68. 8/22-From a community member and actor

This happened in 2004. I had just graduated high school and, after having the time of my life in my high school shows, I was looking to do shows at other community theaters. The day after I got my first car the first thing I did was drive to The Palace to find out about auditions, and they referred me to Stage Right... So I went into the office and introduced myself to the AD who was very cold to me, and seemed completely disinterested. I asked "How do I get involved in shows here?" to which he replied "You don't". I was shocked and said "Umm okay", and turned to leave when he elaborated "We don't just take anyone off the streets. If you want to be in our shows, you have to pay for classes". By that point I had heard and felt enough to know this wasn't a person I wanted to work with, so I left and never returned.

As the years went on, I stayed involved in other community theaters and have always heard horror stories coming out of Stage Right. Once I was in a show at another theater with a regular stage right performer, and the AD actually came to support him, which pleasantly shocked the student, as well as the staff of the theater... until intermission when the AD texted this student that our show was "a pile of shit" and that "he should be ashamed and embarrassed" for "wasting his time" in our show.