Many, many thanks to Luke Leonard for sharing this in our "Directing Existing Work" class with Scott Kanoff. You can follow the full link to Milton Glaser's remarks here...and they're absolutely worth reading in their entirety:
http://voiceconference.aiga.org/transcripts/presentations/milton_glaser.pdf
But HERE are the ten things he's learned, in a nutshell, at least as applicable to Life as to Art:
1. You can only work for people you like.
2. If you have a choice never have a job.
3. Some people are toxic; avoid them.
4. Professionalism is not enough or the good is the enemy of the great.
5. Less is not necessarily more: 'just enough' is more.
6. Style is not to be trusted. Anybody who is in this for the long haul has to decide how to respond to change in the zeitgeist.
7. How you live changes your brain.
8. Doubt is better than certainty.
9. Solving the problem is more important than being right.
10. Tell the truth.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
To Think About When Getting Notes
Is it more helpful for you to get written notes?
Or notes as part of a conversation?
At which point in your process, or from whom, does either of those make the most sense FOR YOU and what you need to do?
Or notes as part of a conversation?
At which point in your process, or from whom, does either of those make the most sense FOR YOU and what you need to do?
Your Own First Dramaturg
I don't know if a playwright is necessarily his or her own BEST dramaturg. But a playwright is always the FIRST person to see the play, and probably the FIRST dramaturg, no? And certainly a person who can/should have a set of dramaturgical PRACTICES or TACTICS in her arsenal, in order to communicate with the world about what she (and the play) are trying to do.
Yes?
Anyway. What follows is a list of questions we generated today in my "New Play Dramaturgy" class, with the inimitable Liz Engleman (who is awesome; if you ever have the opportunity to meet or work with her, run screaming toward it).
QUESTIONS A DRAMATURG CAN ASK A PLAYWRIGHT AT THE FIRST MEETING
What does this play dream of?
Where are you (the playwright) in the process of writing this play (what draft, etc)?
Are there other drafts I can or should see?
What have you worked on in each draft? What was your goal with each draft?
What can you tell me about the original idea for this play?
How do you want your audience to feel?
What are you worried about with this play (or, as another friend says, "what about this play makes you want to vomit in your own mouth?" ew, I know)?
What research have you done already?
Is there anything I should read/listen to/look at to better understand this play and where you're coming from with it?
What questions do you still have regarding the play?
What's still missing?
What are you excited about in this play/draft?
Whose story is it? Who's the main character, in your mind?
What conversation are you having (or hoping to have) with your audience?
To what end? Ie what are you trying to say, what's your message?
Who's the ideal audience for this play, in your mind?
What are you planning for your next draft(s)?
How can I best be of use to you in this process?
What relationship have you had with dramaturgs in the past?
QUESTIONS A DRAMATURG CAN ASK A DIRECTOR AT FIRST MEETING
How do you see the director-dramaturg relationship? How can I help?
What visual images do you have in mind with this play?
Why THIS play NOW?
What's the story of this play to you?
What relationship do you have/want with the playwright(s)?
What excites you/scares you about this play?
What do you want to uncover or examine with this production?
What's your way into the play?
Can you talk about the world of the play?
What don't you need/want from a dramaturg?
INSTITUTIONAL DRAMATURGY QUESTIONS (FOR THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR)
How do you see this play relating to the company's mission and/or season?
What conversation do you want to have/do you want this play to have with the audience, and how can I help to further that conversation?
What kind of institutional structure do you have or envision to support that conversation?
What excites you/scares you about this play?
If this play doesn't change at all, are you still excited about it? What are your expectations for change? What are the dealbreakers?
What questions do you still have about the play?
How would you describe this play to your company, your audience, a member of your board?
Yes?
Anyway. What follows is a list of questions we generated today in my "New Play Dramaturgy" class, with the inimitable Liz Engleman (who is awesome; if you ever have the opportunity to meet or work with her, run screaming toward it).
QUESTIONS A DRAMATURG CAN ASK A PLAYWRIGHT AT THE FIRST MEETING
What does this play dream of?
Where are you (the playwright) in the process of writing this play (what draft, etc)?
Are there other drafts I can or should see?
What have you worked on in each draft? What was your goal with each draft?
What can you tell me about the original idea for this play?
How do you want your audience to feel?
What are you worried about with this play (or, as another friend says, "what about this play makes you want to vomit in your own mouth?" ew, I know)?
What research have you done already?
Is there anything I should read/listen to/look at to better understand this play and where you're coming from with it?
What questions do you still have regarding the play?
What's still missing?
What are you excited about in this play/draft?
Whose story is it? Who's the main character, in your mind?
What conversation are you having (or hoping to have) with your audience?
To what end? Ie what are you trying to say, what's your message?
Who's the ideal audience for this play, in your mind?
What are you planning for your next draft(s)?
How can I best be of use to you in this process?
What relationship have you had with dramaturgs in the past?
QUESTIONS A DRAMATURG CAN ASK A DIRECTOR AT FIRST MEETING
How do you see the director-dramaturg relationship? How can I help?
What visual images do you have in mind with this play?
Why THIS play NOW?
What's the story of this play to you?
What relationship do you have/want with the playwright(s)?
What excites you/scares you about this play?
What do you want to uncover or examine with this production?
What's your way into the play?
Can you talk about the world of the play?
What don't you need/want from a dramaturg?
INSTITUTIONAL DRAMATURGY QUESTIONS (FOR THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR)
How do you see this play relating to the company's mission and/or season?
What conversation do you want to have/do you want this play to have with the audience, and how can I help to further that conversation?
What kind of institutional structure do you have or envision to support that conversation?
What excites you/scares you about this play?
If this play doesn't change at all, are you still excited about it? What are your expectations for change? What are the dealbreakers?
What questions do you still have about the play?
How would you describe this play to your company, your audience, a member of your board?
More Questions from Dramaturgs
TWO amazing dramaturgs visiting UT in two weeks.
Liz Engleman this week, blowing our minds.
Three Questions:
What is it
Why do it
How to do it.
I.E. WHY THIS PLAY AT THIS TIME IN THIS WAY.
A question for dramaturgs, yes, but also for playwrights.
Liz Engleman this week, blowing our minds.
Three Questions:
What is it
Why do it
How to do it.
I.E. WHY THIS PLAY AT THIS TIME IN THIS WAY.
A question for dramaturgs, yes, but also for playwrights.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Young Jean Lee and the "dragon play"
Young Jean Lee wrote this incredible, gutsy, crazy, smart, balls-to-the-walls play that we all read in Kirk Lynn's class about two weeks back. It absolutely took on being Korean-American, race, racism, self-inflicted racism...it was a "minority issues" play.
Kirk talked to her about it...apparently she decided to write it by asking herself "what's the one play I would absolutely NEVER want to write?
Then she wrote it.
The lesson? Maybe there's something to tackling the thing you absolutely DON'T want to tackle, rather than the thing you're dying to tackle. What do you have to say about the thing about which you think you have nothing to say?
Or maybe it only worked for her because she's crazy and brilliant.
Kirk talked to her about it...apparently she decided to write it by asking herself "what's the one play I would absolutely NEVER want to write?
Then she wrote it.
The lesson? Maybe there's something to tackling the thing you absolutely DON'T want to tackle, rather than the thing you're dying to tackle. What do you have to say about the thing about which you think you have nothing to say?
Or maybe it only worked for her because she's crazy and brilliant.
Question --
Please finish the following statement:
"Theater would be better if it were more like..."
Corresponding Challenge.
Okay, now go do that.
"Theater would be better if it were more like..."
Corresponding Challenge.
Okay, now go do that.
Good Enough
I changed the ending to Summer People. With two performances to go. On a Friday night. About two hours before the show. It involved the director sending a frantic, formal, pleading email to our faculty and designers. It involved getting a light designer to run from teching an opera to the theater building. It involved no more than 15 minutes of actual rehearsal to get it right.
It was a stress on all of us who have been dedicated to making this production go up. It isn't how anyone, least of all me, would CHOOSE to revise.
And it made a world of difference in the story-telling. The actors felt it. The stage manager felt it. The director felt it. At least 350 audience members are now going to get an ending that comes "that much" closer to being the ending the play needs. I mean, we could have let it stand. It was good enough. But --
Is there really a "good enough?" "Good Enough" in construction leaves you with a leaky roof. In finance leaves you with a bailout and a foreclosed mortgage. In engineering leaves you with a broken bridge. I have thought I was "done" with this play at least three times now. Each time, for one reason or another, I've gone back to the well and found things, some big, some small, that can help to tell this story better. After meeting with Michael Dixon, I know there's more ahead. And yes, at this point, more of my focus is on the projects coming down the pike. But we're in this for excellence, right?
I owe a lot of people a lot of brownies.
But it was so, so worth it.
It was a stress on all of us who have been dedicated to making this production go up. It isn't how anyone, least of all me, would CHOOSE to revise.
And it made a world of difference in the story-telling. The actors felt it. The stage manager felt it. The director felt it. At least 350 audience members are now going to get an ending that comes "that much" closer to being the ending the play needs. I mean, we could have let it stand. It was good enough. But --
Is there really a "good enough?" "Good Enough" in construction leaves you with a leaky roof. In finance leaves you with a bailout and a foreclosed mortgage. In engineering leaves you with a broken bridge. I have thought I was "done" with this play at least three times now. Each time, for one reason or another, I've gone back to the well and found things, some big, some small, that can help to tell this story better. After meeting with Michael Dixon, I know there's more ahead. And yes, at this point, more of my focus is on the projects coming down the pike. But we're in this for excellence, right?
I owe a lot of people a lot of brownies.
But it was so, so worth it.
10 Ways to be Creative
As defined by Michael Bigelow Dixon. Yeah, there are several posts now dedicated to his wisdom. What can I say? He had some interesting insights, and he had LISTS, which I love.
His suggestion: To identify which of these you’re good at, and get better at them. To identify the ones you’re not as good at, and continue to work on them.
1. Virtuosity (being better than everybody at one particular skill)
2. Interdisciplinarity (being good at bridging disciplines)
3. Associative
4. Reactionary (looking at things, saying “this is something that sucks,” and going from there
5. Observation/Insight
6. Altered State
7. Invention
8. Discovery
9. Intuit
10. Distortion
His suggestion: To identify which of these you’re good at, and get better at them. To identify the ones you’re not as good at, and continue to work on them.
1. Virtuosity (being better than everybody at one particular skill)
2. Interdisciplinarity (being good at bridging disciplines)
3. Associative
4. Reactionary (looking at things, saying “this is something that sucks,” and going from there
5. Observation/Insight
6. Altered State
7. Invention
8. Discovery
9. Intuit
10. Distortion
Simply Put...
A reminder to post above your computer, or wherever you write:
Clarify. Focus. Broaden. Deepen.
Clarify. Focus. Broaden. Deepen.
Three Questions to Ask Yourself
As you make theater, and move through the world…from Michael Bigelow Dixon
1. What’s wrong with theater? What makes you mad about American Theater?
2. What do Artists now want and need? What do you want and need?
3. What do you really care about in Life?
The point, of course, is not simply to ask the questions, but to let your answers to those questions guide your actions in your career, in your life.
By the way, I've been testing these over the last week - you can get to know someone, and start a very interesting conversation, by asking ANYONE to substitute their field of choice in for "American Theater" - either their profession, or "American Politics" or "Environmental Policy" or what have you. You can learn a lot, fast.
1. What’s wrong with theater? What makes you mad about American Theater?
2. What do Artists now want and need? What do you want and need?
3. What do you really care about in Life?
The point, of course, is not simply to ask the questions, but to let your answers to those questions guide your actions in your career, in your life.
By the way, I've been testing these over the last week - you can get to know someone, and start a very interesting conversation, by asking ANYONE to substitute their field of choice in for "American Theater" - either their profession, or "American Politics" or "Environmental Policy" or what have you. You can learn a lot, fast.
The Five Steps to the Creative Process
As defined by dramaturg Michael Bigelow Dixon
1. Ideas - the "wouldn't this be cool" stage
2. Selection - the "this idea has more mileage than that one" stage
3. Implementation - the "let's break this down and get it done" stage
4. Finesse - the "that was a great first draft, but how do we refine and improve it" stage
5. Energize/Articulation - the "let me tell you about this fabulous thing I made, don't you want it too?" stage
1. Ideas - the "wouldn't this be cool" stage
2. Selection - the "this idea has more mileage than that one" stage
3. Implementation - the "let's break this down and get it done" stage
4. Finesse - the "that was a great first draft, but how do we refine and improve it" stage
5. Energize/Articulation - the "let me tell you about this fabulous thing I made, don't you want it too?" stage
What are you Trying To Say?
I had a good meeting today with Michael Bigelow Dixon, a rock star in the new play world. We were talking about "Summer People," which has just opened at UT.
He had a lot of great things to say. We talked, especially, about the end of the play, which still isn't working. Now, there are probably some technical reasons for this, but the MAJOR one is all me.
It's that old question: "what's your message?"
Now, all along with this play, I've been bridling at people's assumptions about the POLITICAL message they're reading into the play (not everyone). But the fact is, when you ask me what the play's about, I'll tell you about plot, I'll tell you about lots of themes, and I'll evade the question.
Michael's point is (I think) that, in addition to telling a story, a play is about communication. So you better be trying to communicate something. Or maybe you're just wasting oxygen.
Later, he quoted an Isherwood review of a new play:
" [the play] does not deepen as it progresses toward a solution to the mystery at its heart. On the contrary, it flattens and stalls as theories keep emerging. Eventually you have to conclude that [the playwright] himself has not satisfactorily worked out its meaning."
Put another way: If you don't know what you're trying to say, how will you know if you've succeeded in saying it?"
He had a lot of great things to say. We talked, especially, about the end of the play, which still isn't working. Now, there are probably some technical reasons for this, but the MAJOR one is all me.
It's that old question: "what's your message?"
Now, all along with this play, I've been bridling at people's assumptions about the POLITICAL message they're reading into the play (not everyone). But the fact is, when you ask me what the play's about, I'll tell you about plot, I'll tell you about lots of themes, and I'll evade the question.
Michael's point is (I think) that, in addition to telling a story, a play is about communication. So you better be trying to communicate something. Or maybe you're just wasting oxygen.
Later, he quoted an Isherwood review of a new play:
" [the play] does not deepen as it progresses toward a solution to the mystery at its heart. On the contrary, it flattens and stalls as theories keep emerging. Eventually you have to conclude that [the playwright] himself has not satisfactorily worked out its meaning."
Put another way: If you don't know what you're trying to say, how will you know if you've succeeded in saying it?"
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