sit in on a rehearsal as was mentioned in this thread.

[ScooterSM]

Would you go to the producer if you had a set designer who insisted on creating an area on the set that was unsafe your actors, or a costume designer who designed costumes with the actors' bottoms hanging out for a childrens' show? Of course you would. Professionally, discreetly, however you would need to do it, but it is part of your job to keep everyone informed of what is happening in the rehearsal room.  As everyone has said, inviting them to a rehearsal is a much better way that running in their office shouting "This show STINKS!!!!".  Also think about whether the show is just not your personal taste or if there are real problems that need to be dealt with at the producer level.
Just MHO...

[zayit shachor]

Would you go to the producer if you had a set designer who insisted on creating an area on the set that was unsafe your actors, or a costume designer who designed costumes with the actors' bottoms hanging out for a childrens' show?

I'm not sure this analogy corresponds to the situation that Matthew put forward, though.  I think that this is more similar to going to the producer if you think the set isn't detailed enough or the costumes are ugly.

[MatthewShiner]

Scooter's analogy is an extreme example of the situation, but oddly I have been in very similar situations - unsafe set design and inappropriateness on a show that is schedule to have multiple school performances.

I think the core question at the heart is, is there ever a point when you are watching the show where it might be so BAD, so different then what is being advertised, so different then what the artistic director/producer are expecting - do you feel have the responsibility to speak up?  How you speak up is the next step - and most of agree, that really want you would prompt is either the artistic director/producer coming to rehearsal, or, at the very least, starting a conversation.

Now, there may also be a situation where both you and the director agree the show is going bad - wrong casting - bad scenic design - not enough rehearsal time - whatever - it may not be a situation where you are "snitching" on the director . . . .

(I know that I come from the perspective of being NOT a free-lance SM, but a resident SM, and have a very big investment in the theatre, not always the director.)

[Sarah]

At the end of the day, I don't work for the director, I work alongside the director.

[Aside: I wish the majority of directors felt the same way.]

I can count on one hand the number of really great shows on which I have worked. I can count on both hands and both feet (x10) the number of "shows" on which I have worked. Most were solid and delivered the goods, but some of them were klunkers, no matter who might've stepped into the room to watch. I've worked on shows I was certain were garbage but audiences ate up with hedonistic abandon.

As much as we'd like to ensure that every show we usher to opening will be fantastic, that will never, ever be the case. It always hurts my feelings, yet I have to accept it [but I don't have to like it] and make strides to better the show in the ways that are most feasible to me. And, you must remember, that our paying audiences have very, very different tastes than those of us who look closely at the same product for 8 hours a day, for x weeks of rehearsal. Step back, try to look with an objective eye and see if you still feel the same. If you do, try to find the threads you can weave into a safety net. Then invite the producer to watch and hope for the best.