The Vs. Studio Blog

It’s easy to look around and diagnose the problems. How many books, articles and news stories do nothing but that? Day after day. An unending stream of “let me show you how bad things are”; “why we’re in this mess; “who’s to blame.” Sadly, most of it is designed to hold our attention spans hostage.

I’m not for one second suggesting we turn a blind eye to our problems. We absolutely need the diagnosis. It’s important to know what needs fixing.

But there’s another side that is woefully ignored. That gets scant attention.

The solutions.

Because solutions are hard.

Because just like art, they might not work. There’s nuance involved. Careful thought. Small, deliberate steps. Practical, thankless action. You could be wrong. You will be judged.

Okay.

Do it anyway.

Because we need you. We need your leadership. Your effort. Your ideas. Your willingness to try.

We need your solutions.

P.S. – Here are a couple of solutions-based organizations to check out:

Solutions Journalism

Weave: The Social Fabric Project

You’re not doing this play and this role because of vanity.

You’re not doing the difficult, often thankless, producing work because “it’s good to get up there.”

You’re not doing it because you want to “showcase your talents.”

You’re not doing it because you want people to come up to you at the end of the night and tell you how wonderful you were.

You’re not doing it to get representation.

You’re not doing it to book future, paid work.

No way. That’s not why. That’s not you.

You’re doing it because you fell in love with this play. This role. At this time. So much so, you were willing to produce it.

You’re doing it because you want all the other artists (actors, director, designers, crew) to shine brightly and have an incredible, joyful experience.

You’re doing it because you want to honor the playwright. Their blood, sweat and tears they poured out on the page.

You’re doing it because you want to give the audience a memorable night out.

You’re doing it because…well…you just have to. You’re called to it. Summoned. Like a vocation. You didn’t have a choice.

That’s not vanity.

That’s passion.

And if people still want to judge you and call it a vanity project?…Fine.

I can’t wait to come and see your “Vanity Project”. Because it’s gonna be awesome.

“When people injure you, ask yourself what good or harm they thought would come of it. If you understand that, you’ll feel sympathy rather than outrage or anger. Your sense of good and evil may be the same as theirs, or near it, in which case you have to excuse them. Or your sense of good and evil may differ from theirs. In which case they’re misguided and deserve your compassion. Is that so hard?” – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

In any situation involving other people, i.e. all of life, it’s inevitable they will act in ways different from your expectations. They’ll say or do things that make you angry, sad, hurt, etc…You’ll want to respond emotionally. Don’t. Instead, remember these three words:

ASSUME POSITIVE INTENT.

Let that color your response. You’ll avoid a lot of unnecessary conflict and stress. Plus it’s just a good way to go think about others.

ASSUME POSITIVE INTENT.

Now when you’re on stage, that’s a different story…

Sorry, I couldn’t resist an opportunity to insert a Laker image. I miss hoops. But Shaq definitely looks enthusiastic in this picture, doesn’t he?

The word enthusiasm is derived from the Greek word, entheos, which means “inspired from God.”

Trust your enthusiasm. It’s coming from a deeper place. And know that when you’re enthusiastic about something, you inspire others. You inspire them to do great and generous things, to make their art, to take the leap they’ve always wanted to take. It’s infectious. So share it. Let it out. Tell the world what lights you up.

Sound your barbaric Yawp!

“I shall remember this moment: the silence, the twilight, the bowl of strawberries, the bowl of milk. Your faces in the evening light. Mikael asleep, Jof with his lyre. I shall try to remember our talk. I shall carry this memory carefully in my hands as if it were a brimful of fresh milk. It will be a sign to me, and a great sufficiency.” -Antonius Block in The Seventh Seal

I can watch this short scene from Bergman’s masterpiece all day long. Amidst intense suffering and anxiety from a deadly plague ravaging the land coupled with the ominous figure of Death following him, Antonius Block gets a brief reprieve. He delights in the calming presence of the young, married actors, Mia and Jof, and their baby, Mikael. He enjoys delicious strawberries and fresh milk with his companions. A beautiful dusk envelopes the pastoral land. The birds are chirping. Jof softly plays the lyre.

Perhaps it’s heaven on earth? For a moment, anyway.

Just like live theatre. Beautiful art. Shared. In good company. A break from our lives. Our problems.

And it’s ephemeral. The night won’t last.

So savor it that much more.

“If you don’t take money, they can’t tell you what to do, kid.” -Bill Cunningham

I love the documentary on the late, great fashion photographer. Bill Cunningham: New York. I highly, highly recommend it.

It’s a beautiful portrait of someone who was singularly devoted to their craft. Someone full of joy because he got to do what he loved. Every day, all hours of the day.

Bill regularly turned down payment for his work. He often left checks uncashed. He lived like a monk. His reasoning was that when you do it for money, you owe. You can’t make the art you want. You can’t do it on your terms.

We all need to make a living, of course. Bill did too. He worked for The New York Times as their fashion columnist for most of his life. But what happens if we separate money and success from our art? What are we freed up to pursue? To create? What’s something we might do every single day no matter what? What change would we seek to make in the world?

Don’t take the money.

Make your art.

Jake and Elwood were on a “Mission From God.” For them, failure was not an option. They were all in. Pot committed. They also had complete confidence that no matter how dire things looked, they would come through. Because they had to. That trust and commitment informed every one of their actions.

You don’t have to be on a “Mission From God” to do something important. To create something beautiful. To make radical change. But you do need to be one hundred percent committed and have absolute trust in yourself.

What’s your mission? What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?

After a few weeks of participating in and hosting several Zoom meet ups, including play readings, here are some early observations:

-How wonderful this technology exists! Be grateful for it.

-Meaningful Community is needed and wanted. Now more than ever.

-A flawed Zoom meet up (crappy audio, poor lighting, people talking over each other, etc…) is still awesome.

-I can’t wait to see the incredible creativity unleashed by this platform.

-The rules still apply. If you want a reading or any kind of virtual gathering to go well, first care deeply about the play or subject. Come prepared. Make strong choices. And then, care deeply about your audience. Do a tech rehearsal with your fellow actors. Think about optimal settings. Maybe even invest in a simple lighting and audio package. Your passion for the material matters and will evidences itself in the small details, done well.

-We’re now gonna get so many more chances to experience art. Every day, all hours of the day, all over the world, people will be making art and gathering together virtually to experience that. Hooray!

-Fellow Theatre-makers. Don’t fear this technology. Yes, it’s harder and harder to get people to leave their house. And this easily could be just one more thing to convince people to stay home. But, let’s embrace this platform. Lean into it. At its best, it’s gonna get people even more excited to come to your venue and see the real thing. Because when theatre is done well, experienced live, and shared communally, there truly is nothing better. It’s why I dedicated my whole life to it. And will continue to do so.

Go. Make Zoom Art With Your Friends.

I love, LOVE this scene from Walk The Line, the Johnny Cash biopic. Joaquin Phoenix and Dallas Roberts absolutely crush it. Definitely give it a view.

Below is a modified transcript of the advice that Sam Phillips, the famous record producer (played by Dallas Roberts), gives to Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix).

“…Let’s bring it home. If you was hit by a truck and you were lying out in that gutter dying, and you had time to sing one song, one song, people would remember before your dirt, one song that would let God know what you felt about your time here on earth, one song that would sum you up, you telling me that’s the song you’d sing?…Or would you sing something different? Something real, something you felt? Because I’m telling you right now, that’s the kind of song people want to hear. That’s the kind of song that truly saves people. It ain’t got nothing to do with believing in God, Mr. Cash. It has to do with believing in yourself.”

We all have one song, one play, one book, one film, one painting, one…something, inside of us. Something unique to our feelings, our experiences, our tastes, our desires. Who we are at our core.

What’s yours?

Let it out! We want to hear it. We need to hear it. Right now. Go.

“My formula for human greatness is amor fati: that one wants nothing to be different, not in the future, not in the past, not for all eternity. Not only to endure what is necessary…but to love it.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” -Marcus Aurelius

Two of the most powerful concepts found in Stoic wisdom are (1) Memento Mori (“Remember, you could leave life right now.”) and (2) Amor Fati (“Not merely to bear what is necessary, but learn to love it.”)

There are three levels of thinking when anything that happens to us.

First, SEE things as they are. No judgment. Neither good or bad. Just what is.

Second, decide right now, that no matter what happens, you WILL get through it.

Third, learn to LOVE what happens. You may not know it at the time, but trust that all challenges will make you stronger, more resilient. They’ll open up new ways of thinking and doing. You’ll find more gratitude. You’ll be more present. More patient. More generous.

Amor Fati. Love your fate.

P.S. – A great book on this concept is The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday. Highly recommend it.