Author Archives: thevsstudioblog

“Talent renders the whole idea of rehearsal meaningless; when you find something at which you are talented, you do it (whatever it is) until your fingers bleed or your eyes are ready to fall out of your head. Even when no one is listening (or reading or watching), every outing is a bravura performance, becauseContinue reading ““On Writing” by Stephen King – Three Reasons”

“Live every second. Live right on to the end. Live Wyatt. Live for me.” -Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday in Tombstone (Hat tip to my friend Ron for recommending this excellent documentary.) I’ve always loved Val Kilmer as an actor. His performances as Jim Morrison in The Doors and Doc Holliday in Tombstone are inContinue reading “VAL: Three Reasons”

Here I amOn the road againThere I amUp on the stageHere I goPlayin’ star againThere I goTurn the page -Bob Seger from his song, “Turn The Page” As an Artistic Director of a theatre company, I get asked some form of this question a lot… “What’s the most important thing you look for in aContinue reading “Turn The Page”

The good news… You have more power than you think. The bad news (though I actually think it’s also good news or specifically, motivating news)… It’s later than you think. What are you waiting for? Go make your art.

But all the clocks in the cityBegan to whirr and chime:‘O let not Time deceive you,You cannot conquer Time. -W.H. Auden “As I Walked Out One Evening” poem Struggling with motivation? Add a ticking clock. It immediately gives you urgency and stakes. Just like it does for actors and writers in a scene, it worksContinue reading “Ticking Clock”

“You have to know how to fail with happiness on your face. Just keep going. And never, never stop. Keep going.” -Winston Churchill You’ve decided you want to produce something. Great. Don’t expect affirmation. In fact, some will think it’s a bad idea. They’ll question your sanity. They might even try to talk you outContinue reading “No Expectations”

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” -John Lennon It’s never a good time to produce a play. (Or launch any kind of passion project.) There’s always a holiday coming up or a potential trip or doctor appointment or…whatever. The calendar is never complicit. There’s always a reason not toContinue reading “It’s Never A Good Time”

“Just remember what ol’ Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, and the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big ol’ storm right square in the eye and he says, “Give me your best shot, pal. I can take it.” -Jack Burton fromContinue reading “Shake The Pillars Of Heaven”

“How can you change who you are and learn what it takes to get up, over and over, if you can’t allow yourself to feel how much it hurts to be knocked down?…To be excellent at anything, it must cost you something.”” -Sally Field Actors are like firefighters in that they must do the exactContinue reading “Raw Yourself Up”

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about receiving feedback. Here are some thoughts about giving feedback… (1) Don’t agree to give feedback unless you truly have the time and energy required to do so….For example, don’t agree to read someone’s script if you’re too busy. (Note: I’m often guilty of this one) You shouldContinue reading “On Giving Feedback”