Tag: Producer

Auditions are nerve wracking… for everyone.

Did you know that when you audition for a show, the people behind the table are REALLY happy that you are there? Do you have any idea how happy they are that you decided to take the risk to come out and show them what you’ve got? It’s a pretty big amount of dependency on their part to even hold the auditions, and believe me, they are really, very glad that you are there.

Auditioning is stressful – for everyone. But for the people who are behind the table, they are extremely nervous that you WON’T show up. Think about it, they’ve chosen a show, or been given a show to produce/direct/choreograph, etc. and they don’t know if the right people or ENOUGH people will walk through that door! When YOU walk through that door and bring in your positive attitude and your energy, they are excited to see you and very, very hopeful that you will be the answer to their dreams.

You could be the boy who can sing that one part of the song that is integral to the show. You could be the girl who can do the right amount of acrobatic movement to sell the big production number, or you could be the person who wants to work behind the scenes to make everything better for all the people involved in the show. And in reality – when you show them that glimmer of what makes you special – the “scary” people behind the table are absolutely THRILLED to have met you. They just can’t show it, because they are supposed to remain neutral until the whole process is resolved.

If you are lucky, you might hear some stories later on about how happy they were when you arrived, but in reality, you may never know how important you were to the production. Just always think that to yourself when you audition – “I am super important to this production. And I just need to show them that!”

If you do, you’ll be an asset to any show. I promise.

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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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