Not a blog about a particular show this week.
I found a couple of interesting articles on a Code of Ethics that was written in 1945 by Kathleen Freeman.
This is the code of ethics ;
Foreword to the Code
“A part of the great tradition of the theatre is the code of ethics
which belong to every worker in the theatre. This code is not a
superstition, nor a dogma, nor a ritual which is enforced by tribunals;
it is an attitude toward your vocation, your fellow workers, your
audiences and yourself. It is a kind of self-discipline which does not
rob you of your invaluable individualism.
“Those of you who have been in show business know the full connotation
of these precepts. Those of you who are new to show business will soon
learn. The Circle Players, since its founding in 1945, has always
striven to stand for the finest in theatre, and it will continue to do
so. Therefore, it is with the sincere purpose of continued dedication to
the great traditions of the theatre that these items are here
presented.”
The “rules” follow:
1. I shall never miss a performance.
2. I shall play every performance with energy, enthusiasm and to the
best of my ability regardless of size of audience, personal illness, bad
weather, accident, or even death in my family.
3. I shall forego all social activities which interfere with rehearsals
or any other scheduled work at the theatre, and I shall always be on
time.
4. I shall never make a curtain late by my failure to be ready on time.
5. I shall never miss an entrance.
6. I shall never leave the theatre building or the stage area until I
have completed my performance, unless I am specifically excused by the
stage manager; curtain calls are a part of the show.
7. I shall not let the comments of friends, relatives or critics change
any phase of my work without proper consultation; I shall not change
lines, business, lights, properties, settings or costumes or any phase
of the production without consultation with and permission of my
director or producer or their agents, and I shall inform all people
concerned.
8. I shall forego the gratification of my ego for the demands of the play.
9. I shall remember my business is to create illusion; therefore, I
shall not break the illusion by appearing in costume and makeup
off-stage or outside the theatre.
10. I shall accept my director’s and producer’s advice and counsel in
the spirit in which it is given, for they can see the production as a
whole and my work from the front.
11. I shall never “put on an act” while viewing other artists’ work as a
member of an audience, nor shall I make caustic criticism from jealousy
or for the sake of being smart.
12. I shall respect the play and the playwright and, remembering that “a
work of art is not a work of art until it is finished,” I shall not
condemn a play while it is in rehearsal.
13. I shall not spread rumor or gossip which is malicious and tends to
reflect discredit on my show, the theatre, or any personnel connected
with them-either to people inside or outside the group.
14. Since I respect the theatre in which I work, I shall do my best to
keep it looking clean, orderly and attractive regardless of whether I am
specifically assigned to such work or not.
15. I shall handle stage properties and costumes with care for I know
they are part of the tools of my trade and are a vital part of the
physical production.
16. I shall follow rules of courtesy, deportment and common decency
applicable in all walks of life (and especially in a business in close
contact with the public) when I am in the theatre, and I shall observe
the rules and regulations of any specific theatre where I work.
17. I shall never lose my enthusiasm for theatre because of disappointments.
In addition, the document continued:
“I understand that membership in the Circle Theatre entitles me to the
privilege of working, when I am so assigned, in any of the phases of a
production, including: props, lights, sound, construction, house
management, box office, publicity and stage managing-as well as acting. I
realize it is possible I may not be cast in a part for many months, but
I will not allow this to dampen my enthusiasm or desire to work, since I
realize without my willingness to do all other phases of theatre work,
there would be no theatre for me to act in.”
All members of the Circle Theatre were required to sign this document.
And they must have-because the theatre, and the group into which it
evolved, was successful for many years.
This from an article published in the LAStageTimes in August 2009 which can be read in full here.
LAStageTimes did a follow-up article in July 2011 here which is quite a long one, but at the end is an updated version of the code which is fun to read.
I hope you find this interesting and amusing.
