The Vs. Studio Blog

“Trust is earned in drops and lost in buckets.” -Shane Parrish

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” -Warren Buffett

“We kept our rep bro.” -Sue in the film, Swingers

I know I got a bad reputation
And it isn’t just talk, talk, talk
If I could only give you everything
You know I haven’t got -Freddy Johnston, song “Bad Reputation”

Your reputation.

Hardest thing to gain.

Easiest thing to lose.

Guard it with your life.

Agreement between theatre-maker and audience member.

I, theatre-maker, agree to…

-only produce that play which I am extremely passionate about.

-strive for excellence and generosity at all times. Go all out. Leave no stone unturned. I shall give myself, my fellow artists and stage crew a long enough runway to make that happen.

-always foster an empowering, creative and inspiring environment for our artists and stage crew to do their best work.

-employ radical hospitality towards the audience who’ve agreed to sacrifice their precious time and dollars to be here tonight.

I audience member agree to…

-show up on time.

-show up with an open heart and mind to the story I’m about to witness.

-have a rooting spirit for the actors who are up there giving their all

-if I loved and was moved by tonight’s play, then I will tell everyone about it.

You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be. This is it. Everything you’ve done before, including the failures, the mistakes, is exactly what you were supposed to do and has led you right to this point.

Do you truly believe that? Yes?…Good. You should, because it’s the truth.

Take a deep breath.

Now that we’ve got that covered, what would you like to do?

Go for it. Make it happen. Clear eyes. Clear hearts. Can’t lose.

“The most valuable commodity I know of is information.” -Gordon Gekko in the movie Wall Street by Oliver Stone

“Knowledge is shit, okay? ‘Knowledge for Knowledge’s Sake’ is pure bullshit. All learning ever does is remind you of what you haven’t got. Teaches you about new stuff you’ll never be or have. Because unless you can apply that knowledge and do something with it…it’s useless. It’s crap. Worthless shit. An M.B.A. is one thing, but Jeopardy! is for assholes.” -Ben in the play The Mercy Seat by Neil LaBute

Synthesis (as defined by Merriam Webster):

1a : the composition or combination of parts or elements so as to form a whole
b : the production of a substance by the union of chemical elements, groups, or simpler compounds or by the degradation of a complex compound
c : the combining of often diverse conceptions into a coherent whole

Francis Bacon is credited with coining the phrase “knowledge is power” in 1597. And for centuries that was true. One’s ability to retain and recall information was a superpower.

But now with just about everyone having a smartphone in their pocket, information is ubiquitous and therefore largely a commodity.

What matters and is so desperately needed today is what we do with this information. How we apply it to lead and solve interesting problems. Synthesis is the new superpower.

You know what’s a great way for you to hone this superpower? Look again at the definition above. Yep, you guessed it…

Decide and be courageous enough to go make your art.

For the actor…

Just like most people don’t know what they want in life, is why it’s often hard to figure out what your character wants. But you must. What does the character want? So much so that they will die (metaphorically and sometimes literally) if they don’t get it?

Even Hamlet, the king of indecision, wanted something deeply at first. But then when he was presented with new information, he wanted something else. And then something else. And then something else. And so on and so forth. The sum total of all these different wants was indecision. But make no mistake, he had giant, all out, desperate wants.

Work your ass off to figure out what your character wants. I recall an acting teacher saying you should get a headache from all the thinking about wants and desires. But here’s the thing…once you get those wants down and lean into those bold choices, you cannot go wrong. You’ll have fun every night trying to achieve them and in doing so, you’ll be riveting and on fire to watch.

Yo, I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want
So tell me what you want, what you really, really want
I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want
So tell me what you want, what you really, really want
I wanna (Hey!), I wanna (Hey!), I wanna (Hey!), I wanna (Hey!)
I wanna really, really, really wanna “zig-a-zig”, ah -“Wannabee” by Spice Girls

You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well, you might find
You get what you need -“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by The Rolling Stones

What do you want?

Not what you think you should want.

Not what society tells you to want.

Not what your friends and family want for you.

But what do YOU deep down, really, really, really WANT? And get super specific.

Don’t know?

Keep asking. Keep searching. Keep after it.

Because until you come up with an answer, you can’t even try. And if you aren’t trying for something. then what exactly are you doing?

“How to write: Butt in chair. Start each day anywhere. Let yourself do it badly. Just take one passage at a time. Get butt back in chair.” -Anne Lamott

“Writing is the art of applying the ass to the seat.” -Dorothy Parker

“The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair.” -Mary Heaton Vorse

“Writing = Ass + Chair.” -Oliver Stone

The only way to figure out what the hell you’re trying to say is to write and write and write some more. Until it becomes clear to you.

The only way to write is to put your ass in the chair every single day and write.

Ergo the formula…

Good writing is the product of many, many, many, many, many, many “ass in chair” hours

I do not love you except because I love you;
I go from loving to not loving you,
From waiting to not waiting for you
My heart moves from cold to fire.

I love you only because it’s you the one I love;
I hate you deeply, and hating you
Bend to you, and the measure of my changing love for you
Is that I do not see you but love you blindly.

Maybe January light will consume
My heart with its cruel
Ray, stealing my key to true calm.

In this part of the story I am the one who
Dies, the only one, and I will die of love because I love you,
Because I love you, Love, in fire and blood. -“I Do Not Love You” by Pablo Neruda

Theatre, Poetry, Classical Music…Each of these at one time or another were dominant cultural mediums. Take Pablo Neruda for example, the great Nobel Prize-Winning Chilean poet. He regularly filled soccer stadiums with his recitations. Imagine the scene…thousands of people standing and cheering and belting out lines of poetry at the top of their lungs. Yes, that did happen.

Now all these mediums are more niche.

You can’t control what you love, what inspires you, what lights you up–for me it was seeing tiny storefront theatre in Chicago–nor should you care if that medium is popular.

All you can and should do is listen to your heart. Dare to dream. Be courageous.

And go make your art.

P.S. – Check out this great article about Neruda’s Nobel Prize Winning acceptance speech.

Your favorite food item or household product gets discontinued.

Your favorite restaurant or store is about to go out of business.

Tension is created. You might suddenly be spurred to buy a whole bunch of the product or visit that restaurant one last time.

It’s here today, gone tomorrow.

That’s the magic of live theatre. And when producing a show and trying to get people to come, you’d be wise to lean into this tension, this magic, this ephemerality. Your messaging must include a spirit of “There’ll never be another night like this. Tonight’s your only chance. Don’t miss it!”

“There are times when dreams sustain us more than facts.” -Helen Fagin

“We are such stuff / As dreams are made on, and our little life / Is rounded with a sleep.” -Prospero in Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”

“And, please, as you visualize your future, don’t be afraid to be blue sky. People these days are measured by the size of their dreams. No one accomplishes more than he sets out to accomplish. So visualize a big future.” -David J. Schwartz, “The Magic Of Thinking Big”

Speaking of dreams…

I talk a lot about process on this blog. I believe it’s the key to artistic happiness and meaningful work. Find something you enjoy doing, even if it’s really freakin’ hard at times, and do it, day in day out, for a long ass period of time. Do it for nothing else than the love of doing the thing and you’ll find lasting purpose and joy.

That being said, we have our dreams. Our goals. Our visions. Those dreams are what lead us to passion which in turn leads us to process. And sometimes, we can get into a process rut. Doing the same thing over and over. Being comfortable with our routine. If you find yourself there, feeling a little bit blah, reconnect with your original dream and vision.

It might also be time to set a new vision for your life and art. Just make sure it’s a big one!