The Vs. Studio Blog

For the actor…

If you want to be vulnerable to the other person, you first have to care deeply about everything they say and do to you. It all has to affect you. In many cases to wound you.

If you’re not feeling anything, go back to the relationship. Who is this person to you and why are they so important? Why do you love them? How do they make you crazy? What do you desperately want to change about them? If helpful, write out a backstory. Examine your own life for a similar relationship. And engage your imagination in every way.

Once you’ve solidified that relationship, start at the beginning of the play. Take it off the page. Read each of the other person’s lines outloud to yourself. Go slow. It’s just an exercise. Repeat the lines as many times as you want. Take everything personally. Care what they have to say. Care. Care. Care. You can’t care enough.

I guarantee you, stuff will start coming up. You’ll get cooking. Good. Use it!

“Be good, be good
Be good, be good, be good
Be good, be good, be good
Be good, be good, be good (Johnny)
Be good, be good, be good
Be good, be good, be good
Be good, be good, be good
Be good, be good, be good” (Johnny) -song Be Good Johnny by Men At Work

“No matter what, my task is to be good. Like gold or emerald or purple repeating to itself. No matter what…my task is to be emerald, my color undiminished.” -Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

“Be good. Do good. That’s the moral imperative of life. That’s all we have to do. Be good. Do good. No matter what.” -Ryan Holiday

When in doubt of what you’re supposed to do or how you’re supposed to act…

Be good. Do good.

Be good. Do good.

Be good. Do good.

You keep that mantra top of mind…can’t lose.

P.S. – This music video. Ultimate 80’s!

One of the many great things about producing is you get to create the sandbox for so many artists to come play in it.

We’ve been doing “Tuesday Nights At Vs.” each week for over five years now. I continue to be blown away by the immensely talented actors, writers, directors and artists who show up to play. I’m so grateful to them and to the audience who show up to watch.

All are invited. All are welcome. And they’re always free. If you’ve never attended a Tuesday Night or it’s been a while, come on out. We’d love to have you in our sandbox.

P.S. – This link explains what Tuesday Nights are all about. Drop me a line if you have more questions or want to get on the weekly email list.

P.P.S. – This scene. (Yeah, I couldn’t resist.)

For the actor…

Speaking of not getting fooled by feelings, don’t prioritize your emotions over the audience’s.

For you can “feel it” up there, but if they don’t feel anything out there, then it doesn’t matter one bit.

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” – Viktor E. Frankl

Feelings are good. They exist for a reason. They serve as guideposts. But they’re not the end all, be all. And sometimes, our feelings can fool us into short-term thinking and behavior at the expense of our long-term dreams and desires.

For if we only did things when we felt like doing them (e.g. working out, eating healthy, sitting down to write, etc.), then nothing substantial would ever get accomplished. This is where discipline, commitment and focus come in to play.

Whenever you feel something strongly, before immediately acting on it, get curious with it. Ask yourself why you might be feeling that way. Allow the feelings in. Whatever the reasons–don’t judge them–say to yourself, “Oh, that’s interesting.” Then, proceed from there.

That pause between feeling and response is what makes us human and ultimately, where our true freedom lies.

“We create in service to art, not for what we can get from art.” -Rick Rubin, The Creative Act: A Way Of Being

When you detach and always make it about the work–not yourself–you’ll never get too high or low.

Not too high when you’re being praised. Not full of yourself. Because you realize you didn’t do it. You channeled the work through you. You were a medium for it.

Not too low when you’re getting criticized or it’s not going well. Not down on yourself. Because it’s not about you. It’s about the work. Be open to the criticism if it makes the work better. If it doesn’t, let it go, and move on.

Then, get back to work.

confidant (n.)
1610s, confident, “person trusted with private affairs,” from French confident (16c.), from Italian confidente “a trusty friend,” literally “confident, trusty,” from Latin confidentem (nominative confidens), present participle of confidere “to trust,

“Butch: Y’know, when I was a kid, I always figured on being a hero when I grew up.
Sundance: Too late now.
Butch: You didn’t have to say that—what’d you have to say that for?”
― William Goldman, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: Screenplay

Think about your family and friends. Who among them do you trust to always shoot you straight, no matter how much it might sting? If you have one or two, consider yourself blessed. You have a confidant.

That trust swings both ways. If you’re on the receiving end of their constructive criticism, first have empathy for their position. It’s hard to tell a friend or loved one that they’re messing up or that their passion project needs work. Then, trust that the confidant always has your best interest at heart. Even when and especially when, the truth is hard to stomach.

You may ask yourself, “What is that beautiful house?”
You may ask yourself, “Where does that highway go to?”
And you may ask yourself, “Am I right, am I wrong?”
And you may say to yourself, “My God, what have I done?”

Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was -Talking Heads, song “Once In A Lifetime”

Speaking of “proving it”…

You might feel that once you write that first great novel, direct that hit movie, be nominated for that award, make that gold record, produce that hit play, etc…you’ve now arrived. Everyone will be chomping at the bit for your next effort. You no longer need to prove yourself.

Nope.

Not only do you need to prove it all over again and delight people, but now come the doubters and the naysayers. The people with arms crossed who are like, “Alright, let’s see what all the hype is about.” And that’s if you’re lucky to even have an audience that follows you. If you’re doing small theatre with no subscriber base, you’ll have to find your audience all over again.

That’s okay. It’s a gift. You get to go back to the beginning. With openness and a beginner’s mind. Drop your attachments and expectations and put your whole heart and soul into this new project. As if it’s the first one you ever did and the last one you’ll ever do.

P.S. – My friend Turney–read his best seller “The Buy Side”; it’s an absolute page turner–sent me the below note re: MJ and his maniacal competitiveness as mentioned in my blog post…

I was at a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue afterparty and Jordan was there. He was in my way as I was trying to get to the bar to get another tequila. I sort of got pushed into him and he said
“Easy, little man.”
So I said, “Man, I wish Ehlo would have blocked that shot.”

Like a switch was flipped — he went from smiling at me to hating me.

I saw something change in his eyes — it was scary.

“One with true virtue always seeks a way to give. One who lacks true virtue always seeks a way to get. To the giver comes the fullness of life; to the taker, just an empty hand.” –Tao Te Ching, Verse 79

Today is “Giving Tuesday.”

You’re probably getting bombarded with emails from various non-profit organizations asking you to give. Presumably they all have worthy missions and do impactful work.

As someone who has raised funds in both the for-profit and non-profit sector, I can tell you that the hardest and least fun thing to do is raise money.

If you’re in that position now and are struggling to ask for funding, one thing that might help is to look at your own giving behavior. What organizations do you give money to? What inspires you to give to them? Is it a single compelling email? A consistent pattern of asking? A heartfelt video message? You saw a great production the theatre put on and were moved by it? You just happen to be in the right mood and it’s the right time? You’re flush with cash?…What exactly does it for you? Also, where do you spend money and why? What percentage is because you need to (housing, utilities, food, etc..) and what percentage is because you want to? (new clothes, vacations, gifts for yourself and others, etc…)

Knowing what motivates YOU to specifically give and spend will help clarify your story and your ask of others.

One last thing that might help…before asking, see how far you can take the project solo. If you can bootstrap it yourself, great! Do so. The more you do it on your own, the more confidence, clarity and conviction you’ll have if/when you arrive at the point that you need to ask for funding.

“Once you leave the ground, you fly. Some people fly longer than others.” -Michael Jordan

Feeling like you have to prove yourself every time out can guard against complacency. It’s especially useful if you’ve had some early success. Even the greatest constantly find ways to motivate themselves. In some cases, they exaggerate, even invent, slights or insults from others. (AKA “bulletin board material”) Go back and listen to Michael Jordan’s Hall Of Fame induction speech. There are several cringe-worthy moments where he “thanks” certain players and coaches for slighting him so that he could prove them wrong. (Side note: I once played pickup basketball with Jordan. His competitiveness is maniacal. Something to be feared just as much as it’s admired.)

The problem with this approach is it’s extrinsic. You’re dependent on external factors, namely people “seeing” and admitting they were wrong, for you to feel satisfied. But it can fuel you. For a little while anyway.

The better approach, especially over the long term, is an intrinsic one. (Which of course Jordan and all the greats also have.) Striving for excellence in all that you do until it becomes a habit. Because how you do anything is how you do everything. And the only person you really need to prove it to…is yourself.