Theatre Geeks

Mary Olendorf, a 68-year veteran of community theatre, from New Buffalo, Michigan, talks about her years in theatre, the festival system, and the value of community theatre. This is an interview Dave did during the Indiana Community Theatre League Festival in March. Music was provided by Music Alley.

Theatre Festivals allow for some collegial competition between community theatre groups. In this show, recorded before the Indiana Community Theatre League competition, John, Dave and Marcia talk about the pros and cons of such festivals, along with some caveats for theatres planning to participate in their state or regional festival(s). Music provided by Music Alley.

Dave interviews the cast of one of two productions of Martin McDonagh's The Pillow Man at the Indiana Community Theatre League Festival

The Geeks interview Ross Rowland, Past President of the Indiana Community Theatre League, and active festival adjudicator in the USA and internationally.

When the adjudicators (judges) at a theatre festival evaluate the competition, how do they make their evaluations?

Sometimes talented actors can become difficult to deal with, for director, crew and fellow cast members. The diva, or prima donna, can be a special challenge.

What to do about those pesky cusswords?  Many modern plays have explicit language, unlike most of the classics we grew up with.  With changing artistic standards, community theatres often have to make the choice to produce or not produce a particular play, to use substitute words (even though licensing contracts usually forbid it) or just go for broke and risk losing an audience, depending on community sensitivities.  The Geeks (John Shoup, Marcia Fulmer and Dave Dufour) take a stab at this sometimes touchy topic of interest. Music for Theatre Geeks comes from Music Alley. Thanks to Ricky Fields for suggesting the topic for this episode of Theatre Geeks.

In this episode of Theatre Geeks, we have more with children's playwright Kevin M. Reese and the Geeks: Dave Dufour, John Shoup and Marcia Fulmer.  The gang talks about the differences between children's theatre (theatre performed for children by adults) and youth theatre (performed by kids for other kids, family and the public.) Find out more at www.kmrscripts.com. Music provided by Music Alley at musicalley.com

A visit with playwright Kevin M. Reese Children's playwright Kevin M. Reese joins the Geeks for a lively conversation about the art, craft and business of writing, selling and producing plays for kids.  Kevin is the owner of KMR Scripts in the Wichita, Kansas area, and has been writing, selling and producing his plays since 1993. Find out more at www.kmrscripts.com

Donors are the lifeblood of many not-for-profit organizations and community theatres are no exception.  Join the Geeks, plus Rick Ellis and fund-raising/not-for-profit expert Kristin Schwerha-Scott as we discuss the development, care and feeding of your theatre's donor base.  Yes, even in an economic downturn, you CAN have effective fund-raising and development. This is the third of our "anniversary" episodes recorded live at the Daily Grind in Elkhart, Indiana.  Best coffee and atmosphere anywhere -- thanks to Tanya and her crew. Music provided by Music Alley.

Youth theatre and children's theatre represent great opportunities for community theatres to grow their audiences and train the next generation of players at the same time.  This week, in the second of three episodes from Elkhart's Daily Grind, the Geeks, along with guest panelist Rick Ellis, discuss some of the joys and pitfalls of youth and children's theatre programs.  On hand is theatre mom and fund-raising professional Kristin Schwerha-Scott and Penny Meyers, an Elkhart Civic Theatre member with long experience working with that troupe's youth program. Throw in great coffee from the Grind and you've got yourself a show! Music provided by Music Alley. This is our 26th show -- that means we've been on the net for a full year! YAY!

The Geeks present their picks for community theatre "must do" plays and musicals.  Classics, contemporary shows, comedies, tragedies, reviews;  they're all candidates, but which will be blessed by the Geeks?  Guest Geek Rick Ellis joins us in this episode, the first of three taped live in October at Elkhart's Daily Grind, with a real live audience. Music for this episode was provided by Music Alley. Ambience by the Daily Grind, 113 East Lexington Ave., Elkhart.  Thanks to Tanya and her crew for the best coffee on the planet. Thanks also to Dave's daughters Paige Dufour (technical assistance as chatroom monitor and webcam operator) and Demarée Dufour-Noneman (photography).  Also thanks to Elkhart Civic Theatre and Mark Potuck, for loaning us some audio equipment. Special thanks to those who showed up to sip coffee and enjoy the shows.

Audience etiquette takes center stage as John Shoup, Dave Dufour, Marcia Fulmer and guest Geek Randy Zonker vent about the things some theatre patrons do to make things less enjoyable for other patrons.

What's the first thing your patrons judge  your theatre by?  It's not the quality of the play.  More likely, it's the cleanliness of  your restrooms, the competence of your box office staff, and the friendliness of your ushers.  These are all part of your theatre's public face, and are the things that say you care about your patrons and the quality of their experience with you, and they're all part of a good house manager's responsibility. In this episode the Geeks, along with Guest Geek Randy Zonker, talk about the importance of having competent house managers, and reveal a little bit about the house manager training program at our home theatre in Indiana. Music for this episode was provided by Music Alley at musicalley.com Photo by Kimberlee Kessler in Sydney, Australia at www.kimberleekessler.com.

In community theatre, lighting is often considered something of a (no pun intended) dark art.  Many theatres consider lighting last, when  it's an integral part of creating moods, adding texture and content, and moving the play's action forward (besides just making sure the audience can see the action.) Episode 22 focuses on lighting design, as the Geeks welcome guest and lighting wiz Randy Zonker to talk about everything from working with directors and climbing ladders, all of which are the job of the lighting designer/technician. Randy also talks about how and why he got started doing lighting in community theatre, and why it continues to be a satisfying artistic outlet.