The Vs. Studio Blog

Our inspiring definition of art is “doing something that might not work in service of others.”

This doesn’t just apply to “artists” or making “art”, but to anyone who feels a calling inside and wants to help.

A little while back my wife sent me this beautiful post about friendship:

When people are going through a particularly difficult time, they often (a) don’t reach out for help and/or (b) are so overwhelmed, they can’t think specifically about what they might need. They need everything. And you can help them by doing the thinking for them. Even if, and this is key, what you think they might need “might not work.” That’s the “art” of your generosity.

These fires are a chance to reach out to anyone we know who has lost their home. Inspired by the above IG post, we might right each to them with a short text and put together a numbered list of specific ways we can help. Including providing the option to decline our offer and just pray for them. As what they might need most right now, is just time and space to process coupled with the knowledge you are there for them.

P.S. – If you’re wanting to help those affected by the fires, this LA Times article provides an updated list of resources and things you can do. Stay safe out there everyone. Take good care of yourselves and each other. We will get through it.

“The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists.” -Japanese Proverb

“We cannot choose our external circumstances, but we can always choose how we respond to them.” -Epictetus

“Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.” -Lao Tzu

When a crisis or emergency happens, it’s not about anticipating every single problem that could’ve happened with one hundred percent accuracy. That’s impossible. (Though some preparation is always a good thing.)

Far more important, and within your control, is having a flexible mindset to deal with circumstance. Something happens and you quickly have to make a decision. A new thing happens and you have to make a brand new decision. And so on and so forth.

Until the crisis is over.

When it is over, that’s the time to go back and evaluate your decisions. Learn from them and perhaps be a little better prepared for the next one.

But no matter this event or future events, it is your flexible mindset that will get you through it. And you will get through it.

P.S. – Thank you to all those who’ve checked in on us during the fires. It means a lot. Our bags are packed and we’re ready to go at a moment’s notice. But we’re okay and I hope and pray you are too. My heart and prayers go out to all those who have lost homes and been affected by this terrible tragedy.

“The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control. Where then do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are my own.” -Epictetus, Discourses

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” -Serenity Prayer

“You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this and you will find strength.” -Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

“The following little reminder sums up the three most essential parts of Stoic philosophy worth carrying with you every day, into every decision:

Control your perceptions. Direct your actions properly. Willingly accept what’s outside your control. That’s all we need to do.” –The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday, Stephen Hanselman

So much of Stoicism is about identifying what is in and out of our control. This not only applies to the events of our lives (reactive), but also to the goals we set for ourselves (proactive).

A good practice is after you set your goals or intentions, immediately ask yourself which are within your control and which are out of your control.

Two examples that might help clarify this point:

(1) You set a goal to win an Academy Award for Best Actor.

Awesome. Nothing wrong with big goals and dreams. Go for it! Just realize this one is not in your control. It is dependent on external forces.

(2) You set a goal to become the best actor you can be.

This one is within your control. You can study, train, observe, read, watch, perform, self-produce, etc…Over the course of a year, two, five, ten, a lifetime…you will inevitably get better and better and “become the best actor you can be.”

Again, there is room for both kinds of goals. Just be aware of the difference. (Another way to differentiate is Stretch vs. SMART goals.)

Oh and by the way, as a result of focusing on your in control goal of “becoming the best actor you can be”, you might just get the out of control goal of “winning the Academy Award” thrown in for free.

“Fame is the peversion of the natural human instinct for validation and attention.” -Heathcote Williams

“I was leery of the media glare that came with film roles. I saw the future for myself when I did repertory theater. These were plays that could change my life; these playwrights were prophets. They made me a better actor, gave me an education, offered me a deeper understanding of the world, and filled me with joy. Who wouldn’t be satisfied with that? I remember feeling I could be perfectly content doing just that.” –Sonny Boy: A Memoir by Al Pacino

Would you sign a “lifetime artist contract” if it included the below clauses?…

-You won’t be famous or recognizable. No one will ever know your name.

-You will make little, if any, money off your art. You will always have to work another job to make ends meet.

-You will rarely, if ever, get picked. More often than not, you will have to pick yourself. That means producing your own work.

-You will be artistically fulfilled. (Provided you consistently commit to finding your passion projects and producing them with excellence and generosity.)

-You will get to make art with your friends and others whose work you respect and admire. As a result of your producing efforts, you will create meaningful experiences for your artist friends as well as the audience who experience your passion in action.

-You will get to do the kind of work that lights you up and made you want to be an artist in the first place.

-You will always stay humble, hungry, motivated, creative, open-minded, and inspired.

Me: “Give me the pen. Where do I sign?”

How about you? (Comments relished!)

“Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life.” -Jerzy Gregorek, former Olympic weightlifter

Speaking of doing hard things today so that things are easier tomorrow, this past blog post including the story below about Paula Scher:

In 1998, Citibank and The Travelers Insurance Company merged. 

They hired legendary designer Paula Scher to create a new logo.

In their first meeting, on a napkin, Scher drew what became the iconic Citi logo.

As Scher got up to leave the room, someone from the Citi team asked,

How can it be that it’s done in a second?

“It’s done in a second and 34 years,” Scher replied. “It’s done in a second [and] every experience and everything that’s in my head.”

It’s hard today.

Do it anyway.

And then think how easy will it be for you in one, five, ten, twenty,…thirty four years from today.

“Challenges are what makes life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” -Joshua J. Marine

“When life gets tough, some of us feel that we’ve lost the game and life has won. But life isn’t trying to defeat you. Life isn’t even a participant—the game is yours.” -Mo Gawdat, Solve for Happy

“Your habits are often a byproduct of convenience. Humans are wired to seek the path of least resistance, which means the most convenient option is often the one that wins. Make good choices more convenient and bad choices less so. Behavior will improve naturally.” -James Clear

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” -James 1:2

“As Carl Jung put it, ‘Man needs difficulties. They are necessary for health.’ Yet most people instinctually avoid pain. This is true whether we are talking about building the body (e.g., weight lifting) or the mind (e.g., frustration, mental struggle, embarrassment, shame)–and especially true when people confront the harsh reality of their own imperfections.” -Ray Dalio

“Self-esteem comes from achieving something important when it’s hard to do.” -Clayton Christensen

It’s hard today because you’re not yet fully the person you’re meant to be. You might have to learn new skills, increase your capacity or get stronger mentally and physically.

The good news is…when you do hard things, when you freely and joyfully accept challenges, when you allow for some discomfort, you develop all of the above. You grow as a human being.

So much so that the hard things today will feel like a walk in the park tomorrow.

“The quality of your questions determines the quality of your life.” -Tim Ferriss

“With a tear for the dark past, turn we then to the dazzling future, and, veiling our eyes, press forward. The long and weary winter of the race is ended. Its summer has begun. Humanity has burst the chrysalis. The heavens are before it.” -Edward Bellamy, Looking Backward

The best reason to look back is to look forward.

A great practice for this is to perform an annual review. I’ve come across several different versions and strategies. Here’s one from Sahil Bloom. Another one from Tim Ferriss. Another one from Shane Parrish. And one more from James Clear.

What these all have in common is questions. Asking yourself quality and meaningful questions about how successful you were at achieving your intentions and goals. Here are some good questions I culled from the sites:

What created or drained energy from my life?

What were my greatest hits and misses?

What am I most proud of?

What did I learn? (I’d edit this to “What blew my mind or radically changed my perspective?”)

What’s working well and why? What’s not and why not? What should I keep doing? What should I eliminate?

What did I not do because I was afraid?

What habit is consistently getting in my way? How can I change it?

The answers to these questions or any others you come up with, can shed light on what you want to accomplish in 2025.

Two more tips:

(1) Instead of waiting until the end of the year to do a review, why not do one every quarter or every month? You can also do a simpler weekly or even daily review.

(2) Continuously ask yourself the focusing question. Which is, “What’s the one thing I can do such that by doing it will render everything else easier or unnecessary?

Good luck reviewing 2024 and good luck moving forward in 2025!

I had a goal to read or see 100 plays this year. I fell a bit short at 70. Still, not bad.

If you want to read or see more plays in 2025, then I have two amazing resources for you! The first is our Vs. Tuesday Night Reading Series. We read a play every Tuesday night either on Zoom or live at Pacific Resident Theatre in Venice. (Started back in 2018 in the lobby of our old home space, we’ve now read over 250 plays). The second is Vs. Theatre Club. We gather as a group–on average, about once per month–to go see plays and support our local theatre community. Started in 2022, we’ve had over 30 club outings. If you’re interested in joining either or both groups, drop me a line and I’ll add you to the distro list. All are welcome!

I’ll start off with some of my favorite plays READ in 2024 (in alphabetical order and only including NEW plays that I hadn’t read prior):

A Case For The Existence Of God by Samuel Hunter (h/t to Pete for the recommend; grateful to AK and Sue for an amazing Vs. Tuesday Night read that has definitely stayed with me)

A Soldier’s Play by Charles Fuller (I had only seen the film, never read or seen the play; grateful to Will and Andy for bringing this one in for a Vs. Tuesday Night)

Aunt Jo by John Kolvenbach (LOVE this play, a future Vs. Tuesday Night reading is in the works!)

Grand Guignol (such a fun macabre live night @PRT; a Halloween celebration featuring all original works by Gareth Williams; h/t to Gareth for organizing the festivities; Jeffrey Johnson’s MC’s skills are second to none!)

Rathmine’s Road by Deidra Kinahan (h/t to Alex for the recommend)

Sam and Lizzie by Emily Kaczmarek (h/t to Jen C for the recommend; LOVE this play, a future Vs. reading is in the works!)

Something Clean by Selina Fillinger (h/t to Jen C)

The Fall To Earth by Joel Drake Johnson (h/t to Carolina for bringing this one in for a Vs. Tuesday Night)

When You Comin’ Back Red Ryder by Mark Medoff (the inaugural Vs. Live@PRT reading! thank you again to Dalia V and PRT for offering us space; h/t to Marla for bringing this one in; hadn’t read this play before and it really resonated)

Below are some of my favorite plays SEEN live in 2024 (in alphabetical order and almost all were Vs. Theatre Club nights!):

A Doll’s House Part 2 by Lucas Hnath (directed by Allen Barton at Beverly Hills Playhouse)

A Permanent Image by Samuel Hunter (directed by Andrew D. Weyman at Pacific Resident Theatre; this was actually the second time I’ve seen the play as it was done a while back at Rogue Machine; Dalia and the rest of the ensemble were spectacular and loved that it was the same cast as the original Vs. Tuesday Night reading!)

Crevasse by Tom Jacobson (directed by Matthew McCray at Victory Theater Center; Ann Noble and Leo Marks both give tour de force performances)

Dido Of Idaho by Abby Rosebrock (directed by Abigail Deser at Echo Theater)

Ghost Waltz by Oliver Mayer (directed by Alberto Barboza at LATC)

Here Comes The Night by Lisa Kenner Grissom (directed by Hailey McAfee at the Zephyr Theatre; love that this was a prior Vs. Tuesday Night reading and that the production had the same two dynamite actors from the reading)

Hollywood Fringe (I saw several fringe shows this year, all featuring Vs. Tuesday Night artists and all awesome! I love that some of these shows originated from prior Tuesday Night readings)

I, Daniel Blake adapted for the stage by Ken Loach (directed by Simon Levy at the Fountain Theatre; JD Cullum was riveting as Daniel Blake and headlined a terrific ensemble)

If I Needed Someone by Neil LaBute (directed by Frederique Michel at City Garage Theatre)

Iphigenia In Splott by Gary Owen (directed by Rosie Glen-Lambert at the Broadwater Black Box Theatre; Hailey McAfee, who also directed Here Comes The Night, was the actor in this one-person show and she was fantastic; I wrote this blog post about it)

Iron Skirt Stories Salon (directed by Andrew Hawkes at RD Studios; I’ve seen every single Iron Skirt show and they’re always amazing; Amy and Sasha do an incredible job sourcing and producing an all-star lineup of all-female storytellers)

The Brother’s Size by Tarell Alvin McCraney (directed by Bijan Sheibani at the Geffen Playhouse; this was actually the second time I’ve seen this play as I saw it many years back at the Fountain Theatre; a great inaugural production for the Geffen’s new AD who is also the playwright; I wrote this blog post about it; two other great shows I saw at the Geffen in 2024 were Fat Ham and Waiting For Godot; a terrific season and look forward to upcoming shows!)

The Civil Twilight by Shem Bitterman (directed by Ann Hearn Tobolowsky at the Boroadwater Studio; Andrew Elvis Miller and Taylor Gilbert were a dynamite duo; the show has extended yet again through January 26th)

Three Witches by Michael Perlmutter (directed by Ann Noble at Moving Arts; another prior Vs. Tuesday Night reading that made its way into full production; I especially love that the night I saw it, the theatre was almost entirely comprised of Vs. artists and allies; such a fun Vs. Theatre Club night!)

Vanya by Anton Chekhov, adapted by Simon Stephens (directed by Sam Yates; this one person adaptation of Chekhov’s masterpiece, Uncle Vanya, was one of the best pieces of theatre I’ve ever seen in my life…and I saw it on the big screen at the UCLA as part of their National Theatre Live programming; Andrew Scott was as good as it gets, an acting clinic; I wrote this blog post about it; loved it so much that I plan to make it the inaugural Vs. Films screening; coming soon in 2025!)

Well, that’s a wrap for 2024. It was a great year for live theatre, and I’m really excited for 2025.

Happy New Year! May it bring you continued community, much love, good health and creative fulfillment.

P.S. – Thank you again for reading this blog. I am very grateful for all of you!

So I fell woefully short of my goal to read 24 books this year. I read 13. That’s the second year in a row I didn’t make goal, so I’ll scale back my 2025 goal to 18.

The good news is that almost every book I read this year was terrific. Quality over quantity, right? Here’s my top 8 (in alphabetical order):

A Swim In The Pond In The Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life by George Saunders – one of the best books on writing ever (h/t to Ron for recommending); Saunders literally gives a masterclass; I’ve quoted it extensively in this blog and plan to re-read; the stories alone are worth the price; (Saunders also has a great Substack called “Story Club” which you can check out here)

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan – winner of the Pulitzer Prize; not just an incredible surfing memoir, but also the story of a remarkable life

Mike Nichols: A Life by Mark Harris – a phenomenal read about the director of my all-time favorite film, THE GRADUATE and a fellow alum from my alma mater; has been on my shelf for a while and so glad I finally got around to reading this year (h/t to my wife Amy for a great Christmas present!)

Sonny Boy: A Memoir by Al Pacino – another phenomenal memoir, this one an autobiography about one of the greatest actors ever; so many inspiring nuggets in here about love of the work and perseverance; a must read for any actor (h/t to Robert D. for recommending)

Something Happened by Joseph Heller – Heller’s highly satirical and controversial follow up novel to his stunning debut, Catch 22; largely overlooked when it first came out, but it shouldn’t have been; the prose is dazzling and Heller gives a clinic in voice; a good one to pair with the show MAD MEN and the film The Apartment; (h/t to Ron for recommending)

The Creative Act: A Way Of Being by Rick Rubin – I’ve quoted extensively in the blog and re-read chapters all the time; a must read for any artist (also check out Rubin’s great podcast Tetragrammaton)

The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance by Tim Gallwey – don’t let the title fool you, it’s about so much more than tennis; I read it twice this year; a must read for anyone (h/t top Robert D. for recommending)

The Way Of Baseball: Finding Stillness at 95 mph by Shawn Green – like a Tao of Baseball and overall Zen approach to life; chop wood, carry water, hit home runs; a great overall read

P.S. – I’m halfway through the novel What Makes Sammy Run by Budd Schulberg (he also wrote the screenplay for ON THE WATERFRONT). Great so far! I suspect it might make my 2025 list.

Like films, my goal was to listen to 100 albums in 2024. I listened to 112. My rule is that I have to listen to the entire album at least two times straight through. And I try to make listening to the album my sole focus. Not just background music.

Inevitably, many of the albums I listened to are old favorites (Nirvana, Bob Marley, Radiohead and Pearl Jam come to mind) so I excluded those from the list. Below are only new discoveries, albums I loved and listened to way more than twice. Without further adieu, here’s my baker’s dozen (in alphabetical order):

Gayngs – Relayted

George Harrison & Friends – The Concert For Bangladesh

Guster – Ganging Up On The Sun

Jessica Pratt – Jessica Pratt

Jose Gonzales – Vestiges and Claws

Laura Marling – “I Speak Because I Can”

Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs –Under The Covers Vol. 1 (2 and 3)

Mountain Man – Made The Harbor

Mt. Joy – Live At The Salt Shed

Nick Lowe – Untouched Takeaway

Pete Yorn – The Hard Way

Placebo – Never Let Me Go (h/t to my friend The Chief, for this one)

The B-52’s – The B -52’s

P.S. – This “Album Of The Year” compilation site kicks ass.

P.P.S. – Send me your picks. I wanna listen!