Tag: creativity

What makes the best…?(Part 8)

Director????

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Lots of things, really, but we’ll just mention a few. A few vital things like, vision, planning, creativity and an ability to inspire others. The best directors I’ve worked with were able to see potential in others and bring it out of them. They could see the future character, or the singing ability or dancing ability or comedic/dramatic ability and they knew the performer could deliver. They knew it so intensely that could even give confidence to the entire team that some crazy difficult show or scene was possible – sometimes during supposedly insurmountable odds. Their vision and confidence carried the entire team to the finish line and even if there might have been some doubt or hesitation along the way, they wouldn’t let that stop the progress of the show.

The best directors have a plan for success. They get down to the business of planning their rehearsal process for success and they share that plan with the entire team. They are also open to suggestions from the team. No one is excluded and no idea is too small to be ignored. The best directors seek out ideas from their team and make sure all those contributions feel valued and honoured. You never know when brilliance will strike and you can’t possibly be the only person with good ideas. But if you’ve explained your vision and you’ve inspired your team, then you’ll definitely be setting the stage for great ideas and they’ll come your way. Be ready for them.

Creativity goes with the entire job – and is vital to every aspect of being a director. You’ve got to be creative in your casting, in your scheduling, in your promotion, in your staging, your design of your show and even in how you end your project. Always be on the lookout for new ideas, new ways of approaching your work and new ways to challenge your creativity as a director. It is taxing, for sure, but it is also very rewarding.

Choose a new project – get out there and plan for new challenges, it’s truly rewarding.

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What makes the best…?(Part 6)

Choreographer?

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There are lots of skills necessary to be a great Choreographer. Obviously a knowledge of and experience in dance is necessary and in my book, the wider the knowledge base, the greater the scope for creation. Skill as a dancer is also useful, but exceptional skill may not be necessary. Many great Choreographers have become so after dance careers that may have been less than stellar – but their passion for the art form has kept them returning to the craft and led them to find other ways to contribute.

Here’s an interesting article on that take: http://www.danceadvantage.net/2012/09/28/great-choreographers/

For Choreographic work in Theatre the skills are specific. The dance should, whenever possible, further the story or service the plot in some fashion. While the style may still be presentational, it should fit within the world of the play or musical. While I enjoy the acrobatics and technique of a superbly performed routine, I will always appreciate movement that tells us about character and storyline to showy moves. When superb technique is available and can be crafted and utilized to further the character and plot, then exceptional choreography is taking place and can be transformative for the audience.

Knowing when to keep it simple is also a great skill. There are times when the character or performer or moment in the story needs very little movement to garner a reaction with the audience. Knowing how & when to make use of simple movements to “move” and audience is an essential skill for a choreographer.

Speaking a language that the team can understand is vital. Dancers have knowledge of specific terminology and a shorthand that may mean nothing to the Musical Director or the Stage Manager or even some of the performers. A good Choreographer will have the skills to communicate their work and their needs for support in design and vision to the entire production.  For example, the ability to read music is essential for strong communication with the team.

The next time you are in an audience, ask yourself to analyse what the choreographer has assembled. Does it speak to you? Did it help you understand or appreciate the story or the characters? Did it “move” you? If so, then you were witnessing some great Choreography.

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What makes the best…?(Part 5)

Lighting Designer????

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Seriously? What does make the best Lighting Designer? I don’t know, exactly… even though I may have tried my hand at some Lighting Design, I still don’t know what makes the BEST Lighting Designer because this can be a really elusive section of the entire design process – and yet, so VERY integral.

For example, when great stage design ends, great lighting design should take over. Lighting can create and add so much to every production. Lighting, in theatre is the CGI of live entertainment. That sounds like a really loaded statement, and it is… but it is also true. Ask any really experienced Lighting Designer if the theatre they are working in has enough equipment and they’ll tell you – “there’s never enough equipment”. Another lamp, another dimmer pack, a hazer… there’s always room for more and it will give you more – almost exponentially more, especially in the hands of a pro-lighting designer. More than CGI would, I wager.

A pro will read the script. And read it again, and again, and probably again. Their medium is very, very visual and ephemerally so… Mood, sense, time, place – lighting design will give you all of these things. Lighting can scare you, inspire you or feel barely noticeable at all, but it will totally affect your sense of appreciation of the production! Totally!

Once they’ve read it… they’ll probably make a few strong decisions and then come to the director for some vision. Lighting Designers know how to interpret the strange language that Directors speak and they’ll translate that into colour and make it fit with the palate of the Stage Designer and the Costume Designer and they’ll use their skills and talents to make other people’s work look extra good.

They will also spend countless hours above the stage with heavy objects arranging them to face in just the right area with just the right colour and texture to create some ephemeral existence for us to enjoy. And then… they’ll go home, very, very, very late at night. They create entirely in the dark and they disappear once the work is done. Often, if you notice their work… they are sad that attention was brought away from the action on stage. But for me.. the beauty of light is something worth noting. I certainly take time to note it. Do you? Take note at your next production. I think it’s worth it.

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What makes the best…? (Part 4)

Costume Designer??? Lots of passion for fashion – that’s for sure. But a passion for fashion isn’t enough. You may enjoy dressing yourself, but do you enjoy dressing others? In different time periods – perhaps real or imagined? Do you love thrift shopping? And sewing? Because all of these desires and skills are a must for a great Costume Designer.

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The best are creative and usually on ridiculously small budgets. Sure, Broadway and Stratford designers can buy the finest silks for their gowns, but for the regular theatre folk, scrounging,  repurposing and borrowing is essential to costume a show on a simple budget.

The passion for fashion will allow the great Costume Designers the opportunity to find and sew amazing outfits for men, women, children and sometimes creatures that you could barely imagine. They’ll make them in a variety of sizes to match a large chorus of dancing boys and girls and they’ll find designer gowns abandoned in Value Village and scurry them home to their personal storage for some future use – because they are certain that they’ll be able to use them in the future… for something.

They’ll deal with Diva actresses and actors who don’t want to wear what has been chosen for them. They’ll deal with directors who know exactly what they want and others who have no idea what people should wear in 1950, Victorian times or even today. They’ll deal with deadlines and schedule changes, missing actors and torn or soiled items and do it all with a smile. And when the show is over… they’ll take all the costumes home and clean them, fix them, sort them and store them lovingly away for the next time they are called into use.

Then… they’ll start again – on the next show!

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What makes the best…? (Part 3)

Set Designers are crucial the a show’s success. They are also crucial to the creative process of the director – at least they are to my creative process. No matter what the play or musical is about, if I don’t have a set design, then I can’t see the show coming to life in my head and in turn I will have difficulty in bringing that vision to the cast for them to give it life.

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I’m a pretty visual person, but I work kinetically on a play. This means that I need to be able to feel in my gut what is the crux of a scene and give it some truth in the physical relationships of the characters involved. That holds true if it is a musical number or a dramatic, tension filled scene and the spatial relationships of the players can really affect the kinetic feeling of the scene.

A great Set Designer will read the play. Then they’ll read it again and then they’ll talk with the director and eventually be able to give them some plans, either 2D or 3D – preferably both –  to help them show the entire team the world that they will be living and working in for the life of the show. The sooner a Set Designer can provide this, the better. If you don’t know the layout of your apartment, for example, how can you go shopping for furniture?

A superb Set Designer will solve script problems. Sometimes problems that you didn’t even realize were there. They’ll be able to give you solutions to scripts that read more like movies – many authors seem to forget that it is hard to transition from the dining room of a tavern to a seaside in a matter of seconds. Your Set Designer can have creative tools up their sleeve to help to tell the story in a seamless manner. They will also help to tie in the colour palate of your show and give the whole world a real sense of belonging.

Aside from knowledge of building and a good aesthetic sense, a flexible personality is necessary for a great Set Designer. They need to be able to take their artistic sensibilities and skills and apply them to the whole vision of the show. They will consider the movement of the actors, the potential difficulties of costumes and the location and operations of lighting and sound equipment. They can give a director levels to play on and moveable pieces to bring an imaginary world to an audience. And they will probably finish their design long before the other members of the crew will finish theirs. A good set design will inform the whole production – and the whole production’s process.

It’s a big job. And we always need someone to do it. Could that someone be you?

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What makes the best….? (Part 2)

Stage Managers are so vital to the success of a show. As many of you dear readers know, we have a little phrase we use to honour our regular Stage Manager, “No Joe, No Show!” And that literally came from the fact that without our talented and organized and discpilined SM, we wouldn’t have a show. But how do you know if you’ve got a good one or not? Or if the show you are watching had a good one? That can be tough, actually.

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It’s tough because if the show has a really good SM, then it’s likely you wouldn’t give the job another thought. Many young actors shy away from the responsibility of SM, some for their knowledge of what the job entails, but many for their lack of knowledge of the importance of the role. If anyone ever wishes to direct, then I say, they must first Stage Manage.

A good SM is disciplined, organized and creative. They know how to put their bible of the show together and how to keep track of all the minutia of details that can make or break a rehearsal. An exceptional SM has their binder ready before first rehearsal with media release forms, health and safety forms, extra copies of first rehearsal schedules, contact lists and whatever else might be necessary to answer questions and keep everyone on track.

A good SM can keep the cast AND the crew in line – this includes the Director. So, and exceptional SM has the respect and admiration of the director. They can work well together and the SM knows that if they call a halt to rehearsal for whatever reason, the Director will understand that it was for the good of the show and not meant as a slight to anyone involved. An exceptional SM will be that moderator, note-taker and interpreter of the Director’s vision. Often Directors and Actors (and other creators as a matter of fact) will get caught up in their creation and what they are trying to say or do – so caught up in fact that they may need a translator. If your SM is really good and has been really paying attention, then they already know what you are trying to say even before you say it. And they help make it happen.

In the end, the show belongs to the Stage Manager. It won’t happen without them. No calls are given, no audience is admitted and no curtain goes up without them. You hand over the keys and they control the destiny of the show, so find a good one, nuture them – and while you’re at it… find another one, because the really good ones get snapped up fast!!!

Do you want that kind of responsibility and knowledge of a show??? Then get out there and join a production to learn what it takes to be a Stage Manager!

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What makes the best….?

First in a series of opinion pieces about theatre personelle.

I’m always on the lookout for good people. Good people to work with on wonderful new productions. I enjoy it – the challenge of finding someone who I think, would be a great Performer, Costume Designer, Props Builder, whatever. Each role in the theatre production has inherent needs and a skill set that accompanies the role. Often, wonderful people will cross my path and I think, “Boy, he/she’d be a great Producer…” but if I ask them about it, they are frequently surprised or beg off and say… “Oh no, I could never do that. I’ve never done it before.” And I’m always thinking, “Well, then, how do you know you couldn’t do it?”

It can be a challenge to find new people who are willing to take on a behind the scenes responsibility and lately, I’ve had folks asking me, “What does it take to be a _________?” So, in pondering the question I thought I’d examine a few of the key roles on the production team – from my personal point of view.

Today, I’ll start with Producers.

Producers are tough, because no two are alike and no two see their roles the same. Some folks like be very hands off and others demand to be in the thick of the production. For me, a balance somewhere in between is the best. In my opinion, the best Producers are problem solvers and recruiters. Producers know people and enjoy meeting new people. They aren’t afraid to meet someone new and ask about their interests to find a way to get them involved in a production. Producers are good at finding the right person for a job and then empowering that person to do their best at it. They’ll find assistants and suppliers and cheap rentals and all on a tight timeline.

Producers solve problems. Non-stop. They solve everyone’s problems. Money problems, personelle problems, scheduling problems, construction problems, Diva problems – you name it, they have the confidence to deal with a difficult situation and not take it personally. They can smooth ruffled feathers and talk a beleagured director off the proverbial ledge. They can get all the actors, crew and peripheral people to come together in one place, at one time, for that commemorative photo and convince them that submitting their bio on time is of utmost importance.

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Producers also know where and when to shine the light on excellence. Their pride should rest in the success of others: The Director’s success in acheiving the vision of the show, the Set Designer’s success in building or creating something new, the Costumer’s success in staying in budget while creating the show stopping gown, the actor’s accolades from the audience… All of this the Producer is willing and proud to promote – for the overall benefit of the show.

If you are an office manager, if you’ve worked in human resources, if you enjoy seeing others do well and helping them acheive their goals and if you can do all this while balancing a budget and keeping smiles on faces – then YOU are a potential Producer.

I’ve worked with some great Producers – but I know there are more of you out there. What’s stopping you?

Don’t YOU Wanna Be a Producer?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQyHdgvd1yo

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The Stages of Theatre – Part 2

So, auditions are complete and rehearsals are beginning. All that trepidation, all those questions that pile up at every rehearsal, “what’s my character?” “what will the set be like?” “when will we be learning this number/blocking that scene?” “who’s looking after this?!?!” It never ends and it never ceases to amaze.

By a few weeks in to rehearsals, hopefully, you are hitting your stride. As a cast or crew member, you’ve found your place in the production, there’s a vibe going through the rehearsals and things are humming along. It really is one of the best parts, isn’t it? The process – the creation… hopefully one of the main reasons you’ve taken on the project. Otherwise why not go make something else, right?

We are still in the beginning of our theatre year – the “Dark Monday” of our theatrical run and a pile of great shows are just, or almost about to, burst onto the London scene. It’s impossible to fit them all in to your schedule, (even though some with Beat Magazing and the Brickendens give it a good go!), but it sure is exciting to be part of the whole creative potpourri.

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The stages of Theatre – Part 1

Working in Theatre, in any form, is so rewarding.  But often people who don’t do theatre will ask exactly why I will put in so many hours on something that is, generally, volunteer. They don’t see that a 2 hour performance with some applause or tears is worth all the effort. And they are quite correct. It is far more than that. The hours of effort along the way are, in fact, the real reward.

As we are heading into “award season”, the metaphorical end of our entertainment year, I happen to be starting two productions and be in development for another. I’m not sure these events have lined up exactly this way before now. It is interesting to think about the beginning and the end simultaneously. Whilst in auditions for OKTC’s Little Mermaid and LCP’s Sullivan and Gilbert, I’m thinking about how much I like this stage. All the promise and potential. All the new discoveries just waiting around the corner. I’m anticipating all the questions we’ll have and the answers we will struggle to find. I’m anticipating the laughter and yes, probably even a few tears – mostly of joy, (we hope).

Next week are the Beat DISH Awards and one week later the Brickenden’s – London’s official end to the theatrical season. And while it’s great to look back and celebrate, I find I’m excited to ask folks – “So, what’s your next project?”

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Retrospective…

It is a custom at the end of one year and the start of the next to look back on things. Make a review of sorts of your efforts, accomplishments and plans for the future. 2012 was a big year and we are hoping that 2013 will just keep on with the amazing.

Some wonderful things happened this year. First and foremost of importance for this website is that it came into being. Summer of 2012 was the incarnation of The Lovers, the Dreamers and You. There are lots of contributors to this event, but of major importance is the work of Grant Baciocco, (http://www.mrgrant.com/) on the Henson Company podcast, (http://henson.com/podcast.php) and Steve Swanson with his work on The MuppetCast, (http://muppetcast.com/WordPress/).  Listening to these two gentlemen opened the world to us at TLTDAY and we thought, why not?

Of other importance was all the Muppet-ness and related puppet wonderful-ness that took place this year. Again, there was lots that contributed to that success, but here we’ll mention www.muppetcentral.com, www.toughpigs.com, and http://themuppetmindset.blogspot.ca/

These sites are invaluable for finding out what is going on in the world of our felt and fabric friends. They aren’t the only sources, of course, but they are a super place to start.

All of these adventures have contributed to a wonderful year and possibilities for the future that we can only wonder at. And wonder we will. We look forward to reporting the adventures back to you through the blog and the podcast. Right now, we are just thankful for the adventure and for YOU who have joined us.

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