Pioneer Theatre Blog

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Hello folks, we are in the process of creating a new and improved version of the PTC blog.  at the moment, post and comments have been disabled.  In a few days you will see the new blog, hosted by blogger, streamlined and skinned like our site. See you soon!

My son wanted to see Paint Your Wagon for his 21st b-day.  First play he’s ever been to.  I was told that it was bound for broadway and that the script had been re-worked so I was hopeful.  Long story short I was incredibly disappointed.  The writers had brought in an element of the Mexican prospectors being hated by the white people because they didn’t pay taxes.  Incredibly ridiculous considering no-one payed taxes in those days…completely political bs thrown in to evidently make it more current.  There were many derogatory comments made about Americans and wealth in general throughout the script and basically made the evening a disaster for me as I didn’t agree with that view of Americans.  We left at intermission and I would more than say it was a tremendous waste of money.  If I want political views I’ll turn on the t.v. and pick a channel.  It’s free and I’m able to change it at anytime if I grow tired of a particular point of view.  When I go to a play I pay to be entertained…not to be forced to listen to political commentary guised in the form of a long running play.  Anyways it was my first and last time I will attend Pioneer theater.

I noticed this attached article in todays Deseret News.  It is astonishing to me that lawmakers claim to not have any knowledge of Hale’s administrators making over $100 K a year while their actors earn $30 per performance and nothing for rehearsals.  I’ve been ranting about this very issue for years.  Is anybody at PTC involved in educating lawmakers about this issue?  Why am I as a taxpayer paying 5 people with the last name of Hale over $100K per year to enslave artists?  This is why I support Pioneer Theatre.  Hale and their pocket lawmakers can kiss my butt.

Teresa Bramwell (AEA Actor)

Hale’s pay is raising eyebrows Associated Press       WEST VALLEY CITY — The Hale Centre Theatre is being criticized for receiving $185,000 in state funding while its top executives earn more than $100,000 a year and its actors are paid less than $60 per performance.       “It’s a huge disparity, what the top administrators are making as opposed to what artists are compensated,” says Scott Phillips, director of the Utah Shakespearean Festival. “It’s discouraging and not very fair in the eyes of the artistic world.”       The actors who successfully audition for the 350 roles in Hale’s well-attended productions are paid $30 to $60 per performance with no health benefits, according to Mark Dietlein, Hale president and CEO.       Some legislators behind the appropriation say they were unaware of how much the theater’s executives are paid. Together, the top five managers were paid $530,000 annually, according to the most recent public tax records.       Additionally, two top Hale officials own a leasing company the theater paid $500,000 in the past four years through an exclusive contract.        Utah House Budget Chairman Ron Bigelow, R-West Valley City, said he pushed for the ongoing grant to the Hale Centre Theatre because it provides family-oriented entertainment. He said he was unaware of the Hale executives’ compensation and acknowledged “it is a concern.”       Sen. Pat Jones, D-Holladay, who is a Hale Centre Theatre board member along with political figures such as Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, says she is proud of the wholesome entertainment the theater offers. But Jones also said she was unaware of the executives’ compensation package.       The taxpayer money came in the same session lawmakers turned down the Utah Arts Council’s request for additional arts grants funding. The state agency distributes $1.3 million among more than 220 arts groups through a long-established peer-review process.       Hale’s most recent tax records show the theater’s four top executives each were paid more than $100,000 annually and provided with personal automobiles. Many producers say the theater’s compensation is too high for leaders of a nonprofit community theater that relies on volunteers, contributions and taxpayer money.       In the 18 Utah companies that have signed Actors Equity agreements, which establish minimum salaries based on the number of performances and the size of the theater’s regular audience, minimum weekly wages range from $792 at the Shakespearean Festival and $728 at Pioneer Theatre Company to $473 at Salt Lake Acting Company and $325 at Park City’s Egyptian Theatre. Equity contracts also dictate health and pension benefits.       Dietlein says actors perform at Hale because they want to be a part of the “magic of theater.”       “It’s a wonderful thing,” Dietlein says. “There is almost a family feeling among actors. It is a very tight group.”       But actor Annette Wright says a living wage is needed.       “I got to the point where a T-shirt and pie ain’t going to cut it,” Wright says.       Bigelow says the funding, like all grants, will be re-examined next year.

This e-mail was sent to our staff at PTC. I thought it would be nice to post it here. Curg, Thank you for your kind comments.

Is this the best way to get comments to Charles Morey and the cast and crew of Les Miserables? We attended the performance last night and were absolutely blown away! The set(s) were magnificent. Maybe time has blurred my memory, but they seemed better and more impressive (especially the barricade) than when we saw the touring company in San Francisco many years ago. It is such an emotionally stirring musical, and your production was top notch. The performers were dynamic. The orchestra was superb. We enjoyed it immensely. Came right home and ordered tickets for our family for June. No one should miss it. Thank you.
Curg Johnson

Bravo Charles:

You and your team put together a masterpiece with Othello. My wife and I saw it twice and wish we had seen it two or three more times. It was stunning!!!

Sircy and I loved the creative choices made by everyone involved.

Personally, I am curious if you can share some background about a couple of choices regarding lighting that I forgot to ask about during the discussion session with you and the cast.

First, I am interested in the use of the follow spot in this production. I liked it although I would have thought it more typical in musical theatre. Can you shine any light on that?

Second, when Iago did his asides in Cyprus (at the reunion of Othello and Desdemona) with the light changes and background music, I liked how the both supported the mood. It was powerful. Ward’s work as Iago was most impressive and having the light and sound to amplify his evil was brilliant.  Can you share why that scene was chosen over others where he had an aside? It was an excellent choice, I want to learn about the creative thought process in that choice.

 Finally, I just want to say, which I said at the discussion, I love seeing things being flown in for a scene change. It really is a kind of magic happening right before my eyes and you all did such an excellent job it was a joy to give you permission to “fool” me into thinking this was all “real” for those three hours. 

Warm Regards to all,

Tom and Sircy Maggio (Season Ticket Holders)

I’ve wanted add my opinion on this topic for some time.  Here’s a quote from Charles Morey:

“I made the same mistake again with “Beauty and the Beast.” (You would think I would have learned my lesson.) We should not have brought it back the year following its succesful run here — but again, there was nothing available that held any promise of doing those types of numbers. It did well, but it KILLED season ticket sales and, though I think the second production was modestly better, I consider it the biggest mistake I have made in my years at PTC.”

Here is my reaction to this comment:

     I don’t agree that “Beauty and the Beast” killed season ticket sales for the ’05-’06 season.  What killed the season ticket sales was pairing the revival of “Beauty and the Beast” with 6 other selections that nobody wanted to see.  Considering the fact that “B & B” had already run for 4 weeks the previous season, and also been produced by at least 2 other local theatres before the “05 run, I think it did surprisingly well for the second 4 week run. 

    If you had selected at least one other blockbuster for the ’05-’06 season, season ticket sales would have been much better.  With titles like “Five Guys Named Moe” as the second musical (totally unknown frivolous fluff), “Humble Boy” (huh?), “Julius Caesar” (why? Boring.), “Enchanted April” (awesome ass moment, but the play was lacking in excitement), “Sherlock Holmes” (not well written enough play for LORT B), and “Metamorphoses” (weird play, only interesting for the unique water world set and naked penis which you CUT!).  All in all the entire season was totally forgettable.

    Considering that many of your patrons are older conservative types, sending out a newsletter that is even more offensive than the play itself doesn’t help ticket sales either. While reading the newsletter for “Humble Boy”, I giggled as this scene played in my head:

Scene begins in the home of Harvey and Melba Bluehair.  At rise we see Harvey returning to the living room with today’s mail.

Harvey: Melba, those nice folks down to the Pioneer Theatre sent us a newsletter about their current play. Would you like to go see a play?

Melba: Oh, I sure appreciate those nice folks.  Are they doing a nice wholesome musical like “42^nd Street”?

(Harvey reads, shakes his head and re-reads the newsletter)

Harvey:  No, it says here they are doing a play called “Humble Boy” that has simulated sex scenes and dozens of swears in it.

Melba:  Oh, heavens no! Why would we want to see something nasty like that?  Throw that away.  Let’s just stay home and watch TV.  Why would they do such a dirty play?  Maybe we should cancel our season tickets.  I don’t want to go there anymore if they are doing dirty plays.

   I personally loved the play “Humble Boy” (although PTC was certainly not the right venue for it. It deserved a 350 seat house not a 1,000 seat house). Fortunately I saw it before having a chance to read the newsletter.  As I later read the newsletter, I had a difficult time remembering any of the obscenities or sex scenes in the play that were so boldly highlighted in the newsletter.  If I had read the newsletter prior to seeing the play, that is all I would have looked for, expected, or thought about.  It would have hindered my ability to appreciate the story, atmosphere, or performance of the play because all I would have thought about was seeing a play about sex and obscenities. No, “Beauty and the Beast” is not what killed your season ticket sales for the ’05-’06 season.

Sassy T

I attended the preview performance of “The Ladies Man” last night, and had a very enjoyable evening.  Chuck’s adaptation was very entertaining and filled with humor. We are lucky to have such talented creators of art in our community.

I particularly enjoyed the physical comedy, the costumes, and the music.  The acting was effective in getting the story line across.  The one casting choice I thought was strange was the large “Prussian”.  The script went on about how large and menacing he was, then he came out and looked like he was about 5′7″.  He acted the part well, but his size didn’t really fit the script. Unless it was supposed to be funny that Moleneaux is afraid of a guy half his size.  That could be funny, but it didn’t seem like it was being played that way.

Max Robinson was brilliant in this leading role.  He has such refined skill in timing his lines and reactions to include the audience in on the joke. As an audience member, it is nice to have the time to laugh and imagine what the character must be thinking in awkward situations.  Max is a master at this art. He is a true professional.  We are also lucky to have him in our community. I’m wondering if he bribed the costume designer to put him in that blue suit?  He could be voted Sexiest Man in Utah in that blue suit.

Congratulations to Chuck and the entire cast and crew of “The Ladies Man” for a wonderful production.  It was very funny and enjoyable.

I am so sorry that there have been a number of fabulous questions and comments that have been stuck for quite some time in some sort of queue waiting to be published.  I will be better in the future about catching these postings.

in the future, be sure to click PUBLISH and not Save when writing a post.  Save will not get it on-line.

thanks, and happy blogging.

I’m so excited that PTC is doing this show this season! This is one of my favorite plays. I want to audition for it, but I’m not sure if I’m too old or not. The only part I could possibly play is Jay, but I’m 20 years old. Does anyone know how PTC casts in terms of age range?