Worst show I’ve ever worked on, what should I do?

[BenKent2027]

Hello everyone, this is my first post on this forum and I hope some other Stage Managers are able to offer me some advice.

At the moment I’m working on a pantomime of Snow White, and to be honest it’s a complete ###### show. It’s based in a village here in Surrey, and we are performing 10 shows this week. The role is paid, but it’s the first show for this theatre company. The person I’m working for is the producer, director, writer, set designer, builder, and everything rolled into one. This is also her first show after uni. The script is already messy and disjointed, plus filled with several weird and dark moments, but in the rehearsal room we had fun and I genuinely thought it was good. However, we’ve now started performances and it’s clear that everyone hates it. We’ve received several complaints about its quality and content, and have had to issue refunds. We’ve also had people get in touch asking for refunds for performances they haven’t attended yet, since they’ve heard how bad it is. Every show I sit in the back and all I hear is awkward silence. Lots of walk outs after the interval too.

We didn’t get to move into our venue until the morning before the matinee, having had no Tech Run or anything. Ten minutes before the show me and the cast were scrambling around trying to figure out which costume belonged to who (as they hadn’t seen or tried them on before) and trying to figure out some form of lighting and sound cues. The set was also still drying, and due to tech issues we had to leave house lights up. We’re now three shows in and I’m having to improvise most of the lighting (which I’m also having to control). It’s only me and the sound technician backstage, but we are also having to run the bar, box office, and everything else. We have three days now before the next show for rewrites, but I think things are too broken to fully fix. The costumes are awful, the set looks messy, and due to the budget and sheer amount of them a lot of the props are tacky

At this point I just feel like sobbing. The show was initially pitched to me as an ambitious project, but the guy I’m working for left everything last minute and the whole production just looks ######. I can’t even say it’s amateur level, and it’s £20 a ticket. Cast are having to assemble their own costumes as nothing fits properly, and morale is low amoungst everyone but our employer who keeps acting like none of this is an issue. I know I’ll get a good reference, as I’ve been told numerous times by him already, but I just feel awful for everyone. I already have a job lined up after this in New York, but could this affect my future career? The village is small and not many people are coming anyway, plus I don’t think we’re getting programs, but I don’t want this to be a stain on my name. Do people recover from stuff like this? Will I work again? 

Edited December 12, 2021 by BenKent2027

[paulears]

I guess we all have worked on bad shows at some time. My first professional show folded after 6 of it's 8  week run when the producer/director/top turn owed so much money, he did  a runner.

All that matters is the standard of what you  did. If you did your best, then it goes on the CV as a show  you Stage Managed. It's common  for keen amateurs to start charging and put shows on that rely on the individuals so much. If you like, a show with beginners or the inexperienced being directed by somebody not up to it.

 

However - this would have been one of those where your job as Stage Manager should have rung warning bells. You got a script, and the things you needed to do your role. Were they typical of a professional production? from what I gather the script was dire - nothing set, sound or lighting was properly planned - yet you took the job? An accident waiting to happen. Taking a job, because that is what it was, is a choice. You took it. The quality is NOT your problem and if the words are terrible, the sets badly created with poor sound and lights because there's no proper planning or design  - you just manage the beast. You do the job. If people ask for money back, tht is NOT your problem. Be grateful you don't have to wear the bad costumes and speak terrible lines, and are hidden in the wings, unseen  and walk away at the end with some money if you are lucky, put the notch on the CV and treat it as an experience to avoid again. Don't work withe the person again and move onto the next job. If you desert it before it folds - that's something the producer will use to deflect blame - so that is possibly risky. Wait for the thing to fold then go.

[ImagineerTom]

A reference from a producer / director / creator’s show who is themselves just out of uni is worth substantially less than the paper it’s written on. If that’s all you’re doing the job for then quit now - employers will always rate several “so so” references from well established companies / theatres considerably higher than a reference from someone they’ve never heard of with no pedigree. 

Edited December 12, 2021 by ImagineerTom

[Ynot]

Hmmm... (tm)

Is the company itself a professional one?
Or has a small village am-dram outfit hired this 'just-out-of-uni' person (and you...) in an attempt to improve their lot?

It really sounds like a small-scale production that's gotten maybe too big for its boots, and trying to be something it shouldn't be by importing someone who - on paper - perhaps should be better than they are. From your description it sounds like a bit of a car-crash overall, and whilst I've definitely worked with amateur groups who've been finishing stuff off close to the wire on opening night, maybe not as bad as you've described by a long chalk.

I'd echo Paul's comment about alarm bells should have been ringing way before you got into the venue - not least because of the VERY short load-in time. ANY panto that starts the get-in on the day of the first show would have to be a pretty darned basic show, and I've not come across any big musical show, even in am-dram world, that doesn't have at least 3 or 4 days to build and rehearse and set everything up.

[kerry davies]

I feel stuck between Paul and Tom. This is a big learning experience for you and the first lesson is in setting your own personal boundaries before you get involved in anything with anyone. Having agreed to be involved you appear to have accepted roles that you should have steered well clear of and now feel obliged not to let people down. That isn't the case at all, you have been placed in an invidious position. 

I would talk openly, honestly and directly to the employer and demand (not ask for) answers. If you are running the bar, who is the personal licensee? Is there a premises licence? Is there insurance? How many jobs are you being paid for? What do they expect you to be responsible for and is that even feasible? If they are straight out of education they may not even realise what is involved or what they are asking of others. 

If then you have no satisfactory resolution, walk away. Forget reputation, they come and go. Most of us who are self employed get "the fear" of where the next job is coming from and yes, we do recover. 

[BenKent2027]

Thank you for your comments. As mentioned, this is my first paid role and I’m still learning a lot about Stage Management and the industry as a whole. I realise now how naive I was, but if I can take anything away from this experience it’s learning how to spot red flags, and the importance of a thorough production process. The company I’m working for claims to be professional, but in actually is a sub-par AmDram group run by one person. A person who, as it turns out, lacks a lot of basic knowledge about theatre. A few days ago I had to explain what I meant by Gobos and Flats. We have six performances left, but I’m dreading them.  I’m staying for the actors though, as I don’t want to further upset an already disheartened cast.

I know this person has been working on this show for a long time, yet most props and costumes were ordered last minute on Amazon. She also doesn’t want to listen to criticism from me. Just before the first show she took me into another room for a ‘talk’ telling me I was too stressed and was freaking the cast out too much. As if I was the root of all these problems. I told them to at least cancel the matinee and just do the evening performance, to at least allow for one run, but they insisted on it going ahead. Not even allowing for a 30 min delay to sort out costumes.

I feel spread far too thin, being forced to work roles I didn’t sign up for either. After the last show I won’t be working with this company or person again, but I feel so much harder and stronger for doing so. I know I need to be more assertive and develop that confidence. Again, it’s a big comfort to know I already have a much more prestigious job coming up on the horizon. I’ll also continue to pursue other roles.

Edited December 13, 2021 by BenKent2027

[Hilary Watts]

You say that in the rehearsal room you had fun, and you thought the production was good.  There also seems to be some feeling of loyalty among the company.  In addition to the rewrites is it possible to use the time before your next performance three days hence to devise some lighting and sound cues and then have a 'proper' tech run and dress rehearsal.  This might put the actors at their ease and improve the cast's morale and make the rest of the run bearable for everyone involved.  You will have learned a lesson and in the future might at least be able to look back on the production with a wry smile

[Charlotte_R]

We've all done jobs that turned out terribly and tbh we all end up fine eventually. I did a similar panto in 2018 (the director / choreographer / promotor / dame and his mother) and a star who was a TV actress from the 80s. You just have to grit your teeth and do it; don't make a big deal of it on your CV if possible and then in a few years you can look back and laugh.

[BenKent2027]

After considering my options, I’ve decided to stay for the next few performances. Ive spoken to the actors, who are unaware of the horrifically bad audience reactions, and they’re all feeling lost but happy to be together. I’ve decided to just list the production and venue on my cv. I’ve also decided that if I’m ever in a Job interview and they ask me about it, I’ll just explain how it taught me a lot about crisis management 🤣 

[dje]

20 hours ago, BenKent2027 said:

The script is already messy and disjointed, plus filled with several weird and dark moments

it’s clear that everyone hates it.

We’ve received several complaints about its quality and content, and have had to issue refunds.

We’ve also had people get in touch asking for refunds for performances they haven’t attended yet

Every show I sit in the back and all I hear is awkward silence. Lots of walk outs after the interval too.

If it makes you feel any better, in the last 5 years I have done two such shows, both were for internationally renowned show producers who you (and frankly, most of the theatrical world) would have heard of. Nobody is too big or too small to make a bad show. Not least because making shows is a very non-exact process. Some things look awful in creation that turn into hugely successful shows, others look amazing in rehearsal and go down like a lead balloon. But both my two shows aforementioned had budgets in the tens of millions, months of creation and rehearsal, huge casts and tech teams... and still had those kinds of audience reactions. It just happens sometimes.

Quote

We didn’t get to move into our venue until the morning before the matinee, having had no Tech Run or anything. Ten minutes before the show me and the cast were scrambling around trying to figure out which costume belonged to who (as they hadn’t seen or tried them on before) and trying to figure out some form of lighting and sound cues. The set was also still drying, and due to tech issues we had to leave house lights up. We’re now three shows in and I’m having to improvise most of the lighting (which I’m also having to control). It’s only me and the sound technician backstage, but we are also having to run the bar, box office, and everything else. We have three days now before the next show for rewrites, but I think things are too broken to fully fix. The costumes are awful, the set looks messy, and due to the budget and sheer amount of them a lot of the props are tacky

I feel you should try and sympathise with the director and/or producer a bit. These constraints were probably heavy on their shoulders too, and I should imagine whatever buzzkill you're feeling is being amplified ten-fold by the person who created it. It does certainly sound like they've bitten off more than they can chew... but on the other hand they must have got the gig somehow. I don't know anybody working at a high level of this industry that hasn't gone for a project a bit out of their league and learned a whole load of life lessons in the process. Some are big successes, others are big failures... but in the end, all are forgotten about fairly quickly. And that happens in the world of big shows. Frankly, the fate of the show in the village hall will be forgotten about by mid-January.

Quote

At this point I just feel like sobbing. The show was initially pitched to me as an ambitious project, but the guy I’m working for left everything last minute and the whole production just looks ######. I can’t even say it’s amateur level, and it’s £20 a ticket. Cast are having to assemble their own costumes as nothing fits properly, and morale is low amoungst everyone but our employer who keeps acting like none of this is an issue. I know I’ll get a good reference, as I’ve been told numerous times by him already, but I just feel awful for everyone. I already have a job lined up after this in New York, but could this affect my future career? The village is small and not many people are coming anyway, plus I don’t think we’re getting programs, but I don’t want this to be a stain on my name. Do people recover from stuff like this? Will I work again? 

I wouldn't worry about the 'good reference'... doesn't matter. There's plenty people working in theatre who only have bad references and are still busy. Like I said, this will all be forgotten about in no time. Besides, everyone working in theatre knows that bad shows happen and that bad shows do not reflect on anybody who worked on it in a technical capacity. Because it's simply not your problem or your fault. If it's making you sad, you can walk away from it. If you appreciate the money, stick with it. But don't worry about your future. You'll look back on this in a few years after doing some proper shows and realise your concerns were totally unnecessary.

To summarise it in a pie chart... will working on a poor show in a village hall with a director nobody's heard of, affect your career?

 

[BenKent2027]

Thank you dje. This is the first truly bad show I’ve worked on, and seeing everyone’s hard work go unappreciated is devastating. But I guess that’s another lesson of the industry I’ve now learned. Attendance is incredibly low anyway, so I do think it will be forgotten fairly quickly. Especially when it’s being staged in a small obscure village. I do feel sad,  I’ve shed tears privately for the cast who are unaware of the horrendous feedback, but I’m determined to finish it.

Edited December 13, 2021 by BenKent2027

[Jivemaster]

As I've said to someone in a vaguely similar situation, Say as little as possible, do your job as well as possible to the end, then GO, be gone so fast they didn't see you go. On the last show pack what is your personal property immediately after it's last use, have your bag packed and go. Then spend a few days resting and considering the problems and what you learned from them. 

Probably it's good to determine all the "Questions you should have asked first" and next time remember to ask them, especially about legal things such as licences and insurance. 

Edited December 13, 2021 by Jivemaster

[Junior8]

Bad shows can happen anywhere - I well recall seeing three actors of national renown heading for a stage door looking like they were on the way to the scaffold to appear in maybe the worst Shakespeare I have ever seen in a professional house. But they were heading there just like you've headed there because they were pros. That's why Jive's advice is bang on. I'd go further and venture that you're lucky to have had such a steep learning curve in such an obscure effort but be aware it could happen again at any time. That's live entertainment for you as dje so rightly points out.

Edited December 14, 2021 by Junior8

[gareth]

We've all done jobs like this one. If it's really getting so bad that it's affecting you mentally, then walk away. Otherwise, grit your teeth, push on through, get to the end, and run away very fast. As others have said, a reference from someone of such insignificance in the business means so little that it's no real loss if you don't get one. You can still put it on your CV - and it gives you something to talk about in future job interviews when they ask you the cliched old question about "tell us about a time when you overcame a challenging situation" 😆

Just make sure you get paid what you're owed - because it sounds as though this might be a situation where you may need to fight for it. Get your invoice in on time. Make sure it clearly states your payment terms. Brush up on the Late Payment Of Commercial Debts laws so that you're in a good position if they get difficult. If payment isn't forthcoming, push harder and harder until you get it.

[sunray]

A number of years ago an controls company employed a 'Regional Manager', someone I'd worked for previously. He employed me as a Subby on 2 jobs, at the end of the month I put my invoices in (but dated 1st of the next month) expecting payment at the end of the next month. However their terms were 30 days from the end of the month of invoice date.

 

After a number of emails between me and head office over 4 months they informed me the 'Regional Manager' had left their employment and he had left no trace of my invoices. A FSB solicitors recorded delivery letter but the following summons received a very rapid payment.

 

The lucky thing for me was the email addresses I'd been using for the 'Regional Manager' and head office were all in the companys domain and I could prove every communication.