Theater's New Rules Rankle Its Troupes

Professional and community-based theater is flourishing in the Washington area so much that only New York offers more plays and musicals, according to the Helen Hayes Awards organization. But that's not the case in McLean, where community theaters are experiencing dwindling audiences.

Longtime local theater participant Bill Byrnes, vice president of the Great Falls Players, said ticket sales are down about a third over the past few seasons for the three groups that have been staging plays at the Alden Theatre at the McLean Community Center.

With two new local companies joining the theater's roster, some local theater activists fear the erosion will continue and said that the Alden Theatre's policies are aggravating the problem.

The three longtime community theater groups in residence at the Alden are the McLean Theatre Alliance, the Great Falls Players and CAST in McLean, all of which rely heavily on volunteers.

Combined, the three groups attract between 5,000 and 6,000 patrons a season for five productions, a mix of musicals and plays. They have been joined this season by McLean Drama Company, a small semi-professional company that is primarily a showcase for a local playwright. Another new group, Sundial Theatre Company, will focus on issues related to disabled people.

The local theater groups compete for time in the Alden, a modern, comfortable facility with a large stage and orchestra pit that also hosts dance troupes, concerts and a variety of other events. The theater is operated by the community center, which receives its funds from a tax on McLean area residents.

"We're forced to accept whatever dates they give us for our shows, we don't get enough time in the theater to do all the technical work and rehearse the way we should, and they won't help us out at their box office by taking phone reservations," said McLean Theatre Alliance artistic director Sue Kahn, a 15-year veteran of local theater and an outspoken critic of the community center's policies. "Now they're telling us we have to meet these demanding ticket sale requirements and that an unrealistic percentage of our actors and technical people have to be local, or we're going to be made an even lower priority when it comes to getting dates for our shows. We may all end up in the street."

The community center board of directors recently issued new policies limiting the number of weekends for community theater presentations to 18, four of which must be in the summer. Effective this fall, 25 percent of the cast and crew of each production must be residents of the McLean area, and the groups must sell enough tickets to fill the theater to at least 45 percent of capacity (out of 386 seats) for musicals and 25 percent of capacity for plays.

"Failure to comply will result in the organization being placed at a lower priority for slots for the following season," the official notice states.

Claire Kiley, the Alden Theatre's performing arts director, said the rules were adopted because the board saw declining attendance and was concerned about making sure McLean area residents were given an opportunity to perform.

"While some people may see community theater as for the community rather than from the community, I think there is some thought that having community theater that comes from the community is a good thing," Kiley said.

Kiley said she has been aware that the new policies are not popular since the theater companies were first told of the changes.