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So today is the last day of my play That's What We're Here For (an american pageant) in The Brick's $ellout Festival.
Houses have been disappointing. Houses are usually disappointing, sure, this is Off-Off-Broadway, but they weren't for last Summer's show, World Gone Wrong, in The Brick's Moral Values Festival, so I had hopes for this year, too. With luck, the two shows we do today get at least as many people in the house as in the cast. I think WGW spoiled me or something. The Foreman plays I did in February didn't get great houses either -- but they did get better houses than TWWHF.
Granted, yesterday's small house was extremely responsive, which is always nice. But it gets hard knocking yourself out over and over for a handful of people. Good-sized house on Wednesday, but that was it.
And I do still want to bring this back, cut it here, expand it there, make a little more of it than I could do on a festival schedule. But it looks like that isn't going to happen in August -- with more schedules in from the cast, there seems to be no way I could ever get them together for more than three or four performances in the month, which isn't worth the effort. I want a real run, that I can get some actual promotion behind and is worth taking the time to take the whole show apart and put it back together better. And I'd really like to keep the cast I have. I could maybe do more in August if I replaced one or two people, but the amount of time it would take to bring new people into this? And when I wrote it for these actors?
So, I'm looking at early next year to bring this one back. Maybe February, like I did with the Foreman plays. Spend the time perfecting it. So, I'll mention that to The Brick People (as I fondly think of them) today.
Okay. More ice on the knee and get myself together for a long day now . . .
Houses have been disappointing. Houses are usually disappointing, sure, this is Off-Off-Broadway, but they weren't for last Summer's show, World Gone Wrong, in The Brick's Moral Values Festival, so I had hopes for this year, too. With luck, the two shows we do today get at least as many people in the house as in the cast. I think WGW spoiled me or something. The Foreman plays I did in February didn't get great houses either -- but they did get better houses than TWWHF.
Granted, yesterday's small house was extremely responsive, which is always nice. But it gets hard knocking yourself out over and over for a handful of people. Good-sized house on Wednesday, but that was it.
And I do still want to bring this back, cut it here, expand it there, make a little more of it than I could do on a festival schedule. But it looks like that isn't going to happen in August -- with more schedules in from the cast, there seems to be no way I could ever get them together for more than three or four performances in the month, which isn't worth the effort. I want a real run, that I can get some actual promotion behind and is worth taking the time to take the whole show apart and put it back together better. And I'd really like to keep the cast I have. I could maybe do more in August if I replaced one or two people, but the amount of time it would take to bring new people into this? And when I wrote it for these actors?
So, I'm looking at early next year to bring this one back. Maybe February, like I did with the Foreman plays. Spend the time perfecting it. So, I'll mention that to The Brick People (as I fondly think of them) today.
Okay. More ice on the knee and get myself together for a long day now . . .
Houses and the like
Date: 2006-06-26 01:37 pm (UTC)From: (Anonymous)Don't be discouraged by the Houses. Not at all. I'm still sweating filling the houses, and we've gotten really get press. The audience for Off-Off Broadway is fickle, and it's a strange alchemy that brings them to any particular dance. I think the other factor might be, honestly, that June is FULL of shows. It's just suddenly a very saturated market.
That being said, I think you should absolutely bring it back because 1) I'd like to see it and 2) you've got a unique vision out there and I think it needs to be seen.
Just wanted to say that.
Onwards and upwards...
Freeman
Re: Houses and the like
Date: 2006-06-26 01:50 pm (UTC)From:I think it was just the success of my show in last year's festival that set me up for disappointment. I'd been used to the up-and-down houses after eight years and 45 or so shows as director/producer, with only maybe seven or so really successful shows, house-wise. I guess I thought that the same place, same basic festival, same (small) number of performances, same publicity push would generate the same results (as much as I always tell myself that one never knows what will "work").
I'm really proud of this show, and I really want to bring it back, and it seemed yesterday that the cast was with me on this. But I'll sweat the houses even more, as if I bring it back on its own, I won't even have some of the advantages you have with a Summer festival.
But, yeah, it has to come back . . . and it will.