As we come closer to opening The All-Female Taming of the Shrew, I am looking back at the beginning of the process, in part, because reporters are making me think about it. Self-producing is hard but it's also incredibly rewarding. Some issues we all deal with as we start:
1. Do what pleases your heart.
You've been working in theatre for years now, doing the shows that come along - and doing them happily. You've learned a lot and become very good at what you do. And there were some plays that were uninspiring but you did them anyway because you love theatre. If you're like me, you take every opportunity that comes along regardless of whether it's your favourite show or not. Theatre companies choose plays that they think will sell and you only get better by doing. So you do what's on offer.
But when you're embarking on your own project, make sure that, though bums in seats is a top priority, you do something that really turns you on. Do what pleases you.
2. It's never the perfect time.
You may be carefully waiting for the perfect time when all your little ducks are lined up in a pretty little row -- when you have all your money, the rights are available, your chosen theatre is available, your design team is ready. You could be waiting a long time.
We are hard-wired to be careful. We are easily dissuaded. There are a million reasons why not to do something. Don't wait. Decide the minimum amount of cash you need (depends on what your stomach can handle), get that money, and get going. Goldilocks never comes.
3. Plan.
Write that Marketing Plan. A lot of folks don't bother, especially if the show is small. They feel they don't need it or they feel that everything always changes so much, a plan is a useless. Look, I won't lie here: most Marketing Plans are so much waste paper precisely because the situation can change drastically. However, I have found it easier to cope with that change when I have a plan already in place including a budget and a timeline.
I often call writing my Marketing Plan 'inventing my future'. Because that's exactly what I'm doing.
4. Don't talk about it; do it.
It's a little known fact that our brain gets the same ya-ya out of talking about doing something as it gets from actually doing that thing. This is why so many folk are caught up in the talk, talk, talk and never do syndrome. If you find that you are endlessly talking about your project to your friends at the bar or if you are having (yet another) planning meeting, find a way to kickstart the process. The best way I find, for me, is to set a deadline (say, for the first fundraising event) and announce that deadline publicly. It's really motivating for me to live up to my word.
5. One step at a time.
But how to start? It's a huge task! It freezes the brain just to think about it. I just go back to that Marketing Plan, look at the first deadline, and break down what I need to do to get to there. A show is a thousand, a million steps. Do the first thing on the list. It will lead to the next step and the next...
And, then, not too far in the future, you might find yourself pausing to reflect on your journey so far. But that will never happen if you don't get started in the first place.
Jacqui
Burke is
a freelance director, writer, and
theatrical teacher living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is
currently directing
the all female version of Taming
of the Shrew
for
Jaybird Productions going up in
the fall of this year. She is
looking forward to directing Children's
Hour for
Encore Productions and Rumours
for
Scarborough Players. She is, also, serializing The
Pretender,
her first novel, online at
http://thepretender-amarcienoelnovel.blogspot.ca/.
Jacqui
Burke
talk/text:
647-292-0210
twitter:
@jaybird01
skype:
Jacquiburkecell, jacqui.burke
www.wordsnimages.com
www.jaybirdproductions.ca
www.shakespeareisboffo.ca
http://jacquiburke.blogspot.ca
http://thepretender-amarcienoelnovel.blogspot.ca/
http://jaybirdproductions.blogspot.ca/
