Everybody wants something. This is true in life and it’s especially true in the ultra collaborative and community driven world of musical theater.
Whenever, whatever and whoever you’re pitching, you’d be smart to tailor your proposal as a two way street. If you do, you may find yourself moving into the musical theater fast lane.
It’s easy to get so wrapped up in what YOU want, that you forget to think about the needs of the person you are pitching. And yet, the very best deals come out of win-win situations. Afterall, whether you’re a writer, artistic director, producer, director, actor, etc., we all need each other to survive.
But what can I give, you may ask?
Say you are pitching your new musical to a producer or theater…
- Perhaps someone on your writing team has a large facebook following and you can offer to share your great experience or promote the production to a wide fan base.
- Perhaps you have access to key artists who the potential theater company or producer is eager to get to know.
- Perhaps you can hold a master class, mentor a student, meet with their donors, etc. There are a million ways you can offer in advance to be a team player.
I’m not saying there always needs to be a quid pro quo, but this is a “give and take” business. So, before you spend all your time on the “take,” remember that you’ll move to the front of the pack if you also consider what you have to give.
Posted in Networking in Musical Theater, Politics of Musicals, The Business of Show Business 
2 Comments »
Don't play hard to get when it comes to giving a producer or theater company easy access to your phone number.
Just a quick public service announcement…
Privacy is a hot button issue these days, but in some musical theater related cases it’s not in your best interest to lock down your contact info. I was reminded of this recently as we were narrowing down the festival finalists for the New Musicals Festival I’m working on at Village Theater.
As we honed in on a short list of new musicals, we had some questions for the writers about availability and script updates. However, a quick glance at several of the scripts revealed author names but NO CONTACT INFO!
I’m sure at some point during the submission process these capable writers had included a cover letter with all that info - and it was safe in a file somewhere. But at the 11th hour, deep into the meeting, when decisions were being made and we wanted to pick up the phone and get some answers, it became an ordeal to try to track down the owners of these excellent new musicals.
So please, put your NAME, PHONE NUMBER, and EMAIL ADDRESS on everything from your script to your demo CD (unless it’s a blind script submission of course). In fact, if you want to be extra sure you get the call, put your info in the footer of your script so it appears on every page.
The moral of this story: If you ever want to see your name in lights, start by making sure your name and number are front and center.
Posted in Behind-the-Scenes, The Business of Show Business 3 Comments »
Without a thick skin, you'd better learn to heal fast.
Throughout my musical theater career, I’ve been told on countless occasions that to survive in this business I’d better develop a thicker skin. While that’s great advice, it’s just not going to happen. My skin is what it is. Permeable and penetrable.
The inevitable rejections, missed opportunities, and bruised feelings that I have endured in my show business career really did hurt. And I’m sure there’s more where those came from. In fact, I don’t know many people in musical theater who can honestly claim to be bullet proof. And that’s ok.
While I don’t now and probably never will have a thick skin, I’m proud to say that I do have skin that heals fast. Thanks to vital bandaids in the form of supportive friends and colleagues combined with lessons learned from past heartache, I can stay healthy and as a result, I can heal rapidly when someone or something breaks the skin.
So, while it’s unlikely I’ll ever develop a thick skin, being a fast healer is the next best thing.
Posted in Inspiration No Comments »
I was sitting in on tech of a Broadway show the other day and I got to hear the fabulously talented director give the cast some words of wisdom before their first preview.
His advice…?
DON’T BE SMUG.
He reminded them that audiences can tell when actors are feeling like they are smarter than everyone else and it’s a huge turn off. A major draw of live theater is that everyone in the room feels like they are part of something and it’s vital that every one is on board to serve the audience, not condescend to them.
I’d extend this same advice to anyone working in musical theater at any level. It’s easy to become smug and superior when we start to think we’re part of some exclusive metaphorical drama club that has arbitrary rules like:
Revere Sondheim and reject Lloyd Webber.
or
Savor Slings & Arrows and skewer Smash.
If you must be a snob, do it in the privacy of the “drama club house.” You know, backstage or over drinks with your fellow musical theater colleagues, but not to the outside world. It’s in all our best interest to put on a united front as cheerleaders for musical theater!
The major reason musical theater is still going strong is its accessibility and wide appeal. And we have the mainstream mega-musicals to thank for that!
You’re shooting yourself in the foot when you shoot down your non-theater, “civilian,” friends and colleagues who choose to see, say, Mamma Mia over Sunday in the Park, because you think one has more artistic merit than the other. At least that civilian is attending a musical at all!
And in the end, those folks who haven’t yet joined our “drama club,” but who are brought into our fold through Wicked or Phantom will likely come to appreciate the other shows we love like Chess or Follies.
After all, even those of us in the inner circles of the drama club got our start clowning around to videos of Disney musicals not crooning “Send in the Clowns.”
So don’t be smug. Don’t be a snob. When venturing out of the musical theater “club house,” be an advocate and an ambassador for all musical theater.
Posted in Inspiration, The Business of Show Business No Comments »
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