Show Evaluations
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=3869
Printed Date: 11/23/24 at 4:08am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Show Evaluations
Posted By: imamember
Subject: Show Evaluations
Date Posted: 3/09/09 at 7:18am
Do any of your groups have an evaluation pow wow or some sort of decompression meeting after each show to talk about what happened that was good and bad?
Do any of your groups have a discussion over how well a first time or new director did or handled themselves?
I'm just looking for a model to follow. We just finished with a show that had a first time director, although he's been in over 30 community theatre productions over the past 15 years. He did a lot of things that as a board member I utterly disagree with and reported to our president (nothing happened) and as an actor had a lot of issues with. I want to discuss it at the next board meeting but I don't want it to appear as if I'm just attacking the guy.
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Replies:
Posted By: David McCall
Date Posted: 3/09/09 at 1:03pm
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Our board always has a discussion at the next meeting after a show. The board members don't necessarily know about everything that happened. If you can get responses from the audience and the participants it is a big help in the discussion.
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David M
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Posted By: dramacorrect
Date Posted: 3/09/09 at 9:21pm
We never really do this and I've always wondered why. No matter how good or bad, it seems like all the meetings focus on the good. Which I think is a really good way to never get around to fixing the things that didn't go well.
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Posted By: Kathy S
Date Posted: 3/10/09 at 1:08am
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We have done "post mortems" in our board meetings, or with the production crew and cast of shows before. Sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesn't. It seems like if there are "issues" that a public forum can become a political hornet's nest. I wonder if there is a guide to doing this somewhere on the internet... I recall seeing a written evaluation that some groups ask their cast and crew to complete which gives the participant the opportunity to rate different aspects of the production and the experience of working with that group. Seemed like a good idea to me, but we haven't done that.
For the last show that we did which we took to our state festival, we asked the audience to fill out a five or six question questionaire and to "grade us" from A to F on things like: Could you hear? How well did the elements work together? Did the actors succeed in portraying a believeable character? etc... and then gave them space to add comments. I think it helped. we got lots of comments.
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Posted By: TonyDi
Date Posted: 3/10/09 at 7:26am
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We always did this in an "informal" fashion at a board meeting following the closing of a show. Usually when the bottom line figures are in, the bills are paid, the profits are measured (assuming there ARE profits), then the discussion usually always does steer to an informal evaluation of how the show went, if there were problems or issues and what we did right, wrong or indifferently!! It never used to wind up in negatives wherein someone or some...thing became the focus of why it failed if it wasn't as good as we had expected. But enough was discussed that we always learned something from having taken the time to review and evaluate how it went generally speaking.
We had some really good shows and really good years. But occasionally we had a show that we "thought" would be great that fell flat for whatever reason - often weather during the Winter was an issue, a specific subject of a show just not having the appeal WE thought it would for our patrons, or bad timing with a relatively active arts community competing for people's attention, or simply BAD choices in casting, direction or some other issue. But it only happened that way RARELY - we've been lucky. But it also took a good solid 50 years of being active to learn some of those better lessons. And now the board has all changed, the focus is not what it was when I was more active and the shows suffer, the organization is being run by a lot of people much more concerned what's in it for them as actors, directors, etc. and less about what's good for the theater and the patrons we serve. Times change. Part of why I'm pretty much retired from doing it anymore. Can't take the headaches associated with people who really don't know how to run things and are doing it for self-serving purposes. Breaks my heart to see it because for 20 years I spent my life there and it was a great time. Now it's falling down around them and they don't even know it.
At any rate, doing an evlauation isn't a bad idea. VERY useful in my book but I'm sure it's not for everyone. Some just don't WANT to know the awful truth. Some THRIVE on it and some will take what they see and work to make it better. It's a valuable tool in my book and never hurts.
TonyDi
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"Almost famous"
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Posted By: 75director
Date Posted: 3/10/09 at 2:38pm
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We distribute a survey to all the actors and crew members on the final performance. I think I might have posted it somewhere here many moons ago, or offered it up to anyone. I don't know, too many nights spent smelling paint and staring into spotlights has a way of messing with the mind.
At the board meeting immediately after a show closes we discuss the results of the surveys, go over budget numbers and generally spend a few moments discussing, what worked and what didn't.
The surveys provide a good way to measure various aspects of your organization, and track things over time, especially if you ask the same questions. For example if the score your facility receives drops over a number of shows, maybe it's time to do some upgrades, or at the very least a fresh coat of paint in the greenroom. It's also great for grant applications because they always want to see how you are measuring and evaluating your organization and its programming.
A word of caution though. Don't hinge everything you do on the survey scores. One or two "bad apples" can really sway the scores, especially in a small cast or one where you mix a lot of adults and kids.
We just added an age question to our surveys. This was due to some attitude problems from a few teenage girls in the show's ensemble. Sure enough the only ones who made negative comments were the teens, and their comments were things like "I didn't like my costume," "That set piece was painted ugly" or they gave very low scores to things like how they felt they were treated by the other volunteers (probably because they took their cell phone away backstage). Whereas, anyone over the age of 30 had nothing but high scores and glowing comments. My point being definitely do surveys, but weigh them with a grain of salt when they are discussed afterwords.
If anyone would like a copy of our survey shoot me an email at mailto:director@beatricecommunityplayers.com - director@beatricecommunityplayers.com and I'd be glad to share it!
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Posted By: imamember
Date Posted: 3/10/09 at 2:56pm
Concerning your mention of a couple bad apples.....
We do surveys as well but they end up being fairly worthless. The previous show we had a stage manager that yelled at everyone, refused to be on book during rehearsals and basically was a glorified curtain puller. Everyone complained but when it came time to fill out surveys everyone was just lazy and wrote that everything was fine. It ended up being me and the director complaining.
Our current show has a better stage manager but the director changes lines in the show, adds lines, added a couple SCENES, refused to block the show, showed open contempt for the script in general and wasted a lot of time. People are complaining backstage but I fear it'll be the same story as last Fall and I end up looking like the jerk that complains about everything.
It's frustrating.
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Posted By: jayzehr
Date Posted: 3/10/09 at 3:22pm
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Imamember--I'm glad you got through it in one piece, anyway! Maybe the time to make a stand on all this would be when this director is being considered to direct again.
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Posted By: SpenceKenzer
Date Posted: 3/10/09 at 5:56pm
I'm personally in favour of getting some feedback about a production from the audience, from the cast, and from the crew (including the director and the SM). I'd like to think it would help us to avoid problems in future productions, and perhaps even to improve future productions.
However...
DISCLAIMER: the following is my own personal opinion, and does not represent the opinions of my CT or its members.
Many members of my CT resist this and/or object to it. Their reasons?
- we're doing this for fun, and that activity is WAY too serious to be fun.
- we're all volunteers, and you just can't expect volunteers to behave the way professionals behave, and if you try you might alienate them from our CT.
I'd best describe this as: we don't want to improve, we just want to do as well as we've always been doing (the implication being that if we try too hard to improve, it won't be fun any more).
As for "difficult" members, I think it is best to let attrition weed them out. If they "can't play nice with others", then they will probably not be cast in roles or asked to work on a production team or on any committee. I could be wrong, but I think the only time it should escalate beyond this is if the "difficult" behaviour becomes dangerous or illegal. I think that my privacy and my safety should be of concern to my CT.
As for a difficult director, our CT has one board member who is the designated Producer, whose job it is to be the liaison between the director, SM, and production team and the CT board. Our CT establishes IN WRITING the important responsibilities and limitations and scope of things before the auditions. In the case where a director "goes out of bounds", then the board can put a recommendation on the books that this person NOT be engaged to direct again. HYPOTHETICALLY those bounds could include everything from behaviour (no physical, mental, emotional or verbal abuse will be tolerated) to contractual logistics (no changing the play's lines or scenes without properly secured permission).
Yah, yah; okay; I know; that's enough; I'll shut up now.
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Saludos, my dahlinks, and you know who you are ... !
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Posted By: chel
Date Posted: 3/23/09 at 5:03pm
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We have a form for actors/crew to fill out but I don't think anyone actually does it.
The board just talks about the success of the show and not address the good, the bad, or the improved upon.
The last time I am aware that the board took the time to listen to an after show evaluation it was to complain about a brand new stage manager who didn't do things "right"...though no one told her what was expected or let her defend herself or have a say about the issues that came up.
So if these post-meetings are going to be that unproductive, and just a chance to itch and moan, I'd rather we didn't do them.
I just try to ask questions and pay attention to other directors, etc to see what worked for their shows and what didn't. That's for my own information/future reference.
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chel
www.windhamtheaterguild.org
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