u/Visible_Manner9447

Years ago, one of my first jobs was working at a concessions bar at a regional theater. I ended up managing it for three season. Back then we had specialty cocktails for each show, a few beers on tap, and it was a space people would hang out after the show because the environment was fun and the drinks were cheap. I used to have customers until 1am. I’ve been back to that theater and it’s all much more straightforward and less cocktail shaking, more premade stuff, but felt kinda boring. Nobody hangs out after shows anymore. I just started working again as a bartender part time at a smaller theater in a different city, same thing, all drinks are in cans except the wine. Not really bartending so much as handing things from the fridge to the patron.

It got me wondering — are there any theater bars anywhere that more or less operate as their own bar? Are there any theaters with bars that are genuinely nice to hang out at, without that stale corporate feel of most theater lobbies now? Or are these relics of the past?

Trump curse. That’s the post.

Hey y’all! I just have some thoughts I want to share about a trend I’ve been noticing in recent conversations about work for actors disappearing. I welcome any comments and discussion, it’s something I’ve been turning over in my mind since I watched it.

(And full disclosure- I am a working theater actor but so so so far away from this world of tv and film being discussed here. So take this with a grain of salt)

Eric Deggans, a film critic, made a recent post on instagram for NPR about television actors not having the consistent work they once did, and he points the blame at traditional movie actors taking tv roles and that being the cause of the problem.

I think Deggans and others are missing something with this criticism of film actors “taking jobs” from tv actors. I think the bigger problem is that the film industry is producing less and less “films” and way more fluff movies and reboots than ever before. Movies that many of the acclaimed film actors he mentions simply would not have a role in.

For example, I went to the movies with a group of friends last night. Here’s what is playing in my hometown cinema:

Devil Wears Prada 2

Michael

Mortal Kombat II

The Sheep Detectives

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

And opening soon: The Mandalorian and Grogu

Deggans mentions a few film actors in this video, including Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman, and Michelle Pfeiffer in his first example of film actors moving to television and stealing roles. My question for Deggans is: which of the above movies have roles for Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman, and Michelle Pfeiffer? He also mentions Kathy Bates and Denzel Washington. Who would you have them play in the Super Mario Galaxy Movie?

I don’t write this because I think his opinion is without merit, he raises some good points. But I think it’s dangerous to blame this problem on actors dipping their toes into territory where they “don’t belong”. The problem is the kinds of stories studios are investing in. Movie makers are less and less geared towards telling stories that require actors of the top caliber, and TV is becoming the realm where we tell deep, complex stories. The industry is shifting. It’s not about taking creative risks as filmmakers, it’s about making the studio as much of a profit as possible. That’s not because of the actors, but the decision makers in the industry.

The evaporation of television jobs is certainly a problem for actors, but I don’t think it’s right to pin all the blame on film actors. We’re all actors at the end of the day, and even the actors at the top need work, and I was surprised that in a video for NPR about this topic, so much was left unaddressed.

Edit: I got his name wrong it’s Deggans not Deggan