a little secret about theatre

Audiences, I'm going to let you in on a little secret:

The difference between community and professional theatre (or even just really good community theatre) is the ensemble.

Ensemble for Kiss Me Kate singing "Cantiamo D'Amore"
(No leads involved ;D)

Think about it: it's fairly easy to find talented people to fill the lead roles (unless there are a bunch of male-heavy shows going on and the men are all gone by the time your auditions roll around). Everybody wants to be the lead. You watch a play or a movie, and you don't think "Oh, wow, I want to be that girl in the pink dress over by the barn", you picture yourself as the one in the front singing the solos and getting the laughter and the biggest "woo-hoos" during curtain call.

Also consider some of the more "community-ish" shows you've seen lately. The leads were great, but the ensemble dancing wasn't in sync, and that one guy had way to much gel in his hair for the 1870s, and what was up with the five people standing in a line with their hands on their hips? They may be in the background, but we can see them! What in the world are they doing? Is this their first show? (If yes, way to do something outside of your comfort zone, novice ensemble! I applaud you!)

Okay, maybe this isn't news to my friends who have directed, produced, or were otherwise involved in the non-performing side of a show. It is, however, something I've thought about more and more lately.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
The entire cast is onstage for nearly the entire show

Here's the thing: when an ensemble is really good, you almost don't notice. You DO notice when they're bad -- how could you not? -- but when they're good they prop up the leads so that the entire play is stronger. I've seen a lot of really good plays lately, and the thing almost all of them had in common was a solid ensemble who all knew what they were doing and how they contributed to the play. Those are the kinds of plays in which I am the most proud to be involved, whether as a lead or in the ensemble. It's why I've lately stuck to plays with small casts; everyone gets more time with the director and everyone is important. Reviews and interviews don't have time to talk about every single cast member, but everyone plays their part (no pun intended) and the show becomes a success or failure because everybody works hard. One person can't do it all by himself... unless it's a one-man show, I guess, but then he has tech people helping, too ;)

This lesson applies to a lot of different situations. I saw Brian Stokes Mitchell sing with the Utah Symphony a few weeks ago. It was brilliant. We gave him (and his magical voice) standing ovations after six or seven of the songs -- we couldn't wait until curtain call -- and every single time, he bowed sweetly, and then gestured to the orchestra leader, his accompanist, and the orchestra, because he knew the part they were playing (another accidental pun -- sorry!) in his successful concert. It was an awesome night and an awesome lesson.

You could also apply it to work, or sports, but I think I've proved my point.

With all this in mind, I've decided that audiences are going about the standing ovation thing entirely wrong. I'm all for standing to applaud a show that really wow-ed you, but if you're going to do it, stand up at the beginning of the curtain call, because that ensemble worked just as hard as those showy lead actors (sometimes more, if it was a dance show). They were so good you didn't even realize how good they were. They deserve just as much appreciation as the rest.

Sutton Foster is a true star, but it's the ensemble that sings immediately after a four minute tap-dance break!

So, the next time you see a show, be sure to give the ensemble their due, especially if they were good. They do it for the applause after all. It's the least you can do!