You should be seeing more theatre

It occurred to me this morning that I’ve never talked about the importance of live theatre and it’s influence on film–which is odd because I come from a theatre background.
I majored in Theatre in college at Baldwin-Wallace. When I was younger and wanted to act for a living, it seemed like a good fit for me. It turned out that I was right, and for all the reasons that I wanted to go there–it was a small school (which I wanted), so I was able to take on roles and get experiences that I wouldn’t have at a larger college.
And it was close to Cleveland, so it opened me up to a lot of professional acting opportunities at a very young (college) age.
What I didn’t plan on was all of the non-acting things I also picked up by getting a general Theatre education. Things like art history, collaborative studies, and the idea of conceptual design, things that are at the heart of a good theatre background but also apply to filmmaking.
I feel like many of these things I learned from the theatre have served me well and made it easier for me to work in the world of film.
There’s a lot of overlap here–both film and theatre and creative, artistic ventures.
They are both about having a story to tell, just in two different mediums.
Both are made better by collaborating with a design team for things like sets, costumes, makeup, and lighting.
The same principles I learned in Lighting Design 101 are the same principles that DP’s use to light a Hollywood movie set.
I think sometimes film people are scared by theatre people–with our showtunes, dancing in public, and generally trying to call attention to ourselves any chance we get.
But speaking as someone who lives in both worlds–it’s worth your time to be involved in theatre.
Go see shows.
Go be in a show.
Or light a show. Or direct a show.
Get involved somehow, because I promise you the education that you’ll get from working on live theatre productions will only make your film work better.
If you’re in the Cleveland area, there are a couple of good resources to check out.
www.clevelandstagealliance.com ( el2.convertkit-mail2.com/c/0vur66x45kh9hkwr2g/wnh2h6u3nqkp2/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jbGV2ZWxhbmRzdGFnZWFsbGlhbmNlLmNvbS8= ) is the “hub” of the Cleveland theatre scene–the site has all of the show listings, auditions, and reviews of everything that’s happening in the city.
www.fredsternfeld.com/neohiopal ( el2.convertkit-mail2.com/c/0vur66x45kh9hkwr2g/0vuwhgukv2953/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5mcmVkc3Rlcm5mZWxkLmNvbS9uZW9oaW9wYWwv ) is the NeOhioPal email list run by director/producer Fred Sternfeld. There are over 9,000 subscribers, and it’s the best way to get emails to find out what’s happening in Cleveland’s large theatre, film, and performing arts community.
-Brian
gorillafilmschool.com ( el2.convertkit-mail2.com/c/0vur66x45kh9hkwr2g/v0i3hmudlov7w/aHR0cDovL2dvcmlsbGFmaWxtc2Nob29sLmNvbQ== )
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