The Death Of The Theatre Program

Pls help me remember the name of the non-existant person that was traditionally inserted in the cast or crew of plays early 20th century. We always added this name in our programs as an inside joke, but now I"m old. Guess the joke's on me!

Thanks....

I just want to add to what a few others have talked about in this post.

The program, in its current form, is a huge revenue source for theatres. Not only in the direct advertising money that is generated, but also in terms of contributed income. Donors (individual and corporate) want to be recognized for their gifts, and they want their friends to know about it. Along with that, we want to thank them to increase the likelihood of future donations. Yes, that list can be found on most theatre's websites, but more people will glance through the program than explore a theatre's sometimes complicated website.

I think providing an audience member with "context" for the piece is a wonderful idea. I too have seen lobby displays and such aiming to provide a richer understanding and enjoyment of the piece. I applaud this movement, and hope that in the future we find additional ways to enrich the experience of our audience.

Great post by Broadway producer about this same topic: http://www.theproducersperspective.com/my_weblog/2009/01/if-youre-enviornmentally-concious-this-post-may-make-you-puke.html

Chloe, this is a really interesting post, and has clearly raised passions. As a sometime programme editor myself, it prompted me to reflect on what audiences might need and how the process works, and I've posted some thoughts on my own AJ blog. But I agree that it's useful to have at least a cast sheet during the performance, and I think can be helpful, and stimulating, to have a lot more than that in your hand. Of course, as Dana Ivey writes, bios are taken very seriously by those involved (ditto funding credits, or the dreary intros... as a rule of thumb the less likely an audience is to read it, the longer the discussion it entails for the publications team). I feel that a good, lively programme will stimulate thought and debate - and I don't see why that has to be solely in print or solely digital. A multi-platform approach in which these forms complement each other, raising ideas along with income, seems a good way to go.

Though I agree on several points, I don't think I could get through a production (especially a musical) without a program. In part, it is because I like to look up the names and resumes of actors I find particularly good or bad, and in part because I like to be able to tell where we are in the show.

One thing we forget is that programs are an effective form of advertising for the theatre itself. Though many of them are left in the trash or on the floor at the end of the show, just as many or more are brought up with the audience at the end of the night. Then, this will be found in a purse or the backseat of a car months later, and that person will remember the (hopefully) good time they had at that particular theatre and be more likely to return because of that tangible reminder.

Three thoughts on this:

1. imagine the little lights flashing in the darkened auditorium during the performance as people access their programmes on hand held gizmos; is that better or worse than the discreet rustle of a theatre programme?

2. Loss of revenue - it would need to be made up through ads on the electronic version - probably neutral as long as the theatre/performance company negotiated well.

3. Archive...... we know about past performances for centuries through, in part, theatre programmes; how will future theatre practitioners/researchers access a digital archive? Is there funding already in place to ensure this happens? (answer NO - web sites, blogs etc are not being captured for posterity.)

I'm not suggesting a luddite solution, and practical needs have to be tailored to thechnical possibilities - so come on Gates & Jobs, you've given us instant technological possibilities, now give us the means to archive them for the future.

For actors, it is very important to be listed and have a bio. Maybe most people don't read bios of the cast, but they are very important to the actors. I doubt actors would want to work in a situation that didn't allow them and/or their names to be published and recognized. An actor hopes that people will want to know more about them and their credits. Most actors are not paid much and the slight recognition of the program listing and bio are part of what makes it worthwhile.

Now there's a design challenge: a non-paper program that old, crabby people would marvel at. It seems like a project perfect for a good design school student or class: the paperless theatre program.

For one local theater company, the program brings in $150,000 revenue a year. Just because you don't approve of the content and would prefer to take it electronically, or omit it altogether, well, speak for yourself. I disagree and like programs just as they are.

Quirky. Pompous. With a list of members of my community who cared enough to give a donation, a boring letter from the big cheese and sometimes pandering, sometimes fascinating bios of the actors.

As a collector of theatre programmes, I enjoy good ones. I quite like British programmes which one must pay for and I find very informative.

My biggest gripe about programmes is that actors don't seem to know how to write a professional biography anymore. Tell me what you've done; I don't want to get to know you as a person.

I'm tired of actors writing bios that sound more like acceptance speeches for awards that haven't been won. Or worse, brown-nosing thank-you's to directors and producers for casting them. You know what I mean: "Bob is so honoured to be working with this talented cast and crew and thrilled to be working with such a distinguished director as Joe Blow in this historic theatre. He wants to thank his lovely wife/life-partner/children/mother/father/pets for their love and support and dedicates his performance to his wife/life-partner/children/mother/father/pets."

What is this whole thing about dedicating one's performance? What if one's performance is lousy or critically-lambasted? What kind of honour is that dedication bestowing on the recipient? And if you were good enough to get cast, don't go publicly currying favour with those who cast you. Be grateful on your own time. Otherwise, it smacks of desperation. A professional shouldn't have to go Uriah Heeping around for being talented enough to get hired.

And do we really need the cutesy little lines like "but Bob's greatest production has been his daughter, little Megan." Please, I want to vomit when I read something like this. And I usually find it is someone's code to let you know their sexuality. More often than not, any time a wife or a same-sex partner is mentioned, thanked, or invoked as a dedicatee, it comes off as the actor announcing he is either a card-carrying heterosexual or proudly homosexual. If your partner's not in the business or somebody of note, don't mentioned them. I don't mind, "Bob live in New York, with his wife, a stage designer, and their three children." But that's as personal as it needs to get.

Just tell me your professional accomplishments and what else I might have seen you in or know you from. Don't inflict your personal life on me.

Like tickets I think programs are here to stay.
Audiences expect them and they are valuable to give the person who doesn't have time like our critic wjo gets paid for it to do a lot of research on the program. (its not like they are going to do a thesis on the play).

It also usually has a bio on the actors which they deserve and helps to develop a following.
The idea of crowds reading walls at intermission
doesn't fluy on the whole. A few might do it but most are going to the john, buying a glass of wine or talking.

Saving trees always a good idea so is recycled paper.

I'm all for saving trees, but I think we need to examine the average age of a theatergoer before dispensing with a paper program. I know it comes as a shock to anyone under 30 (maybe 40), but not everyone has a laptop, Kindle, Iphone, Blackberry or something else electronic, nor do they want their information this way. It would be a terrible disservice to the patrons as well as the actors, directors and other creative types who would go unknown were it not for printed program.

Great idea -- programs are mostly just a waste of resources. All I need is info on the cast and crew, really. The rest is fluff.

I like the idea of having this info available online so I can read it before i get to the theater. Then I can spend time before the play begins chatting with my guest instead of trying to learn who's who in the cast.

Sometimes the AD's letter is interesting and provides insight as to why the play was selected. But usually you're right, it's just a puff piece. Instead, the director could talk about it briefly in the introduction when we're told to turn off our cell phones,