The Vs. Studio Blog

Anyone who’s ever worked in management consulting or contracting or running a small business knows the importance of a Work Plan. So, what is it? How do you create one? And what does it have to with making art?

Let’s tackle each one of these questions…

A Work Plan is just a document that outlines all the steps necessary to complete a project, soup to nuts. It’s a way to keep you and everyone involved organized and on task. This article has a pretty good definition.

There are lots of ways to create one. In our Vs. Studio Producing Workshop, I advise people to just start with pen and paper. Brainstorm and write down every possible task you can think of longhand. Be super specific and granular. Once you’re done with that exercise, you can start organizing tasks into categories, setting deadlines, and delegating responsibilities. A simple Excel spreadsheet will do the trick. This article has a few more ideas.

For anything you’re producing, any art you’re trying to make, use a Work Plan. I highly, highly recommend it. This and a budget are the two most useful tools in your producing arsenal. You will refer to them all the time. They”ll keep you organized and sane. Seeing everything you have to do, when you have to do it by, and who’s responsible for each task, in one document, is tremendously helpful.

All hail the Work Plan! It can be the difference between giving you and your fellow artists a fantastic, meaningful experience or not. And if you have that fantastic experience, you’re more apt to want to do it again and even better the next time.

Pre-Covid, I was invited to sit in on some rehearsals for a high school production. Besides the immense talent of all the students (actors and designers), I was blown away by their commitment and enthusiasm for the work. Every single one of them wanted to be there. It was so pure. Their joy was infectious.

The director invited me to speak to them after rehearsal. Unprepared for this, I just spoke from the heart. Told them how impressed I was and how fun it was to watch them in action. And that I couldn’t wait for opening night. Several students said they wanted to pursue a career in the arts and asked if I had any advice.

Not really feeling qualified to answer, my only real counsel was “it doesn’t get any better than this.”

Meaning that no matter how much industry success they found, this, right here, this play, this moment, this joy, this commitment, this fun, this team work, this sense of community, this feeling…that’s what it’s all about. And to try to carry that feeling into everything they did going forward.

Go make your art.

And just like the school play, do it for nothing more than pure love of the art.

“I learn the text so deeply that I think it has some chemical effect in my brain…I believe in learning the text which is there. Once you know it so well that you can improvise and make it real, it’s easy. You can’t pretend to know—it’s impossible to, and I couldn’t do it. I’ve worked with actors who don’t know their stuff, and they were just wasting everyone’s time.” -Anthony Hopkins

Fellow actors…

Assuming you’re working from a great script–and I know that isn’t always the case, but assuming you are–what if you just did these three things?…

(1) Learn the lines exactly as written.

(2) Read the script 100-200 times. That’s right. 100-200 times. To yourself or out loud. Or both.

The first two things, while straightforward, will keep you pretty busy.

(3) TRUST. Trust yourself. Your talent. Your training. Your collaborators. Your material.

And then let it rip.

That’s what Anthony Hopkins does. And he’s pretty darn good.

“Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world.” -Albert Einstein

“1% better each day, compounded, is 3800% better each year. 1% worse each day, compounded, means you lose 97% of your value each year.” -James Altucher

Prior to the 1986-1987 NBA season, Lakers coach Pat Riley asked his team to just strive to get 1% better in each area of their game by season’s end. The team bought in and they went on to win back to back championships.

It’s great to have big goals and dreams, but they can also be daunting. At times, crippling.

For those times, think of this 1% rule.

What can you do today to just be 1% better than yesterday? Or make 1% of progress?

Memorize a few more lines on the script.

Write or revise one page.

Do one more pushup or situp.

Be a little bit happier. A little bit kinder.

For anything at all. 1%. Day in. Day out. We can all do that, right?

I can’t wait to see what art you make, who you become in a year from now, two years, five years…

You know the feeling. You’re slogging through a workout or a run and all of a sudden a great song comes on. Immediately it energizes you. You push a little harder. Run a little faster. It carries you. Sometimes all the way home.

In the process of manifesting your passion project, there will be many days where everything feels like a giant slog. It’s hard to gauge your progress. Nothing feels like it’s working. You want to quit.

But then all of a sudden, you have an amazing day. Maybe it’s a good night’s sleep. Or you receive an unexpected compliment. The funding you were hoping for came through. You’re grooving. You’re confident.

It’s like your great song just came on.

Don’t waste it.

Who knows how long it will last.

Double down on your effort. Push harder and farther than you ever have. You’ll get that much closer to your goal.

P.S. – Add this song to your playlist. Trust me. You’ll be glad you did.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is a habit. Not an act.” -Aristotle

“How you do anything is how you do everything.” -Zen Buddhist Principle

“To help others find and manifest the art inside them. And inspire them to do so with excellence and generosity for themselves, their fellow artists, and the audience they seek to serve.” -The Vs. Studio Mission

You can’t control if something you make is deemed “excellent.” That’s a judgment made by others.

But you can control your approach. You can do everything with excellence in mind.

If you do that, no matter the outcome, you’ll be proud of your effort. You’ll appreciate and love the process. You’ll grow as a person. You can hold your head high knowing you did the absolute best you could do at every turn.

That’s a pretty excellent way to be.

Before showing someone your work, ask yourself what exactly you’re looking for. Affirmation? Or feedback? Both have merit. But the answer to this question determines who you reach out to. It’s also generous and empathetic on your part. Your respecting people’s time and personality.

If it’s honest, critical feedback you seek, great. Realize there’s probably only a handful of people who can fill that role for you. Trust they have your and your project’s best interest at heart; even if the feedback they give stings a little or a lot.

If it’s affirmation you seek, that’s also great. Maybe you’re stuck and need a little encouragement. Cool. Just be up front about it. Let others know that’s what you seek. Those in your “inner critical, feedback forum”…well, you might want to wait to show them your work. You’re not ready for that yet. But keep at it. Soon, you will be.

“The common denominator of success – secret of success of every individual who has ever been successful – lies in the fact that he or she formed the habit of doing things that failures don’t like to do…It’s just as true as it sounds and it’s just as simple as it seems. You can hold it up to the light, you can put it to the acid test, and you can kick it around until it’s worn out, but when you are all through with it, it will still be the common denominator of success, whether we like it or not…Why are successful people able to do things they don’t like to do while failures are not? Because successful people have a purpose strong enough to make them form the habit of doing things they don’t like to do in order to accomplish the purpose they want to accomplish.” -Albert Gray , Excerpt from his 1940 speech “The Common Denominator of Success”

You don’t need more information.

You need more motivation.

You already know what to do. Some of it’s not fun work. But vital to your purpose. Do it day in. Day out. Plan on it taking a whole lot longer than you think. But it will be worth it in the end.

Go make your art.

“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.” -Roy Disney

“If you don’t stick to your values when they are being tested, they’re not values; they’re hobbies.” -Jon Stewart

A useful exercise is to get out a sheet of paper and write down all your core values. What matters most to you. One word that encapsulates each value is sufficient. Examples might be: family, spiritual, honesty, health, courage, discipline, fun, etc…

After you’re done (probably no more than 12), rank them in terms of priority. What’s most important to you right now.

This exercise serves a few purposes.

One…Know that as a producer or leader of any project, you will be faced with an endless stream of decisions. Tough decisions. That’s your job. Knowing your values and your organization’s values makes those decisions easier.

Two…When deciding whether to take on a project, you can examine if that projects aligns with your core values.

Third…Examine your rankings. For example, if “Fun” is one of your higher values, that might mean passing on doing something difficult right now. Don’t feel bad about the choice. Honor the ranking.

And realize that over time, your rankings will change. Just like money experts advise people to re-balance their investment portfolios every year, you might want to do the same for your sheet of values.

This blog and the mission of The Vs. Studio is to help people find and manifest the art they’re passionate about. And to do so with excellence and generosity. For themselves, their fellow artists and the audience they seek to serve.

So what if you don’t know what you’re passionate about?

That’s okay. In my experience, most people don’t. Not everyone’s walking around with a bucket list of plays and roles they’re dying to do. (Though I encourage you to start one.)

When you find a piece that you’re interested in exploring further, call up some actor friends and do a reading. Now with Zoom, it’s easier than ever.

“Tuesday Nights At Vs.” started a few years ago with this same ethos. Anyone can “sponsor” a Tuesday night. Sponsor just means picking the play, making a PDF, writing a brief synopsis, and inviting some friends to participate and or come listen. It can be any type of play, any genre, any time period. No restrictions. (While Vs. Theatre Company’s mission is primarily to produce World, West Coast and Los Angeles Premieres, the mission of The Vs. Studio is that any play is fair game.)

These nights are designed to be very fun and informal. Pre-Covid, we’d meet in our theatre lobby. Often roles would be cast on the spot from whomever showed up. People would bring a favorite snack or beverage. We’d gather together, read the play, converse and then disperse. A weekly tradition was born: “Tuesday Nights At Vs.”

We’ve kept it alive through Covid by embracing Zoom. I’m incredibly grateful for this platform and the artists who’ve sponsored nights and/or showed up. An unexpected and beautiful side benefit is that our reach has expanded to many new people across the country. As a result of the nights being open to anyone and any play, we’ve enjoyed an incredibly rich and diverse selection of plays. No artistic director or committee could ever program so well! And we have an amazing and super supportive community that shows up consistently week after week.

One of two things will happen as a result of you taking the leap to sponsor a Tuesday night. Both are win, win.

Most often you’ll read the play, have a great time and gotten it out of your system. Awesome.

In a few cases however, the play and the night will stay with you. You’ll keep thinking about it, wondering if you should to take it to the next level. Friends might call you up and say “you have to do this one.” You won’t be able to shake it. Hmm…you might just’ve found your passion project. Good news! You have an outlet for that passion: The Vs. Studio.

So, if you’re reading this and want to sponsor a night, email me (jclark@vstheatre.org) and let’s pick a future Tuesday. Don’t wait. Our backlog is pretty long. Nearly six months out.

Or if you just want to be on our email list (we send it out once a week, every Monday night) to come listen to the plays and be a part of the community, please reach out and I’ll add you to it.

I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday Nights At Vs. (someday back in our lobby) and experiencing your art. Thanks for showing up. We’re so glad you’re here.