Squids Theatrical Inc Ends In a Whimper

It started with a roar, touting itself as the premier amateur musical theatre group. It was designed to rival professional theatre companies.

For a short while, it flew high. Then, it crashed. What went wrong with Squids Theatre Inc?

SQUIDS was a breakaway group of thespians — a nucleus of two frustrated musical performers who had previously failed to motivate theatre groups to move to a higher echelon. They believed amateur theatre should grow to semi-professional status, and they pursued this challenge vigorously.

The couple, led by Deanne Scanlan, felt nearby amateur theatre companies thought too small. They put small-budgeted productions on small, obscure stages. The costumes they used were old and dusty. To Deanne, everything needed a boost multiplied by a factor of ten. All they had to do was think big like her and magic would happen.

Her mantra was: If you build a big production, a big audience would pay good money to see high-quality musicals. Productions would end up covering the costs and making a profit because they were that good.

But the committees of those existing theatre companies wouldn’t budge. They believed their formula was perfect for the company’s size and the market it served. They suggested that if the couple thought they could do it better, they should do it themselves.

They did.

Deanne Scanlan created Squids Theatrical Inc. and got The King and I production underway. That show had to prove to those who denied her the opportunity beforehand that Deanne had the right idea from the start.

The production was large, lavish, and put on a supersized stage. It was a success, with its costumes leading the reviews. (Deanne was not just the director of the show but the show’s head seamstress.)

But the finale of the company’s flagship show also marked the end of the theatre company. Deanne Scanlan quit Squids after the show was done.

Unfortunately, no one else could carry on the passion of Squids Theatrical Inc., and it started to fade. The fuel that sustained it was no longer there.

Deanne was the show’s Director, the company’s President, a major costume creator and principal financier. It was difficult for her to keep all of that going once her special show was done. Like many show directors, she desperately needed a break from the intense months of work that made the production what it was.

After the closing night, the cast and crew of K+I expectedly turned to Deanne for information on the company’s next production; Deanne replied, “If anyone else wants to have a go, they are welcome to it.”

It wasn’t what they expected to hear.

Similarly, her response was all encompassing. She’s wasn’t just having a rest from directing. She was leaving Squids.

Deanne Scanlan fulfilled her dream of creating a lavish production, but that was all the Squids project was to her. She needed a place to showcase her lovely costumes. Anything beyond that was superfluous.

She handed over the company’s keys, turned on her heel and walked out the door.

With no productions forecasted, no audition dates set, and no directors assigned for upcoming shows, it was clear no one had considered what would happen next. Yes, they talked about the future, but there wasn’t anything in writing. Usually, the next director would’ve been assigned a production and auditions conducted.

None of that had taken place. What they had was an empty page and a set of keys.

Those remaining tried to continue as best as they could, making it up as they went. They knew the King and I cost more than it made so they had to play it safe with spending on anything new.

They reverted to making smaller productions on small budgets on smaller stages. It was everything Deanne didn’t want in her vision of a premier theatre company.

Squids, including the youth group theatre feeder that was installed and developed during the large production, folded. Parents and children were left out in the cold. There were no plans to put on another musical that included children.

Squids may have been the shortest-lived musical theatre company in history.

It rose fast but fell just as quickly.

Deanne’s legacy proves she could vastly improve amateur musical theatre and take it to the big stage. She also proved it’s not sustainable. It takes more than one individual and a dream to make a theatre company and keep it going.

She also found out her dream production came at a great cost, having put in far too much of her own money to keep it afloat.

She proved that the other theatre companies were actually doing the right thing. They’ve figured out how to turn out 4 major productions a year without the talent, crew, creative and directorship suffering burnout, all while paying the bills and making small but effective advancements.

Squids Theatrical Inc. disappeared without so much as a whimper.

–Michael