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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm 5'9" and average looking.  A nice guy and the boy next door type.  I had one girlfriend in high school.  One year break; two in college (each 2 years, I was in college for 5 years).  One post-college; dated for 5 years.  Took a break for 5 years and met the woman who would become my wife at 33.  Married at 37.  Now 53 with 2 kids.[/quote]

You met your DW 20 years ago. Smartphones didn't even exist then, and online dating was in its infancy. Today's single people have a lot more options, which can be a good and a bad thing.[/quote]

True, but I'm still involved in community theater and I can still tell you that single straight men who join community theater often find dates with the larger female population within the arts community.  I know of at least 6 couples within the last 2-3 years who met through community theater, almost always when the guy did his first show.  Half of those couples are married or engaged.  The others are in committed exclusive relationships after having met through theater.  For single guys, even average guys, it's a great place to meet single available women where the odds are in your favor.[/quote]

What can you do to get involved in community theatre if you're not an actor?[/quote]'

Community theaters always need tech folks.  Each show typically has a person in charge of various areas that need extra hands to help.  The lead for each facet of a show needs to be a skilled person in the area, but the teams that work for the designer are often comprised of people who have varying levels of skill down to completely unskilled helpers.  I have been involved in many cases where we teach people what they need to know on the job, e.g. when you show up.  If you don't have experience, they usually ask you to come to work parties (build and setup events) or come to several rehearsals to learn what you'll need to know.

For example, the lighting designer needs people who can climb up a ladder, hang a light on a rod, tighten the nut, plug it in, and point it at a person standing on the stage.  Sound designers need people to carry a speaker across the room and them string cables to it and tape down the cable to the floor.  Set designers need people who can hold a flat (a 4x8 wooden panel with an image painted on it) up while another person screws it to a beam or wall with a screw gun (cordless drill).  Props people need someone to help them find "a feather duster, a hand mirror, a rolling pin, a pink pillow, a stuffed bear, etc" and then help set up a station where the props will be located so that the actors can find them.  Stage crew often have a list of random duties to make a show run smooth (carry this chair on and put the feet on the blue X's, Go on stage and move the table from the brown tape marks to the green ones.  Go and pick up all the newspapers that the actor threw on the floor in the last scene).

An easy way to get your feet wet is to show up to usher a show.  They train you when you show up (usually about 30 minutes before patrons are let in), you hand out programs, tell people how to get to seats (if assigned), help people who need assistance, and sometimes have to serve refreshments at intermission.  Then you actually get to sit and watch the show.  You'll meet a few people, like those who run box office or sell tickets, those who are house managers, running the front of house.  You can also get your feet wet by volunteering for a work party where they are building or painting or preparing a set for the show.  They always need extra hands, both skilled and unskilled (although if you are skilled with tools you are worth your weight in gold).  And there, you will often meet many of the actors, and the skilled designers (director, producer, light/sound/set designers, props manager, etc).

[b]If you aren't sure, look for a community theater near you, visit their web-site and look for "ways to volunteer" there usually is a way to contact the theater for that.  If you can't find anything, let me know what part of town you live in and I can look for theaters near you and contact information[/b].[/quote]

Thanks very much for this.  A Google search is showing community theatres all over the area.  I do have carpentry skills, my own tools, even a pick up truck, so we'll see if I'm worth my weight in gold![/quote]

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