A 1945 Code of Ethics for Theatre Workers

[Roy Janik]

View the complete article here:
http://www.lastageblog.com/2009/08/11/a ... -surfaces/

Or just read the "rules" here. What's applicable for Improvisers? What needs to be modified, stricken or added?

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.

[kaci_beeler]

I definitely respect the rigorousness of this document.
I am always impressed by the attitude suggested by following rules #1-5.

It's easy with improv to slip up and miss shows or show up late. Your ensemble can likely do a show without you, seeing as how it's improvised, so you can make the excuse, "I don't feel up to it tonight." or "I need a mental health break."
I've fallen into this trap before. It's selfish and sometimes I definitely see the need for it. There is no excuse for showing up late over and over again.

After I saw Ace and Bill drive 7 hours from Chicago to Omaha to do a show with me and immediately turn around and drive back, I've felt a sense of responsibility to showing up on time and perform in all the shows I have signed up for or are scheduled to do. And by that I mean, not skipping out on shows last minute. I've felt so much better since I adopted this attitude towards performance.
This being said, I don't like to perform to less than 5 people. I'd say 5 is still pretty low, but I'll do it. 2 people? It's not a performance for them or us. The energy and feedback loop gets thrown off. It's hard to take, canceling a show, but sometimes is much better than trying to pull the necessary feedback for performance from just 2 people.

I've also never understood the attitude, "I'll show up but I won't give it 100%."
You're there, right? Why not give it 100%? Maybe you don't like the show, but then what are you doing in it? If you said you were going to do something, do it, and give it your all while you're there.

8. I shall forego the gratification of my ego for the demands of the play.

This seems key, especially in improv.

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.

I love this. I used to follow this rule when I did scripted work. Because of our facilities, it is not always easy for a quick change after performances and I often have to show up in costume/make-up out of necessity. Still, I'll keep this in mind for future performances. I like the idea of not breaking the created illusion.

17. I shall never lose my enthusiasm for theatre because of disappointments.

Wow. This one is intense, and probably good advice. It's probably different in some ways for each person since people do this stuff for different reasons.
I do improv in large part for the love of performing with the people I know. Losing those people would mean losing a large part of my enthusiasm. But, I met a majority of those people through the love of performing and creating illusion in the first place.
I think we need to remember at our core why we started doing this. I think it could help us get through the hard times (losing a troupe member, low audience attendance over and over, bad self-esteem, etc).

Thanks Roy!

[ratliff]

Not to screw up the numbering, but you might want to strike #5 off the improvisers' version, as it often conflicts directly with #8 . . . In fact, since everything else on the list is implied by #8, that's really the only rule you need.

I just streamlined your list by 94 percent. You're welcome.

[Curtis + computer]

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.

This one is interesting. Most of those rules have to do with general professionalism and courtesy, so they're pretty timeless in that respect. But this one presupposes a certain theatrical philosophy.

There's always the question of whether theater is (or should be) an acknowledged or unacknowledged illusion. My personal inclination has always been toward theater that acknowledges the artifice and, on occasion, deliberately breaks the illusion. For me, this actually deepens the illusion and makes it more poignant, because there is no presumption of trickery; audience and performers are both consciously engaged in the experience.

Nevertheless, you probably shouldn't tool around in the theater in costume because it spoils the cool moment of your troupe hitting the stage all dressed up.

[ratliff]

8. I shall forego the gratification of my ego for the demands of the play.

Actually, improvisers can remove the last "the" as well. Rightsizing!

[kaci_beeler]

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.

This is a lesson everyone could probably learn. It's hard sometimes because gossip can be fun and it brings people together to excitedly talk about something. But, it can also be very hurtful and cause distrust and paranoia, even when no harm is meant.

[TexasImprovMassacre]

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.

This is a lesson everyone could probably learn. It's hard sometimes because gossip can be fun and it brings people together to excitedly talk about something. But, it can also be very hurtful and cause distrust and paranoia, even when no harm is meant.

BOYKO!!!

[beardedlamb]

respect your artform.


got it down to three words!

but yeah, this is a pretty sweet list. you'll find the best actors/improvisers follow most if not all of these guidelines.
i would excise the death in my family clause, though. gotta draw that line.

[EmilyBee]

I like this, and I also like the parts that aren't directly related to performing (keeping the theater clean, physically and psychologically). Thanks, Roy!