Hello all within the Cleveland theater scene. The following was a response i had to the issue of... "to pay or not to pay" actors within the Cleveland theater scene, and in fact, everywhere at (so-called) ..."community" theaters. i just thought i would share this with you all. Take it for what it's worth, ...to you. All the best, Mark Mayo. (etc etc etc) .....please don't think that i have this venomous hatred 4 (theater name) Playhouse, far from it! i'm just disappointed that's all. i've always considered (theater name) 2 be 1 of the better theaters around town. But in this day & age, i simply just cannot understand how a theater cannot & WILL NOT pay actors. (theater name) Playhouse IS NOT a "community" theater. A true "community" theater is community supported & all VOLUNTEER, meaning, NO ONE gets paid. But that's not the case with (theater name) & with most theaters hiding behind the guise of "community". Directors get paid. Stage managers get paid. Designers get paid. & if i'm not mistaken, some photographer that comes in 2 take cast headshots gets paid. WHY NOT ACTORS??? & i'm not talking about some $50 pat on the back. i'm talking something respectable & worthy of a fine actors work & worthy of a fine establishment such as (theater name) Playhouse. 2 use (play title) as an example, (theater name) could easily afford 2 give that cast a stipend of at least $500 each, & that's cheap!. & if needed, maybe pro-rate the pay down a tad 4 actors with smaller roles that may not have been there as much as lead actors, i don't know whatever, just a financial thought. But the thing is, i remember hearing all sorts of "grumblings" around (theater name) about "the same 'ol faces showing up all the time for auditions" etc etc. Well, if (theater name) decided 2 pay actors something respectable, (theater name) would get a whole bunch of brand new, very talented "faces" coming 2 their auditions & the theater would greatly benefit & would be improved because of it. i saw (play title), & i'm sorry 2 say that it was horrible. The lead actor missed everything, missed all the key points that made the character what he is. & the character & the actor came across as bland, stale, & un interesting. The collateral damage 2 all that was (actress name). She is a fine actress & i was looking forward 2 working with her. But with all the points that the lead actor missed, it made (actress name) look bad, & her work & performance suffer tremendously because of it. Now i can't blame everything on that lead actor (sorry, can't remember his name), but if the director can't see all these points being missed & the show suffering, then he is 2 blame probably more so, especially if he can't cast anyone better than that. & that brings me back 2 paying actors. i know this is just "art", but in some cases in this bizarre, intangible art form such as "acting", sometimes u get what u pay 4. & (play title) suffered because of that. & it's a shame 4 (theater name) because (theater name) is a cool theater & should be putting out much better work than that worthy of their decades long existence & reputation. i'm not a stuck up hoyty toyty actor. But i don't work 4 free. Sure, there are times that u do because ur working on what i like 2 call "a project amongst friends", & it's fine! u get on with it, u have fun, u do the work, everyone has a fantastic time, & everything is great. But i can't, in good conscience, do that at a decades long established theater such as (theater name) that possesses, & seems 2 want 2 continue 2 possess a no-pay policy. In this day & age, theaters & especially so-called "community" theaters need 2 stop hiding behind the guise of "community" 2 get around paying actors & start doing the right & FAIR thing, ...PAY ACTORS. Everyone else is getting paid, why not actors??? Either pay EVERYONE or NO ONE, ...period. M.