Liz Richards Archives | Stage & Candor

Posted on October 26, 2017October 25, 2017 by admin

Line, Please!?

Hi, I’m Liz and I’ll be offering you advice on navigating the tricky situations that can come from working in or being a fan of theater.
I’ve been doing it out on my blog, fyeahgreatplays.com, for a while now, so it seemed only natural to migrate here in a more official Advice Columnist capacity. I’ve freelanced as a stage manager around New York as well as regionally, I’m a member of Actor’s Equity and a total contract junkie, and I occasionally cohost a podcast on theater and performance (Maxamoo).

To submit a question, email lineplease@stageandcandor.wpcomstaging.com.

Dear Liz,

With all of the warranted criticism about the under-representation of female playwrights, besides producing more female-written plays, do you think the male playwrights should be telling different kinds of stories and focusing on other types of characters?

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized “write what you know” is sort of crap. It’s how you end up with 10,000 novels about old white professors with inner turmoil. There’s no benefit to living in a bubble. Our world and the many stories within it are worth exploring.

My first preference would be to just produce more work by women, POC, and other marginalized groups and let them tell their own stories in their own words. They know best, and again, these stories are universal and worth hearing. I also know realistically this is a slow uphill climb (with little victories all the time!), and they shouldn’t bear the burden of being the only voice of their group. So I also believe in “holding the door” for people. As a white woman, I have privilege, so if I’m given an opportunity, it’s my responsibility to hold the door open and bring in others who may not have access to that opportunity. I want to champion people who might not get a voice otherwise.

So the onus is on those male playwrights who are being produced to stop navel-gazing and look beyond their lives for stories. If they can tell these stories in a conscientious way, more power to them. And then they should hold the door open for the firsthand experiences, give them the voice and the opportunity. Nothing’s worse than, for example, a whole bunch of white men working on a show about Muslim-Americans.

Posted on March 30, 2017March 29, 2017 by admin

Line, Please!?

To submit a question, email lineplease@stageandcandor.wpcomstaging.com.

Dear Liz,

This is sort of a weird question but what you do eat during tech? I get so tired after long days and I either get so busy i don’t eat anything or I eat a bunch of junk food because it’s there.

This is a good question! I used to operate the way many young technicians do, which is with a bit of a martyr complex: come in early, stay late, don’t take breaks, eat junk. Then I learned that will burn you out SO FAST. Self-care is important, especially in long rehearsal days, and there’s no shame in making sure you’re functioning in top form!

I’ve gotten very good at meal-planning in the last few years. It’s a habit you have to force yourself into, because it takes prep time, but it has immense benefits. The basic requirements for tech food for me are that it has to taste good at room temperature (I never know if I will have access to a fridge, or will get more than few bites in before it has to sit), is filling, not too fussy or loud, and is something I actually want to eat, or else I’ll just head out and buy a pack of gummi bears instead.

(Actually, gummi bears are one of my favorite tech snacks. Not the most nutritionally sound, so sue me.)

Some suggestions:

Mixed nuts — especially all the different flavors of almonds (wasabi soy is my favorite)

Clementines — they pack well, plus they smell good

Pita sandwiches — I don’t like soggy bread, and pitas are sturdier and more travel-friendly

Grain or bean salads — lettuce wilts. My personal favorite is Texas Caviar, which is recommended as a dip but is hearty enough to eat on its own (and delicious). I also make this tabouleh salad with chickpeas. You can make these in bulk on your day off and eat it throughout the week. They also taste better the longer they sit.

Gummi bears — or your candy of choice. Look, sometimes you are going to be really cranky and you don’t want the healthy food. Having a treat you like can make it better.

Posted on February 28, 2017February 28, 2017 by admin

Line, Please!?

To submit a question, email lineplease@stageandcandor.wpcomstaging.com.

Dear Liz,

How did the Jewish community get so involved in New York theater? Is there a historical basis or do Jews simply love live theater more than a lot of other groups?

I had my theories, but as a goy, I wanted the opinion of some actual Jews. To the experts!

David Levy, who holds a master’s in Jewish Studies from Hebrew College, confirmed my theory that historically, Jews (and many other immigrant populations) have been excluded from many professions, and began to pick up the undesirable jobs, like money collectors, miners, and actors. Together, they created a tight-knit community of playwrights, actors, and directors, There’s also the Yiddish theater tradition.

Stage & Candor‘s own Esther Cohen reminds me that “Yiddish was a dying language because Jews were assimilating in America, but Yiddish theater still provided a cultural connection for Jews.” It was a rallying cultural event for American Jews, especially Jews emigrating to New York City as the vaudeville and Broadway scenes grew, and may have led to more crossover and involvement in the theater scene later on. There is a whole documentary specifically about Jews and Broadway Musicals that aired on PBS and is still available to watch for free on their website here.

If you want to learn more, Levy recommends the book “Making Americans: Jews and Musical Theatre” by Andrea Most. It’s a more academic take that looks for Jewish themes in works like Oklahoma!, Annie Get Your Gun and more.

Posted on January 25, 2017February 27, 2017 by admin

Line, Please!?

To submit a question, email lineplease@stageandcandor.wpcomstaging.com.

Dear Liz,

I think women have really been triumphing off Broadway, but on Broadway they are rarely given the chance to debut or transfer there. Why is that? Particularly in cases where the play/playwright has been a proven success. It’s also interesting that of all recent female-written plays sweat is the one that transfers to Broadway which conveys a “blue collar American” voice (female characters included, but still reads more masculine). Are Broadway investors afraid of “feminine” voices?

I think Broadway investors are afraid of risk. Producing is risky, so the more secure the bet seems, the better. The safest bet seems to be someone who has been a success on Broadway before. And who are the people who have been successful on Broadway before? By and large, white male playwrights. It’s a vicious cycle, and runs alongside the “pipeline” discussion started a few years ago: there aren’t enough plays by women being produced, so they won’t produce plays by women. Like it or not, our theatrical canon has so many dead white guys it’s hard to keep them away. It’s why we get a revival of The Glass Menagerie or Gypsy every six months; it’s a dependable classic, a star vehicle that’s pretty much always successful.

But there are still success stories that never seem to cross over. Annie Baker won the Pulitzer for The Flick, but even I’d agree that show would be a risky move to Broadway. Lynn Nottage’s Ruined also won the Pulitzer, and despite nine extensions and multiple regional productions, it never transferred either. But producing off-Broadway is significantly cheaper, and it can make financial success to keep selling out a smaller venue with lower run costs than to transfer to a larger and more expensive house. I’d also argue that Broadway shows are big and splashy, and neither of those are words I’d use to describe Ruined or The Flick. I think it’s possible that what investors consider “feminine” voices is really just intimate storytelling, which could get swallowed up in the extra-largness that is Broadway. I think Nottage has more than paid her dues, and Sweat is the right play at the right time (and I’m sure the average-American feel of it hypothetically appeals to the tourist crowd Broadway caters to). I’m not sure how successful it will be, but she sure does deserve it.

Posted on October 26, 2016January 25, 2017 by admin

Line, Please!?

To submit a question, email lineplease@stageandcandor.wpcomstaging.com.

Dear Liz,

To whom does the armrest belong?! – We’ve all been there…Get to the theater early and get comfortable…The second we move our arm the person next to us snatches the armrest…Or someone of larger frame or stature spreads out onto our armrest…And you’re sitting next to a couple who should share the armrest between them but they insist on using yours! I need to know who has the right of way! To whom does the armrest belong at the theater?!

Ahh, the question of the ages.

I feel like the answer is more cut-and-dry in an airplane. The poor middle-seated person, unable to lean against the window or stretch out into the aisle, gets both middle armrests. It’s the least you can do. But in the theater, nearly everyone has to share an armrest!

I asked a lot of frequent theatergoers this question and lots of them said the armrest goes to the person who stakes claim to the armrest first. But I also think it’s a jerk move to claim both armrests when they are nearly all shared. Also, if you get to the theater early enough to claim your armrest, you’ll likely sit and stand a few times to let other people into the aisle, and what are you going to do, race to sit down before the person next to you does and throw your elbows down?

I think the fairest way is for all of us civilized theatergoing folk to collectively agree: Everyone gets ONE armrest. The lucky aisled patron in A101 takes the aisle armrest as a courtesy (they already get the legroom). The person in A102 takes whichever armrest they’d like. The person in A103 takes the leftover armrest, as does the person in A104, so on and so forth. I’m sure somewhere in there will be a person who doesn’t use the armrest (me, for example) and the process can repeat itself.

Look, I’m not a mathematician.

If you really must have arms resting on both sides, there’s the option where one person gets the front half and one gets the back half. That can be difficult to maneuver, especially in the dark, and how much you enjoy touching strangers. But until I can hold the Global Audience Summit and set rules for this (as well as for food and drink that should and should not be allowed in the theater), I think we have to just try to deal with it as politely as possible.

Posted on September 29, 2016January 25, 2017 by admin

Line, Please!?

To submit a question, email lineplease@stageandcandor.wpcomstaging.com.

Dear Liz,

Is there money to be made in theater or do people do it more as passion projects? I’m wondering if theater artists usually work on a deficit or breaking even or actually bring in decent money. I’m talking more about the off/off-off Broadway/regional theater creatives and performers. Everyone’s situation is different, but generally how do they get by financially?

Oh, my darling sweet letter writer, I can hear the panic in your voice. If you are looking for a career that will guarantee big bucks, this is not the one. Anecdotally, I’d say people come into theater as a passion with the hopes of making money. And similarly to other arts professions, there’s lots of opportunities to make little to no money, fewer opportunities to make a full-time living wage out of it, and fewer still to be wealthy. It’s a tough field to break even in, and since I’ve always been employed in the arts (or arts-adjacent), it’s hard for me to say if that’s the case everywhere, but I don’t think it is.

So how do people who aren’t getting wealthy off theater (aka most of us) get by? Day jobs, temp jobs, freelance gigs. The fortunate thing is many people in theater have transferable skills that translate to non-theater jobs. The Ensemblist podcast has done a few episodes on actors and their side hustles, some of which became their passion and led to them leaving the theater world altogether. I think most people who want to make it work find a way, and the people who can’t make it work find a way to stay involved at a capacity that makes financial sense to them. Personally, I moved from the freelance theater world to a full time job that uses many of my skills honed as a stage manager, and I occasionally drop in to work on shows I feel passionate about. It allows me to be selective about the productions I choose to work on, and not panic about my financial situation. It’s actually made me a happier person.

I also remember a great interview with John Slattery where, when asked how he felt about his “overnight” success on Mad Men, said he considered it back payment for all the underpaid, unrecognized gigs he did up until that point. So if that doesn’t sound like such a bad deal to you, go for it.

Posted on August 31, 2016January 25, 2017 by admin

Line, Please!?

To submit a question, email lineplease@stageandcandor.wpcomstaging.com.

Dear Liz,

Should I spend $10k on tuition for a playwriting degree or spend a fraction of that on seeing more theater, buying plays and other books, practicing and teaching myself?

One of my producer friends once said that theater is one of the only professions where you can wake up and decide you’re in it. A doctor will have a very hard time if they suddenly start calling themselves a doctor and open up an office. (Or at least a very dangerous time.)

So yes, you can be a playwright without going to school for it. You can write like mad, read and see everything, and work on your own. But I also think that going to a school and surrounding yourself with like-minded, driven people can help you challenge yourself in a way that’s hard to do on your own. It’s less about the prestige or reputation you can gain from a specific university program (though sometimes connections made through colleges can be invaluable), and more about being constantly pushed and challenged in a structured environment bent on getting the best out of you they can. There’s a freedom to experiment in the collegiate environment that is sometimes harder to find in the real world: you have performance space, prop, costume, and scene shops with archives at your disposal, and most importantly, the time to work things out on your own you often aren’t afforded in the real world of producing.

I’m not saying everyone has to go to college. If you can afford it, it’s a wonderful resource. If not, there are plenty of previously mentioned ways to create your own education. You can form your own weekly writers’ groups, meeting to read and give feedback. Find your favorite collaborators and play with them. See lots of shows and read lots of books. Make your homework reading the trade papers. There’s more than one way to get your work onstage.

Posted on July 27, 2016January 25, 2017 by admin

Line, Please!?

To submit a question, email lineplease@stageandcandor.wpcomstaging.com.

Dear Liz,

I have a friend who, to be frank, acts like a snob. We met in college and have become theatre buddies, usually attending at least one play or musical together a month. I noticed lately when I make suggestions for interesting new shows, she is excited about the concept or plot, but then when hears it’s not “Broadway,” shuts it down quickly. “Nope!” Should I call her out on her snobbish attitude, ditch her and go to the theatre with other friends instead? Please help.

xoxo
Havana

Hi Havana,

Between you and me, your friend is probably missing out on some great theater. But that doesn’t mean you have to! Some friends are more adventurous theatergoers than others. I think you could go one of two ways with this:

Option A: You both alternate who gets to choose the show you’re going to see together. Let them choose the Broadway show they want to see, then you choose what you want the next time. It’s a nice way to get your friend out of their comfort zone, and you still get to see shows with your friend. Maybe you could ease them off-Broadway with a show in the New York Musical Festival (NYMF) this summer?

Option B: This friend is now your designated Broadway friend. Maybe you see shows with them less often in favor of seeing the shows you want to see with people who will be excited about it. I personally have different friends who enjoy many different kinds of theater, so who I invite depends on who’s going to actually enjoy it; one of my best friends loves a big splashy musical but I think she’d die if I took her to some performance art. And if you worry you don’t have enough theatergoing friends, here’s what I used to do: if I get offered a free ticket to something, ask if it’s ok to have 2 tickets, then bring someone you don’t know well but you know likes theater. It takes a little bravery on your part, but you may find a new theatre buddy who’s open to theatrical adventures with you.

Posted on June 29, 2016January 25, 2017 by Stage & Candor

Line, Please!?

To submit a question, email lineplease@stageandcandor.wpcomstaging.com.

Dear Liz,

I’m assuming you’ve seen the Chicago Reader article about Profiles Theatre, and I’d love to get your thoughts on it. My whole (Chicago-centric) Facebook feed is devastated and galvanized by it. What can we do in our theaters to keep this from happening again? Education and empowerment = everything!

-Katie

Hi Katie,

The whole Profiles expose, which revealed systematic enabling and abuse of power within the Chicago theater scene, saddened me but ultimately wasn’t surprising. I’ve seen many people allowed into positions of power despite their abusive tendencies because of their real or perceived talent. If an employee at a bank, for example, continually coerced or harassed a coworker, presumably the employee would be able to take it to HR and have the bully dealt with. However, theater as a creative art isn’t always held to the same standard, and union productions less so. Cast and crew spend long hours together, both on and off the clock, which can make the environment seem more casual; less like a job and more like-minded people hanging out together. I think this makes it even harder to stand up and call harassment out.

What this means is we have to look out for not only ourselves but for each other. Chicago’s theater community has developed Not In Our House, a code of conduct for non-Equity that seeks to ensure safe creative spaces. Not allowing auditions to go longer than 3 hours or after 11 PM, required access to water and ventilation, and notification of potential stage violence in the audition process are some of the ways they are working to assure regulations in the workplace. They also clearly spell out the path of reporting an issue through the chain of command in case something does happen. I’d highly recommend looking to their code of conduct if you’d like to build your own in your community.

Actor’s Equity also recently released a Harassment Code of Conduct in light of actor Marin Ireland’s article about her personal experience with abuse within the Wooster Group. It’s less a series of rules and more publicly pledging to take stronger action on harassment and abuse in the theater community. They encourage you to bring any instances of misconduct to your stage manager, or directly to the AEA office. Speaking from personal experience, I’ve called Equity twice with questions regarding harassment in the workplace and found them quite helpful.

If you’re uncomfortable bringing the issue to Actors Equity, you can meet, call, or even Skype with The Actors Fund for free to speak confidentially with a professional who can assist with counseling and helping you determine your options moving forward. Theater companies can be our friends, family, and home; take care of each other.

Posted on May 31, 2016January 25, 2017 by admin

Line, Please!?

To submit a question, email lineplease@stageandcandor.wpcomstaging.com.

Dear Liz,

I recently got my first Big Kid Theater Job. I’m very happy at my office, and I’m thrilled to be getting to actually use my degree. It’s a great place to work, and I have no complaints. Except for one.

A few weeks into my new position, a male co-worker asked me to get drinks. I wasn’t interested, and so I tried to turn him down without saying an outright “no” (it wasn’t phrased as a date, but a near-stranger asking me to get drinks set off the “DATE” alarm bells in my head). The second time he asked, I gave a more concrete answer of “I really appreciate your asking, but I’m trying to focus on getting adjusted to a new city right now.” But now it’s been five, six times, and he doesn’t seem to be tiring of asking. A mutual friend told me that it is indeed romantic, and that – even after he told him “she’s not interested” – he believes I will “change my mind.”

I’m not sure what to do: I feel really uncomfortable with the situation (and with some of his other behavior – trying to hug me, sitting near me at every meeting), but I don’t want to cause a stir with HR. And I don’t want to make a stink: he knows a lot of people, and I don’t want to get a bad rep in a tiny new city.

How do I get this guy to leave me alone without burning a bridge?

As I said last month, everyone deserves to feel comfortable in their workplace. It’s hard to focus on your first Big Kid Theater Job (congrats!) with a gnat buzzing around. I’m sure you’ve been kind and polite in your interactions with him thus far, but now it’s time to cut that. He’s clearly not getting the hint, so you’ll need to be direct.

Tell him No. Don’t say you’re busy, or you’re not interested “right now,” because that leaves the possibility of something in the future. Don’t make it your issue- that you’re adjusting to the new city or your new job (even if it’s true!). Again, you’re leaving him with an implied “maybe later.”

The other part of this is that theater is a social job, and you’ll probably be out to drinks with this guy (and the rest of your office) at some point. I’d make sure you have a friend or two with you that will run interference for you as well as keep you entertained. If he invites you out, invite two friends. Just play it as dense as he actually is and ignore that he wants some one-on-one time.

And if it becomes more of an issue, and he really doesn’t get it and becomes more aggressive, take it to HR. Sometimes there’s an attitude that theater jobs are more relaxed than “real jobs,” so you shouldn’t take that sort of harassment seriously. But it is harassment. And you need to keep your focus on bigger things, like taking the theater world by storm.

Posted on April 25, 2016January 25, 2017 by admin

Line, Please!?

To submit a question, email lineplease@stageandcandor.wpcomstaging.com.

Dear Liz,

I recently worked as a stage manager on a student theater production with a director who is in my same year at college. I didn’t know him super well professionally before we began, but after working with him, I realize that a lot of the things that he said/did during the process were pretty offensive. He made a lot of comments about actresses’ bodies, and generally treated the production team pretty badly.

The tough part is that we’re good friends (or, at least, I thought we were). This production showed me a new side of him, and a lot of the actresses in the production came to me with pretty serious concerns after the post-pro. Other people in the theater society love him â€“ including other people on the production. It seems like I’m the only person people have gone to.

Should I confront this director? I’m worried that it’s not my place, and that I may lose his friendship. I also have two more years left in college, and I don’t want to spend them with an empty resume.

When I was in college, I would usually mention in my pre-production meeting with the director that though we are friends, I need the space to be an authority when we’re in the room. Working with your friends is great, and I encourage it, but you also have to be prepared to be coworkers and keep your relationship professional. It’s a good sign that the actors came to you, because you’re clearly making them feel safe and taken care of in the space! The flip side to this is that they’ve trusted you with this information, and it’s going to be uncomfortable (for you, for them, possibly for your oblivious director) until the issue is settled. I’d recommend suggesting a one-on-one meeting with the director that’s not in a dorm or a personal space, where you can go have a postmortem to go over what worked and what didn’t in your process together. This is strictly business, and I’d recommend having concrete examples where you can (i.e. “When you waited to give approval for the furniture you wanted, the piece you wanted got booked so we were unable to get it.”) Hopefully in that context you can voice the concerns of the cast as well as discuss strategies for working together on future productions in a way that works for the production team too. Be careful not to name names or single voices, as you don’t want the story to spiral into finger pointing.

But maybe you don’t want to work with him in the future. Everyone deserves to feel comfortable in the rehearsal room, including you. And if you voice your concerns and he brushes them off, find a polite but firm way to tell him you don’t think you’ll be able to work with him anymore. I’m sure he’s not the only one directing in your school, and you should work with people who inspire you, not someone who is going to upset you.

Ultimately, there are tons of artists in the world, and you shouldn’t feel locked into working with someone you don’t artistically connect with. As you mentioned, you have two more years in this school. No need to settle down now.