What's In A Name?

__________________________________________________________ 

From Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language:

Repertoire:

1. the stock of plays, operas, roles, songs, etc. that h company, actor, signer, etc. is familiar with and ready to perform

2. all the musical or theatrical works of a particular category, or of a particular writer, cmposer, etc., available for performance

3. the stock of special skills, devices, techniques, etc. of a particular person or particular field of endeavor.

Repertory:

1. a) a repository for useful things; storehouse

    b) the things stored; stock; collection

2. same as repertoire

3. the system of play production engaged in by repertory theatres

Repertory Theatre:

A theatre in which a permanent acting company prepares several productions for a season and keeps alternating them in limited runs.

Ensemble:

1. all the parts considered as a whole; total effect

2. whole costume, esp. one of matching or complementary articles of dress

3. a) a company of actors, dancers, etc., or all but the featured stars

    b) their performance together

__________________________________________________________ 

Go to any listing of theatre companies and one will find numerous institutions with the words ‘repertory’ or ‘ensemble’ in their names.  But if one researches these companies, one discovers that perhaps 80% of these theatres are neither repertory nor ensemble theatres.  Many of those calling themselves ‘company’ are only so in the loosest or legal sense, in that they are a business concern, but a company of performers is quite rare.

Some ‘repertory’ theatres are so in that they pull from an established stock of plays.  Fewer still repeat productions or cast in repertory fashion.  Yet this word appears frequently, even when the theatre’s mission, history and reputation exclude that description.  American Repertory Theatre states proudly (as it should) on its website that it ‘has welcomed major American and international theatre artists, presenting a diverse repertoire that includes new American plays, bold reinterpretations of classical texts, and provocative new music theatre productions.’  However, used in this manner, ‘repertoire’ could be applied to any theatre that has produced more than one play.  This description says that this company does pretty much anything without supporting a permanent company of actors.  That is completely antithetical to the description of ‘repertory.’

Every piece of theatre is created by an ensemble, if it is accepted that each separate cast is an ensemble in itself.  However, very few companies consist of ensembles.  It’s extremely rare to come across an ensemble of actors that stay together for more than one production let alone a season or more.  Most theatres have certain actors with whom they work repeatedly, but these actors are more guest artists than company members.  At a vast majority of theatres, the only company members are the administrative staff and board members.  It is an ensemble of administrators, not a theatre ensemble.

Is this a case of not fully understanding the terms ‘repertory’ and ‘ensemble,’ or are we experiencing a shift in the meanings of these words?  In either case, we are losing two defining characteristic strengths of Theatre. Working with and through a repertoire, theatre companies and performers build a knowledge and ease with a large body of work.  The audience knows that a particular theatre is a place to go to see Shakespeare or Chekhov or works from the Pan-Asian experience.  On television we are offered ensembles every night.  Sometimes we watch the same ensembles for years, but we see them playing the same roles and with the same rules all the time.  Whereas in live theatre, an ensemble can swing back and forth from Ionesco’s absurdity to Seneca’s tragedy, from RENT to Guilbert and Sullivan.  These are experiences lie exclusively in the realm of Theatre and communal story-telling that is at the heart of the medium.

Why are so many theatres identifying themselves as repertory and ensemble, and not embracing these forms and tools?  Until they do, they are selling the audience a false bill of goods and misinforming the public as to the nature of Theatre in general.  This practice renders two of live theatre’s great strengths impotent.