The Complete Idiot's Guide to Amateur Theatricals
Web Appendix
"Thinking Out of the Box"
by John Kenrick
The phrase "thinking out of the box" has been so widely used in recent years that it has become a cliché. It refers to creative problem solving, responding to roadblocks with unexpected or unorthodox solutions. This concept is not limited to the corporate world! Theatre has survived over the last few thousand years because inventive people took a creative approach to the cultural, logistical and financial challenges that confronted them.
The early 21st Century poses daunting challenges to amateur theatre -- changing public tastes, rising costs, slashed organizational budgets, and frequent changes in personnel. There are no easy answers to these problems, and an approach that works for one group may not be of use to another. However, it never hurts to know how others have kept their theatre groups going. If they can do it, so can you.
This special web-based appendix to my book The Complete Idiot's Guide to Amateur Theatricals spotlights three people who have kept amateur theatre groups alive and thriving in very different environments.
Carolyn Miller - Founding a new kind of theatre company
Curt Ebersole - Surviving staff changes & financial hurdles
Louise Guinther - Keeping long-running companies fresh
My hope is that these creative examples will encourage you to come up with fresh, innovative solutions to whatever stands in the way of making your amateur theatre plans a reality.