Creating Great Entertainment

I truly respect volunteer resources. In community theatre, it's generally all you've got to work with. The reason it works is that most people understand that a small amount of concerted effort by many people can accumulate into a really GREAT end product. When this happens, the modest efforts of an individual become magnified, reflecting a tremendous sense of accomplishment back on the volunteer.

To any who read this, I KNOW it's difficult to find time to volunteer, especially given the crazy lifestyle that we in Southern California live. Take our producer, Jerry Oshinsky for example. He is a partner in a DC lawfirm who happens to live in Santa Barbara. He has given his time and effort to make sure that I can focus on delivering a great show. I won't give the specifics of his hourly rate with the lawfirm, but suffice it to say that it costs him more to spend a half an hour negotiating a reduced rate on, say, costumes, than it does to just go ahead and pay the posted rate.

Also, our great company costumer, Connie, is a BUSY woman. Between A Delicate Balance, Ghost Tours, and her REAL job, she hardly has a moment to relax. She needs people who can help her with costumes, people who can spend an evening or two running some fabric through a sewing machine or who can go out and pick up costume pieces for her.

And I've been there too. During Little Shop of Horrors last year in Ojai, I drastically underestimated the time and resources required to complete the set, and the results were much less than I'd hoped. I know, I know, I know.

But, planning makes it all better. An unknown obstacle is always insurmountable. Know it, own it, tackle it, and it becomes a minor step in your path towards greatness.

So, I encourage any of you who can help, even in some small way, to join us at the production meeting on August 29 at 6:00 PM. I guarantee we will not give you more work than you can commit to, but we do need people.


- Sean