Amateur/Community Theater Groups in PA
Reprinted from the Fall 2016 PMEA News, the state journal of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association
Opportunities abound for “hands-on” participation in community theater, volunteering as an actor, singer, dancer, musician, props or scenery painter, make-up artist, costume seamstress, stage technician, usher, box office sales or marketing staff, etc. As you can see at the PMEA link below, there are numerous amateur groups throughout the state.
The payback of theater involvement (for all ages, full and part-time workers, soon-to-retire, and retired members) is well-documented. For example, according to the www.openartsalliance.com, “Theatre is one of the oldest and most influential art forms. It combines interpersonal skills with intrapersonal awareness. Just think about ALL the benefits that theatre can offer artists young and old alike!”
- Self-confidence and risk taking
- Imagination and creative self-expression
- Empathy and tolerance
- Cooperation and collaboration
- Concentration
- Communication skills
- Emotional outlet
- Problem solving
- Fun and relaxation
- Self-discipline
- Trust
- Memory
- Social awareness
- Aesthetic appreciation
- Physical fitness
With the help of PMEA State Director of Member Engagement Joshua Gibson, PMEA retired members researched and compiled a PA community theater directory, to join the listings of bands, orchestras, and choruses posted on the PMEA retired members’ website.
This project was daunting! Just because a group advertises as serving as a local “civic theater,” it does not mean there are “open” auditions for non-Equity actors, or volunteers can lend a hand in making the sets/costumes or running the stage tech (although everyone usually asks for money or unpaid ushers!). It was found that some semi-professional companies act very “community” oriented, while others are really “closed shops!” Even if it was hard to discern their “amateur” status or opportunities for nonprofessionals, most PA organizations and contact information were included… to allow PMEA members to find out for themselves if the association would accept non-union actors, etc.
Another problem was that many small theater groups do not maintain a web-page. We had trouble confirming they were active (names or locations changed a lot, too). Scores of amateur drama companies are likely missing. Please consider this a “first draft” and send all corrections to paulkfox.usc@gmail.com.
For retiring and retired PMEA members, good advice comes from Ernie J. Zelinski, author of the book How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free.
“Two essentials for successful retirement are sufficient funds to live on and sufficient things to live for. You may have the funds and a list of interests, hobbies, and leisure activities that will keep you busy. Nonetheless, if you want your retirement to be satisfying, these activities may not be enough. You may need an overriding purpose.
“While describing retirement, George Bernard Shaw concluded, ‘A perpetual holiday is a good working definition of hell.’ Shaw was right in that retirement can be hell for those who don’t put any purpose into it. On the other hand, for people who have some major purpose to their lives, retirement can be heaven.”
You have heard it before… For a happy, healthy, and meaningful retirement, revisit your “creative roots,” the reason you went into music in the first place. Have you always wanted to explore or nurture the “thespian” in you? Here’s your resource to get started today! Get out there! “Bring down the house.” “Break a leg!”
Additional sources of information:
- http://www.auditionsfree.com/theater-resources/pennsylvania-theater-companies/
- http://www.carnegielibrary.org/research/film/theater/companies.html
- http://www.curtainrising.com/usa/usa_pa.html
- http://www.dmoz.org/Arts/Performing_Arts/Theatre/Community_Theatre/United_States/Pennsylvania/
- http://www.openartsalliance.com/the-benefits-of-theatre.html
- http://www.metaperformingarts.org/benefits-of-theatre-arts.html
- http://www.aact.org/community-theatre-history
To download the updated PMEA Amateur/Community Theater Company listings for Pennsylvania, please click on the link at http://www.pmea.net/retired-members/.
PKF
© 2017 Paul K. Fox
This article is a complimentary re-issue to motivate retired music educators to join their professional association. For more information, please go to PMEA website http://www.pmea.net/membership-information/ and read the blog-post “PMEA in Retirement – What’s in it for Me?”
(Photo credits: Loretta Humble and Shamseer Sureash Kumar at FreeImages.com)
paulfox.blog 