![]() (not to be confused with Salem, Mass.) Their season that summer included eight shows which would be performed over the course of ten weeks. So, that spring I saw a listing for a summer stock theater called Town and Country Playhouse, located in Salem, New Hampshire. Being written up in the local paper and mentioned (hopefully positively) by name was great for performers who, generally speaking, were young and only a couple of years into the business. Some were sponsors, with season tickets, some might house a couple of company members, and local papers reviewed the shows religiously. The people in the smaller cities and towns that these companies were in were invested in the theater, too. In addition to some very first class, large and profitable companies with big budgets that hired named stars to lead their productions, there were plenty of smaller regional companies that had high performance standards and were a great teaching tool, as well as a resume builder. Summer theater companies were an important part of the theater experience. If a performing arts job was out there, chances are Back Stage would list it. That also included costume, lighting, and set designers, stage management, choreographers, directors and everything else one could think of. ![]() Actors, dancers, opera singers, musical theater people, professional choristers – everyone in the performing arts could find a potential job or at least a performing experience there. All kinds of performing arts jobs were listed there. The paper had articles and ads about the performing arts world, but everyone bought it for the audition listings. Barring going away to college, it was my first foray into theatrical independence, as I was living with my Mom in the Bronx, taking voice lessons and working as a cutter and production person at a vintage and Victorian-inspired clothing boutique in SoHo called Victoria Falls.īack then, anyone who was in the performing arts ran to the newsstand to buy a weekly newspaper called Back Stage. The first time was the summer of 1981, followed by the summer of ‘82. ![]() ![]() I know it can be a singer/actor’s cliché, but I did summer stock theater. ![]()
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