The Vs. Studio Blog

Read a play. Read lots of plays. Read a play a day if you can. (Playwrights love when you read their plays.)

When you come across a part that one of your actor friends would be dynamite in, tell them about it. Immediately.

Even more generous…buy the play and send it to them. Write a little note like, “Just read this play and you’d absolutely crush this role. Enjoy!”

That act of generosity just might be the kindling that leads to an incredible production. And in turn, a deeply meaningful experience for that actor, the other artists involved and the audience who witness passion in action.

Always.

Be.

Producing.

Need some fire in your belly? Click HERE.

In a prior post, I discussed asking for the rights to material.

What happens when your ask is met with a “No”?

First, take a deep breath. Let out any frustration you may feel. When you’ve sufficiently processed, remind yourself that you’re not surprised by this response. The rights to good material, especially if it’s a new play and in Los Angeles, are often very hard to get.

Then after sitting with the “No” for a couple of days, ask yourself if you’re still passionate about this material. If the answer is a resounding “Yes!”, then make a gameplan to turn that “No” into a “Yes.” This should include writing a classy, personal response. Thank the agent or publisher for their consideration. Let them know that you love this material and you intend to check back with them every three to six months.

Then, check back. Let them know what you’re up to and that you’re still extremely passionate about the material. Perhaps draft a personal letter to the writer and ask that they forward it on. (Bonus points if you can sleuth the writer’s email address and send directly.)

Over time, you’ll either get the rights or you won’t. (Or you’ll have moved on to another project.) But no matter what, you can feel good that you gave it your best effort.

Remember, when making art, one of your most important jobs is to enlist others on your journey. To convince them that this project is worth giving their time and effort to. That starts with the playwright (or screenwriter if you’re making a film). You do that in your actions. In your consistency of effort. In your taste and tenacity.

That’s what will define you as a producer.

I had a college friend, amateur philosopher, who used to drive me crazy by always asking the question, “Do you love the idea of the thing. Or the thing itself?”

No subject was safe from his philosophizing…future career plans, what to do on a Friday night, even potential girlfriends.

We’d have great debates. To him, I was just a constant dreamer. Always pursuing some movie version of a thing in my head. Which he claimed would set me up for grand disappointment. (Note: I still always do this.) I’d counter by asking how do you know what that thing actually is until you do it? Don’t you need the movie version, the idea off the thing, to motivate you to try.

Who was right?

I think we both were.

Before committing to a passion project, yes it’s good to find out everything about the process, warts and all. So you know what you’re getting into.

But art is about doing something that might not work. Creating something new. Manifesting the dream version that’s in your head.

To make the thing, you first need the idea of the thing.

“Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be One.” – Marcus Aurelius.

Today is Juneteenth, a holiday that should be more widely observed and hopefully will be in the ensuing years.

While it doesn’t mark the date of Lincoln’s proclamation that freed the slaves, but rather commemorates the day that a last group of slaves (outside of Galveston, TX) heard that they had been freed months earlier, I found myself thinking about this epic scene from the movie Lincoln.

Amidst the din of his squabbling cabinet members, Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) slams his hand down on the table. “Now, now, now,” he says to them. Silence. Then he speaks, “We are stepped out on the world’s stage, the fate of human dignity is in our hands… See what is before you. See the here and now, that’s the hardest thing, the only thing that accounts.”

Now is the time to learn and reflect on what we can do better.

Now is the time to love. To will the good of the other.

Now is the time to take action. To make art. To make the kind of change we want to see in the world.

Now. Now. Now.

You’ve got your play lined up. Your passion project. This is it. The One. You know it in your bones. You’ve spent months, years searching for it and now you’ve found it. You’re ready to pour blood, sweat and tears into it. Do everything you can to make this production an incredible experience for everyone involved.

Did you get the rights?

Oops.

One of the early exercises assigned in our Vs. Studio Producing Workshop is everyone has to try and acquire the rights to a play. Regardless if they’re ready to produce, if it’s something they’re even thinking about, they need to know if the rights are available. And Los Angeles, for a variety of reasons, is one of the most difficult territories in the country to acquire rights. Especially if it’s a newer play that has some heat on it.

Asking for the rights does two things.

One…it makes it real for you as a producer. The process of asking for rights, having to come up with dates and other specifics, concretizes your plans. (Don’t worry, just because you get the rights, doesn’t mean you must produce it on said dates. You can always reschedule or cancel. As long as you give advance notice.)

Two…it spares you a lot of heartbreak. You spent a lot of time finding your passion project. Before investing any more of your heart and mind, you need to know if it’s possible. That’s the big next step you need to take.

In a future post, I’ll discuss what you should do when the answer is “No” to your ask.

What do “To Kill A Mockingbird”, “Citizen Kane” and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” have in common?

They each have over a hundred, one star reviews on Amazon.

You can’t please everyone. Even when you create a masterpiece.

Go make your art.

I was trying to help my younger son understand the difference between potential and kinetic energy. (Whether we like it our not, Covid-19 has made all of us parents into amateur teachers. I now have even more respect for the teaching profession.)

He and I were sorting through pictures of different objects at different points in their journey…a roller coaster, an airplane, a sprinter in the starting blocks, etc…when it occurred to me that when we embark on our passion project, when making our art, we harness the power of both kinds of energy.

You might be saying to yourself, “Uh-oh. I smell a metaphor coming.” Right you are! Stay with me here…

Think of your average, ordinary catapult. (Not the ancient ones used to fire hot, molten lead and other ammunition to storm castle walls.). The more we pull back on the catapult arm, the more potential energy we store, which then enables the object in the arm to fly further and faster, to have more kinetic energy. (Kids, don’t try this at home.)

Let’s take producing a play…Pulling back the catapult arm is akin to all the tasks we need to do prior to opening night. Casting, crewing, fundraising, budgeting, scheduling, marketing…it’s a long list. The more we lean into those tasks, do them with excellence and generosity, the further back goes the arm. More potential energy is stored.

Which then gets released and converted into kinetic energy on Opening Night. That kinetic energy, that intense joy that comes from getting to do our art, is felt by all. And that joy coupled with all that converted energy, carries us through the rest of the run.

Put another way, Newton’s First law States, “A body in motion stays in motion.”

One more thing…

At some point that potential energy does need to get expressed. Otherwise, it becomes a sad, cautionary tale.

Wasted potential.

Don’t let that happen.

Make your art.

P.S. – I love the song “Catapult” by Counting Crows. Especially this live version.

In Olympic sports where a competitor performs a routine for judges, a big factor in scoring is degree of difficulty. Assuming all things equal, an ice skater who lands a triple axel will beat out the skater who didn’t try. A gymnast who pulls off a triple double on the floor routine like Simone Biles did gets the gold. In platform diving, the “reverse one and a half somersault with four and a half twists” is impossibly hard to complete and thus carries a high weighted score.

Speaking of diving, who could forget Thornton Mellon pulling off the “Triple Lindy” in Back To School.

But I digress…

When evaluating our passion project, a good thing to keep in mind is its degree of difficulty.

Writing the “Great American Novel” or just completing a book to show our family and friends?

Wanting to top “Citizen Kane” or just make a short film to learn the basics of filmmaking?

Creating the next Apple Computer or just a business to put some extra cash in our pocket?

One is no more valid than the other. It’s just important to know what we’re trying to achieve and how difficult it is. That honesty informs our road ahead, the potential obstacles, and the length of time it’s gonna take.

And either way, whatever we’re doing, we do it with excellence. For ourselves, our fellow artists and the audience we seek to serve.

There are two different sources of fuel available when desiring to make dramatic change. Sometimes, both are necessary.

Anger or Hate is one that burns bright. It’s super charged and loaded with energy. It’s the booster rocket that breaks through the status quo atmosphere and brings attention to what must be addressed. We see it manifested in nationwide protests right now.

This fuel source eventually burns out however, and another one needs to takes its place. One that never runs out. One that nourishes and replenishes. One that always seeks to will the good of the other.

Love.

That’s the fuel source needed for the long road ahead. The one that will keep the rocket of change in orbit.