Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Season of Simon

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Mike Polo
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Topic: Season of Simon
Posted: 12/10/06 at 9:27am

Anyone ever done a full season of Neil Simon plays? I've been hearing that a number of our directors are considering Simon plays for our next season. Considering how well Simon sells, I started thinking that a full season might do extremely well at the box office. Any thoughts?

Mike Polo
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DWolfman
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Posted: 12/10/06 at 10:53am

I've thought that a Simon Season would be a great marketing approach and (for good or bad) an audience pleaser. Have not heard of anyone doing such however.

It would also be a good chance to do some of his not-so-oft-repeated plays that are delights, like:

Come Blow Your Horn

Jake's Women

Prisoner of Second Avenue

God's Favorite

Even a man who is pure of heart...

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teridtiger
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Posted: 12/10/06 at 2:05pm

We recently did "Come Blow Your Horn", and the audiences loved it! We played up the advertising/marketing campaign that it was Neil Simon's first Broadway show. It's also interesting to read it and see the parallels between that show (about two brothers - loosely based on Simon and his own brother) and his older "Brighton Beach" trilogy.

One thing that really worked was playing up the period of the show. Our design team knocked themselves out by using the movie "Down with Love" as inspiration. It's a perfect modern movie that is a love letter to the early 60's bachelor scene.

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B-M-D
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Posted: 12/10/06 at 2:49pm

We've talked about it at my ct but usually nothing serious ever comes of it. Would be difficult to do because of the manner in which we select our season. However, I would think if you wanted to financially jump start your ct that "sacrificing" a season to Simon would go a long way to doing that. Depending on how many shows a season your ct does you could do the Brighton Beach Trilogy, the entire repertoire of "Suite" plays. Any of the Simon musicals, Sweet Charity, Promises, Promises (personally an Ugh for me) and Little Me just to name a few.

"Dying is easy, comedy is hard."

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POB14
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Posted: 12/11/06 at 9:34am

Wouldn't you burn your actors out? Does the acting membership want to do a full season of Doc?

Although I could see doing the three Brighton Beach plays more-or-less in rep . . . now you're pissing off the people who don't get cast in all of them, though.

POB
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red diva
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Posted: 12/11/06 at 5:41pm

Personally, as an actor and audience member, I couldn't imagine anything worse. But that's me.

You know your audiences....would they be able to tolerate a full season of Neil Simon? Wouldn't it get a bit tedious after about the second or third one? Isn't variety important to them? In our case, I think the audience response would be great at first, but that the size of the houses would begin to dwindle as the season went on. Even if your patrons are comedy freaks, perhaps a little Simon would go a longer way than a lot. Leave 'em asking for more!!

But, as I said....you know your audiences!

"I've worked long and hard to earn the right to be called Diva!"

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Kathy S
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Posted: 12/11/06 at 9:34pm

I didn't want to blaspheme, but I've got to agree with Red Diva. To me, it would become very tiresome in a hurry.

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Mike Polo
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Posted: 12/11/06 at 10:01pm

Truthfully, I'd be more worried about the actors getting bored than the audiences. Neil Simon is one of those names that sells tickets for our theater. Generally speaking, our comedies do significantly better than our dramas, somewhat better than our mysteries.

I'm just trying the idea on for size... Chris hates it, which makes me question my sanity for even thinking about it, but I'm trying to play through the angles. We're not hurting for money, but a solid season is a solid season.

Mike Polo
Community Theater Green Room
http://www.communitytheater.org

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teridtiger
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Posted: 12/12/06 at 11:19am

If you want a "theme" or something to tie together a season of plays, a local theatre here did a "Stage to Screen" season. Plays that had been made into movies. If I recall correctly, they did "Star Spangled Girl", "Sabrina Fair", "Dial M for Murder", "Crimes of the Heart", "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "The Children's Hour". They also recently did a season of Pulitzer Prize winners.

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Shanahan
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Posted: 12/14/06 at 3:25pm

No offense, but my first response to this was a shudder and uncontrollable nausea.

Laughter guaranteed. Plays by John Shanahan

http://www.johnshanahan.net
Dinner for Several
One Before Forty
Bob's Date
Brushstroke
Worst Possible Time for Writer's Block
& more!

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Play Suggestions
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Author	Message
Mike Polo Admin Group Community Theater Green Room Joined: 2/01/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 286	Topic: Season of Simon Posted: 12/10/06 at 9:27am
	Anyone ever done a full season of Neil Simon plays? I've been hearing that a number of our directors are considering Simon plays for our next season. Considering how well Simon sells, I started thinking that a full season might do extremely well at the box office. Any thoughts?
	Mike Polo Community Theater Green Room http://www.communitytheater.org

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DWolfman Celebrity Joined: 7/07/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 134	Posted: 12/10/06 at 10:53am
	I've thought that a Simon Season would be a great marketing approach and (for good or bad) an audience pleaser. Have not heard of anyone doing such however. It would also be a good chance to do some of his not-so-oft-repeated plays that are delights, like: Come Blow Your Horn Jake's Women Prisoner of Second Avenue God's Favorite
	Even a man who is pure of heart...
	IP Logged

teridtiger Star Joined: 10/24/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 69	Posted: 12/10/06 at 2:05pm
	We recently did "Come Blow Your Horn", and the audiences loved it! We played up the advertising/marketing campaign that it was Neil Simon's first Broadway show. It's also interesting to read it and see the parallels between that show (about two brothers - loosely based on Simon and his own brother) and his older "Brighton Beach" trilogy. One thing that really worked was playing up the period of the show. Our design team knocked themselves out by using the movie "Down with Love" as inspiration. It's a perfect modern movie that is a love letter to the early 60's bachelor scene.
	IP Logged

B-M-D Celebrity Joined: 11/03/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 346	Posted: 12/10/06 at 2:49pm
	We've talked about it at my ct but usually nothing serious ever comes of it. Would be difficult to do because of the manner in which we select our season. However, I would think if you wanted to financially jump start your ct that "sacrificing" a season to Simon would go a long way to doing that. Depending on how many shows a season your ct does you could do the Brighton Beach Trilogy, the entire repertoire of "Suite" plays. Any of the Simon musicals, Sweet Charity, Promises, Promises (personally an Ugh for me) and Little Me just to name a few.
	BD "Dying is easy, comedy is hard."
	IP Logged

POB14 Celebrity Joined: 7/01/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 349	Posted: 12/11/06 at 9:34am
	Wouldn't you burn your actors out? Does the acting membership want to do a full season of Doc? Although I could see doing the three Brighton Beach plays more-or-less in rep . . . now you're pissing off the people who don't get cast in all of them, though.
	POB Old Bugger, Curmudgeon, and Antisocial B**tard
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red diva Celebrity Joined: 5/15/06 Online Status: Offline Posts: 199	Posted: 12/11/06 at 5:41pm
	Personally, as an actor and audience member, I couldn't imagine anything worse. But that's me. You know your audiences....would they be able to tolerate a full season of Neil Simon? Wouldn't it get a bit tedious after about the second or third one? Isn't variety important to them? In our case, I think the audience response would be great at first, but that the size of the houses would begin to dwindle as the season went on. Even if your patrons are comedy freaks, perhaps a little Simon would go a longer way than a lot. Leave 'em asking for more!! But, as I said....you know your audiences!
	"I've worked long and hard to earn the right to be called Diva!"
	IP Logged

Kathy S Celebrity Joined: 8/21/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 303	Posted: 12/11/06 at 9:34pm
	I didn't want to blaspheme, but I've got to agree with Red Diva. To me, it would become very tiresome in a hurry.
	IP Logged

Mike Polo Admin Group Community Theater Green Room Joined: 2/01/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 286	Posted: 12/11/06 at 10:01pm
	Truthfully, I'd be more worried about the actors getting bored than the audiences. Neil Simon is one of those names that sells tickets for our theater. Generally speaking, our comedies do significantly better than our dramas, somewhat better than our mysteries. I'm just trying the idea on for size... Chris hates it, which makes me question my sanity for even thinking about it, but I'm trying to play through the angles. We're not hurting for money, but a solid season is a solid season.
	Mike Polo Community Theater Green Room http://www.communitytheater.org
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teridtiger Star Joined: 10/24/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 69	Posted: 12/12/06 at 11:19am
	If you want a "theme" or something to tie together a season of plays, a local theatre here did a "Stage to Screen" season. Plays that had been made into movies. If I recall correctly, they did "Star Spangled Girl", "Sabrina Fair", "Dial M for Murder", "Crimes of the Heart", "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "The Children's Hour". They also recently did a season of Pulitzer Prize winners.
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Shanahan Walk-On Joined: 5/08/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 1	Posted: 12/14/06 at 3:25pm
	No offense, but my first response to this was a shudder and uncontrollable nausea.
	Laughter guaranteed. Plays by John Shanahan http://www.johnshanahan.net Dinner for Several One Before Forty Bob's Date Brushstroke Worst Possible Time for Writer's Block & more!
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Topic: Season of Simon( Topic Closed)
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