Beware Of Boring

“Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work.” – Gustave Flaubert

“We’re interested in (and give our attention to) lots of different kinds of people…funny, serious, contemplative, unlikable, talented, clumsy, innovative, annoying, sensitive, naive, confident, rebellious…The one none of us have time for is boring.” -Gabe Anderson

The legendary Broadway director Arthur Penn was interviewed in the 1990s about the state of the theater. He described going to a very mediocre professional production. Afterward he asks the director why a particular part in the play had been given to a particular actor:

‘He’s a great guy,’ was the response. ‘Prince of a fellow.’ Well, perhaps, but send him home to be a prince to his wife and children; he is a shattering mediocrity. But nice and easy counts for far too much these days. Another director told me—proudly—that he had just completed his third play in which there wasn’t one difficult player; not one distraction; not one argument. Can I add that these were among the most boring plays of our time? … All great work comes to us through various forms of friction … I keep hearing Kim Stanley was difficult. Yes she was: in the best sense of the word. She questioned everything; nailed everything down; got answers; motivated everyone to work at her demonically high standard … Is that difficult? Bring more of them on.

I’m not suggesting that for a production to be successful, it needs to be chock full of strife or tension or conflict. Or that people have to be assholes and egomaniacs. And there’s absolutely no place for toxicity.

But…

If a couple feathers aren’t getting ruffled…If people aren’t having deep discussions and healthy disagreements…If there’s no edge…(All in service of the work of course.)

Beware.

It might be a clue that people aren’t digging deep enough. They’re not risking. Not giving their pound of flesh.

And what you’ll end up with is far worse than a bad production.

It’ll be a boring one.

P.S. – Speaking of the great Kim Stanley, this scene. Watch the behavior. Watch her simmer like a boiling pot before she explodes. So good!