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Re: 2nd reed, Phantom of the Opera

Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2015-04-10 20:44

When I play in the pit for a high school show, I'm doing it at least in part to support the kids on the stage who have devoted many weeks to preparing for a run of 3 or 4 performances. So, in a sense, the decision involves not so much what I'll get from playing but what I'm contributing to the kids' experience.

I agree that it's preferable to have students playing in the pit. I'm a little surprised that in this case they're hiring players at all (even if the fees are almost negligible). When our high school did Phantom a couple of years ago, the rental contract stipulated that the pit would consist entirely of students, and many of us old-timers who had always played for the school's productions were suddenly one job shorter. It must have worked out well, because I don't think they used adult ringers this year, either.

I think some shows (maybe the Phantom they rented two years ago) now come in school versions which, among other things, include easier pit parts than the originals. These aren't, I don't think, the same as the middle school arrangements that have been available for many years and are more heavily edited, shortened, and use keys and vocal ranges that are more early-adolescent-friendly.

Whatever anyone thinks of all-student vs. hired pits, it isn't realistic to expect AFM scale for hired adults. I know the original question had only to do with whether the specific part would be enough fun in itself to justify the time involved. But the discussion quickly veered off in the direction of the fairness of the $45/service fee. Our high school and the separate summer theater program I administered for 10 years paid somewhat better than that, but still not up to the local scale. Most of the people who played in the pit for my summer productions were friends and teaching colleagues of mine (or friends of those friends) primarily doing me a personal favor by playing for the fee we were able to offer. I wasn't too proud to ask or accept the favors. Added to the costs of material rental and performance rights, set materials, directorial staff and custodial expenses (which *are* controlled by union contracts), heating and power costs and a number of other nit-picky little expenses, a union pit would be more than any but the wealthiest schools could manage. You can only cover so much with ticket sales, refreshments in the lobby and paid ads in the program book.

Which is why fewer and fewer schools and amateur theaters are using live adult musicians and either filling their pits with unpaid students or electronic tracks.

Karl

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2nd reed, Phantom of the Opera new

Dan Oberlin

2015-04-10 01:39