Review by Bart Whiteman of the book The Small Theatre Handbook: A Guide to Management and Production [Cambridge, MA: Harvard Common Press, 1981, 163 p.].

Small theatre lives on the brink of non-existence. With these words of encouragement, Joann Green proceeds to tell us how to survive (if only for awhile) on the edge of oblivion in her book The Small Theatre Handbook. In fairly concise form, she covers all phases of management and production involved in operating a small theatre, such as you might find Off Off Broadway or in any active urban center.

In my own terminology, this type of theatre is referred to as a stepping stone. David Richards, in a recent feature article in The Washington Post, referred to it as theatre on the margin. It is meant for serious theatre people who hope ultimately to move on to something bigger and better, not the housewife or retired businessman seeking an avocation, such as in community theatres. Indeed, Green herself has moved on from the small theatre scene to teaching at Harvard, no less, and working at the American Repertory Theatre's Loeb Theatre Center.

The book progresses systematically through chapters on Administration and Budget, Raising Money, Space, Choosing the Play, Director, Actor, Rehearsal, etc. I felt that each subject was covered a bit skimpily, almost in a dabbling fashion, and there might not be enough for someone who was seeking extensive information under each heading. Of course there are other books for a more in-depth study in each area, and Green does conveniently provide a bibliography for that purpose.

It is a rare book in that one senses that Green cares intensely about what she is doing and has done. She comes up with what I feel is the absolutely correct attitude for running a small theatre when she says: There are no problems in the theatre, only opportunities. I plan to require my staff to read her book.