BackStage Utah

So......if you have already committed to a show, do you stick with it? What are some circumstances in which you will quit a show? Or that you morally feel ok telling a director, thanks for the couple of rehearsals....ummm....but no thanks?

I am having a very very hard time sticking with a show I was cast in, but I was also taught that if you accept a role it is like signing a contract. I really really want to do this show, but I just don't know if I can keep up the facade of being ok with things.

So, when can you quit a show? And would you ever quit a show?

This of course is excluding deaths, marriages, and births of your own kids.

Oh, and I think that new jobs that prevent you from attending rehearsals and/or performances are valid reasons for dropping out of a show.  Since your actual question was what we thought were valid reasons, not what we think you should do.

As a director and producer (Producing Director?), I'm often expecting someone to quit the show. My usual rule is, if you're quitting, you find your replacement for me. Overall, please tell me you're quitting.

Are there valid reasons to quit? Of course. You might lose your job if you don't quit, because they changed your hours and aren't sympathetic to your situation. Your spouse is threatening to leave you because of the show (happened on a show I was working on... I got his part. It was great). Your health is in decline because you're burning the candle at both ends. You have a family emergency that will take you out of the state.

Not valid reasons to quit a show:

You're not happy with the production team/cast/etc. Talk to the director, privately about your concerns. Often these are things that can be fixed. Also, happiness (i.e.: fun) is a state of mind, so suck it up and remember, the performance is the fun part.

You suddenly find out you're going to miss a rehearsal or a performance night. Don't quit! Talk to the director or producer and see what you can work out. We had an actress quit on us 2 weeks before opening, because she was going to miss one night's performance. Evidently she never heard of understudies or even considered we could go dark for that one night.

I'm sure I could think of more, but those seem to hit the two sides. everything else is often a shade of grey to me, like getting cast in another show in a bigger and better role. This seems like a cut and dried, "you accepted this part, so you stick with it," but as an actor I can understand that opportunities don't always knock on your door like that, and if you can find me a replacement, please, go forth and do what you need to do. That is, unless we have you under contract. If that's the case, not a good idea to quit.

I pretty much agree with Swami. I admire your professionalism in being so concerned about this.

A big question for me would be, what exactly are the consequences of you sating with the show? Is it just a bad experience (lack of professionalism of the production, cast, director, etc), or is there a more serious problem?

I quit the Dicken's Festival once.� The first rehearsal was clearly a reunion of regulars and their extremely rowdy children.� The acting exercises consisted of lying on the gym floor of a church and doing some kind of... weird role playing that did not have to do with the show.� When I and a couple of others were reticent to participate we were reprimanded publicly for our attitude.�

While I don't deny the charges, I wasn't rolling my eyes, or throwing a tantrum. I was simply minimizing my participation and sitting to the side.� I was an adult wearing nice clothes, and it felt much more like amateur acting class than a production.� I'm not exactly proud of leaving, but I don't beat myself up over it either.� I just realized I should have done my homework before auditioning, and I'm very glad not to have wasted my holiday season doing that show.

I was once in a show (single cast) where, during rehearsals, we went through 5 or 6 guys being cast in one particular role.  I really don't know why, it was a great theater and a great cast, and the part was a very good role.  I never heard the reasons why the actors quit after accepting the role.  But it got to where it was just funny.  The guy who finally performed the role did a great job, though. 


This story has no bearing on anything, other than that I happened to think of it just now.

Only In Las Vegas wrote on Jun 25^th, 2010 at 2:02pm:


These are reasons to quit.

Dexter the Halls wrote on Jun 25^th, 2010 at 2:37pm:

Yeah, I agree. It sounds like they're making it kind of impossible for you to do your job properly?

Normally I'd say stick it out, but fees piss me off to NO END and the selling tickets thing is just bullshit.

That, and you're not psychic. It wasn't on the schedule? They didn't announce it ahead of time/ask if it would be okay? That time is not theirs, and they have no claim to it, and they especially have no right to get huffy when you point that out. You have a schedule for a reason, and it's not your fault if they didn't put together an adequate one. It's the same reason I feel like calling people outside of work hours for something work-related is a serious violation. You're on your time, not company/show time.

Have you talked to the director?

The Kaylee and the Ivy wrote on Jun 25^th, 2010 at 3:13pm:


That is part of the really bullshit thing. While the dance captain/cast mate was talking to me the director was standing right next to her. So at no point did the director try and speak to me or want to speak to me. She had one of the cast mates do her dirty work. The only reason why I know she was right there was because the DC kept saying, *insert directors name* she wants to know what the schedule is for tomorrow, and, *insert directors name* she says she emailed the producer about the times........

Well...if we're still looking at "accepting a role" like it is "signing a contract"...

When you accept a part and figuratively "sign a contract" by doing so....it implies that the theatre with which you are making the contract has given you all the info you need to make the commitment.� �This includes solid rehearsal dates, performances, fees that need to be paid, etc.� Most professionally-managed theatres provide an audition packet for this very reason.

It's understandable (sometimes) that performance dates/rehearsals have to be changed...but this also means that the theatre is changing their part of the "contract"....which means it is void and that you are no longer "bound."�

I would just talk to the director and explain that you accepted the role before the rehearsal schedule was changed.� I don't think the director would hold it against you or black list you for having to leave the show under these circumstances.

That sounds like a bad situation. If you have been in the play for a few weeks and it doesn't seem like their act is going to come together, then I'd say quitting is okay. Just say that you are having problems coming to the rehearsals on such short notice. They need to be respectful of your time, especially if you are volunteering your time without pay.

I did end up quiting. I just couldn't get the bad taste out of my mouth from everything that had gone down. I ended up emailing the only email addy we were given ( a lady in charge of our conflicts) and wrote out a very professional letter. I stated my reasons on quiting and that this was a show I had been dying to be in and was sad to be leaving. I was very clear in my reasons for doing so.

I actually got an email back from the Producer which I was quite shocked for receiving. She apologized profusly (sp?) and asked me to reconsider resigning and that if I didn't end up coming back she wished me all the best.

Probably the best "breakup" I have ever experienced. And although I really am sad to not get to perform one last time in Utah, and not in such a groovy show as this one, I don't regret my decision at all.

Thanks everyone for your help and in put on the matter. I really do appreciate it.