I’m a person who really likes to get involved, with anything, really. I have a wide range of interests, and often like to find out more or get some hands on experience. That’s why I write for the school paper, tried and am training for both track and rugby, singing in choirs, work at several places, am learning chinese opera, volunteer for events, and now, it may seem, I’ve got myself involved with the local asian canadian theatre.
I think it’s a lie when I say I don’t plan to be this busy; to some extent, I do. I like seeing new things, and meeting new people, so I put myself out there. Being with the paper definitely taught me a few things in meeting new people and making things happen for yourself, which is terrific. But I digress.
What I really want to talk about is, the curious nibbet of realisation I’ve had so far. So I had emailed the volunteers coordinator for the local asian canadian theatre about volunteering, maybe with the lighting or sound, something I’ve always wanted to get better at. I get an email to meet up with the founder of the group, and so I did.
And I kind of expected what happened next. Besides being told what the group was all about and checking what my availability was, I was also somehow roped in to help with the marketing, aka put up posters and tell my friends to come watch the shows.
The same thing happened with my other group. They were all so keen for me to get onboard, so I could get my friends to come watch the shows.
To be honest, most of my friends are immensely broke. I lived with some of them, and I was also as broke as them. For an entire month, I survived on rice and onions because I couldn’t afford groceries, though that was a bad month. But you get the idea. No one was going to pay $30 unless it was a really good show. And really, if they did pay that much to watch a show of yours, they would only do so if you were one of the leads at the very least.
I don’t mind helping with the marketing, but I can’t gurantee anything. I hate feeling like I have to do it, being pressured into doing this. And I barely know these people. I hate how they get super excited and optimistic when they tell me how it’s so hard to sell tickets now, and how would I feel asking my friends to come for the shows?
The lady I met with talked about how it’s so hard to get kids from my generation to come out and watch plays, but I don’t think it’s true. Well, not entirely true. I, personally, find it extremely hard to get out of campus and sit on the transit for hours just to catch a play. I usually can’t afford to watch the plays (writing reviews for your school paper = free tickets), and I usually also don’t have the time or energy. I do watch plays, but only if it’s by a really good company, a really good play, or on campus. If plays were more affordable, I would go more often.
All the theatre groups I’m involved with are very niche-d groups; they kind of only cater to a certain type of people, which isn’t bad. It’s just harder to push for sales.
Oh well. I guess that is a problem with most independant theatre groups. It’s all about earning at least just enough so you can put up another show after the last.
Ok. I realise there is no “point” to this post, so I’m going off. Studying for finals really put my off me regular sleeping schedule.
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