Pro vs Am

It is true to say that there has always been a slight ‘snobbishness’ surrounding amateur theatre (hence why many of us try to use the term ‘non-professional’ or ‘community theatre’, although the latter is something of an Americanism). In fact, I know of a case whereby the chairman of a local Cheltenham society refused to countenance a move to holding their meetings here because they didn’t want to be aligned with ‘the amateurs’! What a dreadful lot we must be!

Now we all know standards in non-professional productions – whether here or in any other venue – vary considerably. We often have to ‘make do’ and certainly aren’t able to have intensive rehearsal time. But most of us have also gone to see professional shows that have left much to be desired. The general blanketing of non-professional as sub-standard is both unhelpful and often untrue.

And while we may not be getting paid for taking to the stage, many groups spend a considerable amount of money on their shows here – sometimes as much as £12-£15,000 for a one-week run of a musical – and the venue itself is now anything but ‘amateur’. In fact, I have just given a guided tour to a lovely couple that thought the theatre deserves an award for the successful transformation.

We are now hosting some professional productions and we hope to increase the number further in 2010 and beyond – NOT because professional is necessarily better, but because we want to bring to Cheltenham performances that might otherwise pass our town by and host these alongside the best in locally-produced drama.

However, the tide may perhaps be turning slightly. It seems that some professionals are now rallying to the defence of what we do – including Michael Boyd, artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company no less, who in a recent article in The Stage said he wants to “take away the crucifix and garlic that we have held up in the profession against the non-professional theatre movement in this country.” You can read the full piece by clicking on the link to The Stage newspaper on the right and searching the ‘News’ section.