“No monologue or high note is worth sacrificing the safety and dignity of everyone else in the room.”

“To the artistic directors out there planning their 2025–2026 seasons: what’s your town going through? What aren’t people talking about enough? Who’s never had their story told on your stage?”

“These shows require good instincts, a committed cast, and the kind of intimacy that only community theatre can pull off.”

“Let’s talk realistically. Let’s talk about how to ask for help in a way that doesn’t always involve asking for dollars”

“In a move that’s both cruel and cowardly, hundreds of already-awarded grants were quietly canceled with little warning, pulling the rug out from under the organizations that had counted on them. Let’s not sugarcoat this: this will devastate community theatre.”

“We have to learn good habits in theatre to make the most out of our experiences. No one is going to do it for you.”

“When the playing field isn’t level—when it never even had a chance to be—you send a message that some roles are simply off-limits to the community, no matter how talented or committed they are.”

“These ten shows aren’t just underdone. They’re practically undiscovered in many corners of the community theatre world. But trust me: they’re worth it.”

“Look at the person handing you your program, or dimming the house lights, or selling you a raffle ticket to raise funds for new lighting equipment. Say thank you. Mean it.”

“The best community theatre reviews I’ve read meet the work where it is. They acknowledge the context. They don’t compare a local production of Chicago to the Broadway revival, but they also don’t pretend like it’s immune from critique.”

“Think of auditions as the last step, not the first. If you haven’t built relationships with the communities you’re trying to reach, it’s no wonder they’re not responding.”

“Performances of Big River are at risk after a community theater failed to cast Black actors, then removed the remaining Black characters entirely—rewriting scenes, lines, and songs without permission from the licensing company.”