Theatre Groups (rant)

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What the f*** does it take to find a theatre group for adults that doesn't require you to sing? My confidence for the past three months has been slipping, and I want to perform onstage in plays to hopefully improve my social skills and increase my confidence. However, in my area, the theatre groups that do not require singing only allow kids up to the age of 18, while the groups for all ages, including adults, require you to sing, because their auditions require that you bring bars of contrasting songs, which obviously means that all roles require singing.

But I can't sing! I want to act, but I can't sing or dance! I want to act in plays!! ! I'm tired of just sitting around at home, and failing at making friends. Furthermore, receiving applause from an audience for performing really gets my energy going, and makes me really happy. What should I do? Is it possible to act without singing or dancing, or do I have to let my confidence and social skills slip and all that I have to look forward to is hearing "This report is crap," "I need you to work on the weekend," "Be a team player."?

Have you looked into Dinner Theatre? I don't know the requirements actually, but I did want to do that for a while, particularly because I needed to work on my shyness and comfort in working on a project with people who weren't my friends. Personally, I love musical theatre and can sing well, but I, myself, would avoid auditioning for any troupes which required performing a musical numbers, just for the fact that I am so shy, far more so with singing, and in dancing, I've become awkward and nearly a klutz as my age progresses, which would probably have me working best in physical comedy. Anyway, check out Dinner Theatres in your area. They usually require you to wait tables in between performances, but it's a plus that you are getting paid for your time, actually. It's a good stepping stone into further acting.

I don't suggest enrolling in any community college theatre programs,, though. I did that and was sorely disappointed. I also went into college initially majoring in music (so that I could get over my performance anxiety and social quirks), but that was a mistake. Being around others that didn't have the same problem as me made me feel even more emotionally isolated. When I added Drama as a "double-major" during my second semester, I did very well in the classes with improv, writing, directing, but when it came to the audition requirement for drama majors in all school products and it was the Wizard of Oz, which required choreographed dance numbers and to choose a lead role to audition for including a musical number from the show...wow...that just cracked me. I tried to have fun, but in an auditorium of over 300 of my peers watching and listening to me as my choir teacher (which I wasn't expecting) assisted in piano accompaniment, I had a panic attack. This made me embarrassed about even continuing in my music studies.

Okay, I'm ranting, too.

Anyway, you may want to do some research into if there are any experimental (artsy) theatre troupes in your area. I know that in Houston (where I'm located) there are several options of this flavor. Good luck. P.S. Most large cities have at least one dinner theatre.

Oh, and you do realize...with any serious company or playhouse, before you can feel the thrills, self-esteem and energy-boosting affects of applause, you will probably have to deal with a very overly-critical director through weeks or months or performance preparation. S/he will try to dig your confidence into a hole and cover it over with dirt and stomp on it. Directors, though usually nice people, are very serious and harsh and irritable when it comes to their "vision," and nothing is ever good enough, except from the seasoned actors who they adore and have worked with on numerous occasions --people who usually tend to kiss ass (or vice versa). There definitely is a satisfaction when performing to an audience, but if your performance is under the direction and in the hands of another, there is a lot of pain that goes with the process, sometimes yielding more negatives than positives when it's all said and done. I'm just saying...I made the mistake in thinking (at least as an adult) that music or acting was something I needed to pursue to help me with my expression, my social awkwardness, and my avoidant personality. It ended up making things worse, actually. Not that I won't do it again...I'm a sucker for punishment.

It was something I used to love to do as a child. I just want to get that back...the exhilaration of performing...maybe independently, though...or starting my own troupe (which is ALWAYS an option --if you have good organization skills) working in collaboration, like SNL.

Instead of looking directly at theatre companies, try just looking for auditions. Look for either a play that's not a musical, or a part that doesn't involve singing. Not all plays are musicals, you should be able to find a part that doesn't involve singing, especially in a non-musical production. Look around, most areas have forums (not unlike this one) which are set up for local theatre productions around your area, look under the audition section, and don't audition for musicals if you can't sing.

It's just like how you don't apply to be a snowboard instructor if you can't snowboard.

Well, Stereokid, I'll make sure not to look that name up in a national phone book registry to keep your privacy safe. *L* seriously, though... Search online for websites that contain information about art performances in the largest city near you, like a directory of upcoming events. Usually they will name who is performing and have a synopsis of the performance and sometimes a review of the troupe (so that you can get a feel for the type of productions they do). This is when you can either attend a show of one that seems interested and try to talk to one of the cast members afterward OR you can skip all that, look for their contact information online, like a website...and be direct and forward, asking if they would consider accepting new members, and let them know what you could bring to their troupe and your aspirations or why you are interested.

A dinner theatre search would just be...google dinner theater and the city you wish to perform in. There should be results in your area for you to look into...some may not be directly in the city but rather in surrounding parts. I've seen that a lot in Houston. As far as I've noticed, dinner theatre's are mystery shows usually with audience participation (breaking the fourth wall). I haven't seen anything contrary to that yet, so if mystery theatre isn't your cup of tea (think Clue), then I would stick with locating experimental troupes around town.

I agree! All the theatrical stuff in my city is musical-based, and I can't sing musical theatre songs (my singing voice is quiet and weirdly-pitched). It's infuriating.

A lot of amateur theatre groups will put on mostly musicals because they are guarenteed to sell. But there are lots of small, experimental troupes all over the place, sometimes just a bit harder to find. Do you mind if I ask what city you live in?
Have you ever checked out events calanders or reviews in those free arts newspapers? Often small companies won't advertise for auditions because they already have their full cast, that's the nature of small, experimental theatre. See if you can get in contact with these types of companies, maybe go see a few shows. Or if you have the determination, you can produce your own show, either a one-man show or with others, and then rent a space. You don't have to perform in a theatre either, there are lots of community halls and churches and such.
The other thing you could do is volunteer backstage, and try and meet people that way. But I wouldn't recommend it unless you enjoy the work. Theatre in general, whether backstage or acting, is something you need to be passionate about in order to succeed.