The heart and soul of Community Theatre is its voluntary members. The actors and technical staff do not get paid for the work they do on a show. Each production you see has been created because of the love the group has for the art. This doesn't mean, of course, that the productions are free. It costs anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars to put on one show, from theater rental (no, The Upstagers do NOT own the Paul Poag Theatre), to royalties, to set construction, to costumes. Any materials or services that get donated to us helps to reduce those costs and, in fact, I donate all my musical production to The Upstagers. This alone saves up to $3,000 per show.
Another very important aspect to remember is that, although The Upstagers is a non-equity company, we produce very professional shows. That is why we are well known throughout the state of Texas and beyond and why we are often compared to the "professional" touring companies. So, the next time you catch yourself thinking The Upstagers are just an amateur group, remember that we are Broadway quality....just without as nice a budget!
To give you an idea the effort we put into our shows, I've included some pictures from various productions:
From "Guys& Dolls"
From "Soup Du Jour"
From "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat"
From "Grease"
Leaving On A High Note!
Well, my dream show finished in 2003. It was a lot of work, so I owe a lot to the entire cast and crew for making this the most memorable show for me and, going by the statements of those who came to see it, for Del Rio audiences. I'm sorry to say that the crowds weren't nearly as large as I would have hoped, but it's admittedly an uphill battle to get the beer and nachos folks to think of culture as anything more than the matinee showing of "Fast and Furious 2". For those who are a tad more sophisticated, I thank you so much for taking a little time to support local community theatre. "Jekyll & Hyde" was our first musical drama, and you proved that our audiences are ready for it and that we can do a good job with it. Unfortunately, I intended this to be my last show, so it was somewhat bitter-sweet for me. Though I never say 'never', I can't see a show coming along that would top J&H and draw me back. We shall see.
Video Clips:
"In His Eyes" - Jennifer & Terra "Confrontation" - Robert
Show pictures below, more here:
Emma, Jekyll and Lucy Dr. Jekyll & Lucy Harris The Cast of Jekyll & Hyde
"Little Shop of Horrors"....never say never
Okay, so here we are, four years later: 2007. I said after J&H that it would be hard to imagine a show topping it and calling me back onto the stage. Well, two of the shows I sort of left the door open on were "Les Mis" and "Little Shop of Horrors", never really believing either would make it onto a season. In the 2006 Upstagers party/meeting in September I went with Terra just expecting to have a fun time...that's all. When they started naming off the shows for the season I have to admit I wasn't particularly enthusiastic -- until they named "Little Shop". But the stipulation was that I had to direct it. Oh, and I wasn't allowed to cast myself in the lead role. That didn't bother me because that's not the fun role to me...the Dentist is what I liked. So, I had to put myself back in show mode and whip a cast of mostly new people into shape -- I don't direct like anyone else, and people who know my background understand why I don't settle. The show was presented in April 2007 and did very well. Nope, it didn't come close to J&H, but it was a fun show, one I've always wanted to do. I can guarantee you we did it like no one else has before or will in the future. It was nice to have people come up to me and say they were glad to see me on stage again (it's better than having them say "I can see why you retired"). Without further ado, below are some snapshots from the show:
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Revised 18 May 2007
