The Back Stage Diva

The Process...Phases of Production

2011-11-06T00:26:00.000-04:00

It's come to my attention that for some folks, production is a thing that somehow happens, and tech week is supposed to be exhausting, stressful and chaotic. The result is usually a whole lot of tech people vowing to never work "there" again. They do, hoping "this time" it will be better - but the process is just repeated - and the results are predictable. Kind of like that definition of insanity.

I've found it helpful to break the process into distinct phases: Concept, Collaboration (Preproduction), Execution (Production), Maintenance (Performances), Strike and After Action (Post Mortem). They each have their own rhythm and flow. The transition from one to the next can be murky and overlapping. But to recognize these phases and use them well can be very rewarding.

During the Concept phase, brainstorming, building scenarios, shooting for the stars, and outrageous crazy talk is very valuable to build the vocabulary you'll need to recruit the best talent to take your idea and make it bigger and better.

Collaboration (Preproduction) is when you bring the team together, lay out the game (your concept), and let them play with each other. They'll need support to meet the challenge, a really solid schedule and a healthy respect for deadlines.

Execution (Production) is where the rubber meets the road. With really good Pre-production, magic happens. The pieces fall into place. Tech week is exciting and energizing. The cast is thrilled, and the audiences will be too.

This is a wonderful way to make Art. Happy people make happy audiences. Happy audiences make money.

96 Days to Mr. Marmalade: Chillin' with a sista'

2011-11-05T23:41:00.000-04:00

Had a great evening with my sister. Last winter, we were here, and one evening I told her about this show I wanted to direct. After trying to describe it to her, she graciously offered to read the script (so she would know what the hell I was talking about) and she's been my non-theatrical collaborator ever since.

So, tonight I showed her the poster (designed by Phil Odango) and she said, "Oh, I didn't think he would be a big man, I thought he would be tall and slender. I had to admit, I don't know what he looks like either and won't until after Auditions (November 14, 15, 16).

And then, we'll all know...in 96 days.

97days to Mr. Marmalade

2011-11-05T00:04:00.000-04:00

Admin day.

Coordinating with the folks at Generic Theater to get the audition info up on their website, until then, check out the audition event on facebook,

Getting my book together, reviewing the huge pile of notes from the last six months so the audience can see what I see in this beautiful little script... in 97 days.

98 Days to Mr. Marmalade

2011-11-04T00:22:00.000-04:00

Today I packed up all the loose ends - receipts, notes, unopened mail, files and piles - and went on retreat. In a couple of days, they'll be processed, filed, shredded and compiled in their appropriate (and accessible) places.

When I get back, I'll be wearing the Production Manager Hat for the next show - it goes to tech in 29 days, so I need an empty inbox, a clear mind and an up to date agenda because it's full tilt boogie for the next 98 days.

99 Days to Mr. Marmalade

2011-11-02T22:30:00.000-04:00

The production team is growing. Today, Jeff Brangham agreed to be lighting designer.

He made magic with his work on Enron at Generic, and I couldn't be more pleased to have him on the team along with Jared Ramsey our set designer, who's work you may have seen on Misery.

They'll be the brilliant visionaries who'll create Lucy's world for us in 99 days.

100 Days to Mr. Marmalade

2011-11-01T18:49:00.000-04:00

In 100 days, Noah Haidle's Mr. Marmalade will be presented to our first audience at Generic Theater Downunder Chrysler Hall in Norfolk, VA.

As the concept phase comes to an end with auditions on November 14 and pre-production begins, I couldn't be more excited.

Celia Burnett found the script and convinced the Artistic Team at Generic to include it in the mainstage productions this season. You may remember Celia from her most recent appearance at Generic as Annie Wilks in Misery. Here's a promo video she did at Barnes and Noble in Norfolk to promote that show.

Can't wait to see what she comes up with for Lucy, the four year old with some pretty interesting imaginary friends...in 100 days.

Paint the picture in your head.

2010-12-10T21:22:00.001-05:00

My Uncle Frank was a gifted artist, when I asked him how he did it, he said, "I never pick up a brush until I've painted it in my head."
Read more »

Ask and ye shall receive...

2010-12-06T21:57:00.000-05:00

This looks so cool. ESP Vision.
This is from their overview:

Any lighting project will benefit from Vision's real-time capabilities, giving the lighting designer the tools necessary to pre-program the show before arriving at the venue. This process will reduce stress, on-site time, and production costs while nurturing creativity.

As a Mac person, the funniest part of the buy it page for me was:

Vision 2.3 remains the industry leader for those who enjoy working in the PC environment, and has become a favorite with lighting professionals in the industry.

Very PC.

Vision. If you can't see it, no one else can either.

2010-11-23T22:00:00.004-05:00

Steven Covey calls it beginning with the end in mind. It's a principle that echos through time, cultures and disciplines... Edison, Carver, Ford, Eeminem, Lady Gaga, The Cohen Brothers, Tyler Perry...maybe even you.

A friend of mine used to say, be careful of what you wish for - you always get what you want.

So, if you were to go for "it", when "it" was done; keeping in mind that finished is way better than perfect: What's different?

Is that what you want?

Try this and let me know if it was helpful.

Your comments are a welcome signal that somebody's there and I thank you in advance.

Dream on,

Donna

If you don't play, you can't win.

2009-09-15T23:09:00.008-04:00

He reminded me of Julia Cameron, and her influence on me early on. The idea of the Morning Pages and the Artist Date have helped keep me sane.

Based on her work, here's some advice to the cousin Robbies of the world who want to make the leap:

1. Name your fears.
Jot down any anxieties you feel about pursuing a creative career or project.
Put your worries on paper
Confront them
Move past them.

Sounds easy, right? Hence step 2.

2. Get a coach and a cheerleader.
Find a positive listener who is able to help you see
other more practical and
the seemingly wildly impractical perspectives
and beyond
without judgement.
Tell them what you need from them.

3. Do it whenever you can.
This doesn't have to be all or nothing.
You can have the best of both worlds.
Find time for your creative pursuits.
Build it into your month, then your week, then your day...
but build it, they will come.

Bottom line, be happy at what you do.

Whether it works out or not makes no difference, as long as you give it your best shot.
If you don't play, you can't win.

And for those who want to tap their inner artist without much risk of being the topic of the family grapevine, check out Julia Cameron and be sure to check out the Artist Way Online and the Tools Page. Good stuff.

Melba, The Little Sofa That Could

2009-05-03T11:46:00.003-04:00

Honor your inner artist.

2008-11-21T19:22:00.006-05:00

I've been digging around the dusty corners of my hard drive and ran across this post from Simpology blogger Bean Jones from November 08 about his cousin Robbie, his mom's plea to talk some sense into him and his family's belief is that to quit a "grown-up job" in order to be "creative" is nutty.

He reminded me of Julia Cameron, and her influence on me early on. The idea of the Morning Pages and the Artist Date have helped keep me sane.

Based on her work, here's some advice to the cousin Robbies of the world who want to make the leap:

1. Name your fears.
Jot down any anxieties you feel about pursuing a creative career or project.
Put your worries on paper
Confront them
Move past them.

Sounds easy, right? Hence step 2.

2. Get a coach and a cheerleader.
Find a positive listener who is able to help you see
other more practical and
the seemingly wildly impractical perspectives
and beyond
without judgement.
Tell them what you need from them.

3. Do it whenever you can.
This doesn't have to be all or nothing.
You can have the best of both worlds.
Find time for your creative pursuits.
Build it into your month, then your week, then your day...
but build it, they will come.

Bottom line, be happy at what you do.
Whether it works out or not makes no difference, as long as you give it your best shot.

If you don't play, you can't win.

Opening night

2008-10-10T23:30:00.002-04:00

Well, we got her up. It was a challange on so many levels, but we had a full house, a much smoother show than last night, and lots of happy people coming out of that theatre tonight.

What more can you ask for?

Hometown boy in the big city.

2008-08-12T23:21:00.001-04:00

Congrats to Joel Haberli. Not only is he doing a play in NY, but he's blogging.
Enjoy his adventure here.

The Caligari Chronicles

2008-08-12T23:04:00.002-04:00

Production meeting tonight. Juicy. Our set designer brought in the model, the director introduced a new twist and the sound/light designer jumped right on board. This show has the promise to be a delight to the senses.

Just got an IM from the director. The casting is done, we're so pleased that everyone accepted.

Now a day of admin, and voila... we're a full blown force. I love my work.

Back to work, yippee

2008-08-04T15:57:00.002-04:00

Auditions last night, gathering of the creative team, talk of merchandising and possibilities...game on.

check out the website, it's the starter page that will expand as the production does.

Off to auditions again tonight, soon we'll have a cast...then pre-production is over and the real fun begins.

A new era begins.

2008-06-25T09:42:00.001-04:00

I'm watching with much interest the new theatre festival in Central Virginia.

Hope you do too.

The end of an era.

2008-06-25T09:35:00.002-04:00

The Generic Theater has left the building.

enough said.

Create an environment that supports....

2008-06-25T09:13:00.004-04:00

We're rolling on the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

There is a script and we're on the calendar.

The production/creative team is coming together. However, the composers are in Europe, and the locals, though geographically nearby, have big busy lives outside of this project.

We've set up a google account complete with igoogle page, calendar, documents and some other nifty tools to keep us on track in two timezones.

Stay tuned.

Code of Ethics - what's yours?

2008-06-18T10:54:00.002-04:00

I ran across this in a post by fellow tribesman, Geoff Short. I first saw it posted backstage at Roadside Theatre in Heidelberg in the late 70's but never knew its origin.

Although the wording might be a little old fashioned, the ideas truly stand the test of time. I'd like to invite you to read over them and let me know what you think.

Do you disagree with any of them? Agree?

Discuss.

Props Challenge

2008-06-18T09:04:00.003-04:00

This post reminded me of a couple of props "challenges" I have met, notably, the 340 smashed chamberpots and the one (identical) unbreakable one for one run of a British farce many years ago at VSC.

What's your favorite props war story? Share in the comments so we can all enjoy it.

Collaboration

2008-06-11T11:15:00.002-04:00

Found this interesting, if not graphically attractive "Collaboration Rubric" created for an academic setting.

How do you score?

Simulation?

2008-06-11T10:36:00.015-04:00

Seems the corporate world has finally recognized the theatre as a model. This little snip from a very long (and tedious) post about corporate management from Dave Snoden's June 8 blog. The Cognitive Edge:

Live theatre is the best example of simulation in all its forms - pre-production, production and post production. Theatre creates a world in which all stakeholders attempt to make sense out of a world they have created. And usually it is made through text, dialogues and conversations around meaning - the meaning of the text, design, sound, light etc - the aesthetics of the simulation. A very specific, fragile yet tangible and highly governed world is created and then it makes sense for a moment - only a moment though - to the actors and the audience watching this creation unfold..

Interesting to see the corporate take on what we do, don't you think?

Anticipation.

2008-06-11T10:31:00.003-04:00

If there's a website, it must be real.

Coming in October: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

On being an audience member.

2008-05-06T16:38:00.004-04:00

In the interest of full disclosure, I just need to tell you that I suck at audience.

It's hard for me to sit still. I get distracted. When sitting in an air conditioning draft, I've been known to draw my knees up to my chest and wrap myself in my ever present big scarf just to stay comfortable. If it's too warm, and things get dark and quiet, I pass into semiconciousness.

Why bother?
Because sometimes, everything is just right. The energy is palpable. Time stops. I'm totally engaged. The odds are worth it.

I saw two shows last month.

One because a colleague was very excited about presenting it. I knew a few folks in the cast. Oh my. At the end, I don't know who wanted to leave more, the actors or the audience. All in all the experience was a dud.

The other one was beautiful, elegant, simple and completely engaging. At the end, there was silence. When the lights went up I applauded, but for a moment, I thought, if we're quiet, maybe it won't be over. That's why I go to theatre.

There's a lively conversation over at DCTheatreScene that started with Theatre Attendance is declining. You tell us why. It evolved into: So Why Do You Go to Theatre.

If you're involved with putting butts in the seats for any theatre in any capacity, there's a goldmine of fresh market research in the comments.

Ticket prices were a barrier to a few. Lots of folks weren't aware of the theatres in their neighborhoods. A few more sophisticated commenters mentioned dilution of the talent pool.

This may not be your zip code, but theatre people don't have zipcodes. They have a contract or a season ticket.

Is this helpful?

Collaborative Art

2008-03-16T23:44:00.006-04:00

I saw a 24 hour play performance recently.

The idea was: Go from concept to audience presentation in 24 "working" hours.
They started Friday afternoon with the "playwrights" who were given a concept.
Saturday morning, they collaborated to develop the script. The "directors" then cast the script with the "actors" and staged and rehearsed the rest of the day.

On Sunday, noon, they brought in the "designers" for a run thru, with the tech deadline being 7 pm house open.

All in all a noble effort, but it looked like the process got derailed somewhere around final run thru for tech. Again, the belief that one more directorial pearl of wisdom is going to make a line reading more powerful prevailed when, in reality, no one could hear it because the sound op never got to set a level.

The production team sparkled with wonderfully imaginative costumes, props, elaborate lighting and sound effects throughout. Too bad they, the production team, weren't given the simple courtesy of an uninterrupted run thru, with notes.
It would have given them and the performers time to play together once before the big game.

And everyone would have benefited from that pearl.
Timing is everything.

What's tech week like for you?

I'd love to hear you comments, your war stories and your best practices.

Inspiration

2008-01-11T14:09:00.000-05:00

J.J. Abrams delivered this delightful 18 minutes about
creativity and the inspiration he receives from
technology. Me too.

How about you?
How do you use cell phones, ipods, the internet
to make it happen?

Simpleology

2007-12-20T19:59:00.000-05:00

I've been a huge Simpleology fan since the beginning. So, I'm participating in this R&D effort by Mike Joyner.

It's the least I can do for this delightfully light and funny way to get what you really want.

Thanks Mark. here you go.

I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

The best blogging techniques.
How to get traffic to your blog.
How to turn your blog into money.

I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.

Show Biz Whiz

2007-11-05T15:12:00.000-05:00

Over the years, I've done a lot of theatre. I specialized in pre-production.

I love to see a show work like a machine.

I love the minute it stops grinding and starts clicking. My heart races when I think of tech week. First full dress is like the 17th of December and we're Santa's elves. I love opening night. I love strike. Everything in between is where all the work lets a show run like a high performance machine.

That said, I've learned what it takes to make it happen. I help young talent realize a creative vision, to learn and grow from the experience and make shows that audiences love to see and actors love to be in.

Take the Show Biz Whiz Quiz...

Let me know what you think.
Break a leg.