Opening Night Parties
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Theater Administration
Forum Name: Running Your Theater
Forum Discription: General questions about how to make it work
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2873
Printed Date: 11/22/24 at 5:54pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Opening Night Parties
Posted By: ccaldwell
Subject: Opening Night Parties
Date Posted: 12/14/07 at 5:31pm
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Our theater group moved into a wonderful facility last year, and since that time we have had a preshow cocktail reception on opening night. The board has become divided on this issue...half want to continue...half want the pre show party to end.
Can anyone (and everyone) tell me what the norm is for opening night at their theater?
Pre show? Post show? Nothing? Everything?
And does anyone know what the professional theaters do for opening night?
Thanks
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Char
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Replies:
Posted By: whitebat
Date Posted: 12/15/07 at 1:33am
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First adult CT I acted with--> informal gatherings of most of cast after any show (not that I went to any of them). CT I am with now--> nothing opening night, cast party for adults closing night (sometimes), cast party for everyone after strike! We have done shows with a run of only two performances, both the same day. We went to the cast party of Sweet Adelines (we did the drama, they did the music). Basically, we never did anything opening night unless the run was only 1 day/night.
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Posted By: biggertigger
Date Posted: 12/15/07 at 9:17pm
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At one theater I worked with, the opening night was a separate high ticket event. There was hors d'oeuvres and wine after the show. This allowed for the cast and audience to mingle (and get some feedback) after opening night. Though in the beginning it was a hard sell, after awhile we found that the audience appreciated it more. It became the first sell out night of each show.
The nice thing was it allowed the cast to unwind with the audience and the audience members didn't feel as if the cast was enjoying a drink before the show.
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The two greatest days in a theater persons life, the day you start a new show and the day the damn thing closes.
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Posted By: Darren
Date Posted: 12/20/07 at 6:27pm
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The preshow reception wasn't for the cast or crew I'm assuming. At most theaters I've worked at, cocktail receptions were common either on opening night or for other events. The professional theaters do it too--often with a pre or post-show party at a nearby restaurant or in the lobby or a lounge if it's available. Usually it's for donors, VIPs, or people who've bought higher-priced tickets to the opening. Of course state and local laws regarding alcohol need to be followed.
As for cast and crew parties, I think it's usually a good idea for the theater NOT to host these if alcohol is involved.
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Darren Farrington
Theater Management and Production Consultant
http://darrenfarrington.com - www.darrenfarrington.com
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Posted By: pdavis69
Date Posted: 12/21/07 at 8:47am
Maybe best part of a new thread but here goes: Recently I was part of a production where the director hosted a cast party on the opening Friday. As with most parties, alcohol was involved and flowing freely. We still had a Saturday and Sunday show to go that weekend. After a fair portion of the cast getting toasted on Friday night/Saturday morning, Saturday evening's show suffered. Musical mistakes never made before happened and there was a general lack of energy and pacing. Too be fair and honest I am new to the world of sobriety (three years sober) after 20 years in the bottle and maybe it bothers me more than others. Just wondering if this was happening elswhere and what steps are being taken to avoid this situation.
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Patrick L. Davis
Fort Findlay Playhouse
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Posted By: Topper
Date Posted: 12/21/07 at 11:19am
I agree, hosting a reception with alcohol BEFORE the opening night is asking for trouble. Also, I can imagine conversation being strained because nobody has seen the show performed as yet.
In my experience, the theater (or producer) usually hosts an opening night reception with wine, cheese and simple hors d'oeuvres immediately AFTER the show has opened and everyone has taken their bows and changed into their street clothes.
It's always a simple affair, held on-site in the lobby (to save money on room rental, I suppose) and done to show appreciation to the major donors, season-ticket holders, volunteers and friends/family of the production -- since those are the ones who most likely attend opening nights anyway. Other audience members are always welcome to attend and are told so during the pre-show announcements (but that's another thread).
It gives the cast an opportunity to mingle with theater-goers and nobody gets sloshed (at least nobody I've seen) because the wine runs out pretty quickly and the house manager wants to close up shop for the night.
Those that wish to continue the party do so elsewhere under their own guidance and discretion. There is no real way to police anybody's actions once they've left the theater. Some retire to the local pub, others simply retire to their homes because the exhaustion of rumbling forward to opening night has suddenly hit them.
Closing night parties are not uncommon, but those are rarely organized by the director, producer or theater -- since they most likely are already involved in another production. It's usually a cast member who hosts the festivities as a final farewell to the people they've worked with so closely for the past several weeks.
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"None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public." -- Keith Johnstone
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Posted By: Operatigger
Date Posted: 12/27/07 at 1:24pm
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We have an opening night party as well, but it's always after the performance. We serve wine (nothing more than wine) with the usual cheese and crackers, cookies and brownies. Our opening night is always on a Thursday, which is reserved only for members. This is also the night the reviewers show up, so it's a good time for the cast and crew to mingle with the reviewers as well as the members.
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"Music can change the world. "
-- Ludwig Van Beethoven
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Posted By: janetk
Date Posted: 1/10/08 at 1:03pm
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We also have an opening night reception held after the performance at a local restaurant. We were having members of our organization plan the event and still are but we are currently paying the restaurant to cater. He is an avid supporter so we get a break on the cost. Our opening nights are usually sold out to our Benefactors, Sponsors and Patrons. They have the opportunity to get tickets prior to general audience. The theatre company then has a volunteer that plans the cast party on closing night which includes cast and crew....strike is the next day with any left overs and then on to the next show.
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Posted By: TotoToo Theatre
Date Posted: 1/18/08 at 7:00pm
We have an agreement with a local restaurant/martini bar. We charge the restaurant $333 per performance for an ad in our program and a coupon on the back of our tickets. We also agree to have them host our post-performance parties. This was a three-production agreement and seems to be working well for both parties so far. We're just launching our second play at the end of January.
We are considering hosting our own wind-up and evening parties in the theatre we rent, because it has such a large space available where we could hold it. But the relationship with the restaurant seems to be working well. Nonetheless, we're exploring options.
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Mark Webster
http://www.tototoo.ca - TotoToo
Ottawa's Gay & Lesbian Community Theatre
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Posted By: Kibitzer
Date Posted: 1/21/08 at 11:19am
Once again, as anyone who has seen my other posts might already know, I make a major distinction between community theatre and professional theatre. In community theatre there must be far more social interaction between performance personnel (cast, crew, front-of-house, etc.) and audience. My research when I was managing community theatres suggested that the single most significant source of how single ticket buyers found out about the show was through friends or relatives in the show. Reinforcing and expanding these bonds is an excellent marketing strategy and most any excuse to do so can be worthwhile.
We had opening night functions at both community theatres I managed. At one, we provided a pre-show wine and cheese reception. I must admit it was not especially effective at getting a lot of people to the show and certainly no one was abusing the free wine. It was just one of those little customer service perks that had been provided almost forever and that no one wanted to stop for fear of offending the few people who consistently showed up for it. As a manager, there were bigger issues to deal with than that, so I didn't give it much attention.
At the other community theatre, there had always been an opening night reception after the show for audience, cast, & crew, etc. The expectations for it were quite high and the cost of it was starting to get out of hand and burdensome. We had a really excellent volunteer who was worth three or four times her weight in gold as an "asker" - one of the rare people who are not afraid to ask people for donations of time, money, or resources. She went out, found season sponsors for the opening night receptions, which included underwriting the cost of hors d'oeuvre, a local winery to donate wine, and even a local florist donated a flower arrangement themed to the show. The opening night reception went from being the (sigh) same old, same old that was draining the volunteers who did all the work to something special again. Once again, alcohol consumption related to this reception was not a factor.
I think that too much is too often made of alcoholic beverages. Certainly, we are in a day and age when we must be cognizant of its use and abuse and most states and/or local governments have fairly strict rules about liability and responsible consumption and service. (In addition to the many other things I do, I am also a bartender and I do all the responsible service training for waitstaff where I work) These laws cannot be ignored. If you have a bar in your theatre (we did at one theatre), or if you have functions involving bar beverages (whether being sold or given away), it would be wise to have a couple of people go through your state's training program for responsible alcoholic beverage service just so you can at least reduce if not avoid situations leading to legal liability. Our volunteer who headed up the bar service at the one theatre did so and one night "flagged" one actor who had gained quite a reputation as a big supporter of our bar service (if you get my drift...). He was taken aback - at first he thought she was kidding - and then he just chuckled over it and left, still in disbelief that he had been cut off. No one thought it was inappropriate and, in fact, it became one of those legendary stories that makes community theatre so much fun!
In regard to second night hangovers, I believe that any negative impact that occurs on the second night of a show has more to do with the natural let down after the emotional build-up (and inherent exhaustion of "tech week") of opening night than it has to do with hangovers. I have always been a huge fan of opening night celebrations, whether planned at the theatre or unplanned at a local watering hole. Once again, it has to do with the camaraderie that needs to be nurtured as a part of the community theatre experience.
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"Security is a kind of death." - Tennessee Williams
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