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Literary Arts - Articles |
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By
Che’Rae Adams
Blog Entry #3-Finding Your Tribe
Public speaking makes me want to pee…
I drove down to Cal State Fullerton last week to
speak on a panel at the Kennedy Center American
College Theatre Festival. I was on a panel with
a colleague of mine, Ann-Giselle Spiegler, who
is a “first call” director for new plays. She is
smart, witty, eloquent, and full of life. It
makes perfect sense to me why she would be on a
panel. However, why I am asked to sit on panels
eludes me. I am always nervous, sweating even,
terrified that I will have little if nothing to
say. And I always have to pee right before the
panel starts, why is that? Plus, I have no witty
repartee and nothing that comes out of my mouth
is planned, rehearsed, or lets face it, even
thought about. It’s not that I don’t want to be
there, it’s just that by the time the dreaded
day arrives, I have barely had time to eat
breakfast that morning, let alone prepare for
the panel. On the way down to Fullerton, I am
feeling guilt ridden about my perpetual state of
unprepared-ness, and I am praying to God to let
me get through the panel without incident.
This particular panel was on “directing new
plays” which is something that I have a lot of
experience doing. However, I have absolutely no
idea how to articulate that experience into any
kind of cohesive sentence. Thankfully Ann
started the conversation, which I was then able
to dove-tail off of. As usual, Ann spoke
eloquently about directing new plays and working
with the writer in the room. She expressed her
passion for the work she does, and explained her
process with ease.
“There is no way I can do that!” I thought
silently to myself. I wonder if this is a common
thing? Do other artists have this affliction or
is it just me? I find it nearly impossible to
explain how I work or what I do in a rehearsal
room. Partly because I think it changes
depending on the play, the playwright, the cast,
the material, etc. The work is almost always
instinctual, there is no plan really, no rhyme
or reason to the process, but more of a reaction
to what is happening in the room. Oh shit! Ann
is done speaking and it’s my turn to speak…here
goes nothing!
After I stumbled over my words, and recited some
sort of basic idea of what a director does in a
rehearsal room, Ann suggested that we open up
the room to questions for the panel. Ah ha! At
last! Questions are good-I can handle those!
Then, out of nowhere, a sudden stroke of panic
hit me! “What if I don’t know the answers to the
questions” I thought to myself. Once again,
thank God Ann was there to make the question and
answer section go a lot smoother. There was one
question however, that resonated with me-it came
from an older woman who was having her play
produced at the festival for the first time. Her
question was rather simple-“How do I get my
plays produced?” Hmmmmm, that is a good
question. Based on my blank look, Ann jumped in
and attempted to answer her, while I was having
a sort of surreal flashback…
Post Traumatic Theatre Disorder…
I suddenly flashed to almost 16 years ago when I
and some other colleagues founded and ran a
small theatre company in the valley dedicated to
producing new work. Some of the playwrights that
I still work with today were produced in that
theatre back in the early 90’s. Talented local
writers like Jon Bastian, Tim Toyama, Ken Hanes,
Dale Griffiths Stamos, Leon Martel, and more.
Despite the risk of producing new work, we
supported their work. Our passion kept us going
and we pushed through the lean times and made
sure those controversial shows were mounted no
matter what! We even got good reviews!
Eventually The Road Theatre Company grew into
one of the best 99 seat theatres in Los Angeles.
And then it hit me-could it be true that I have
known and worked with these writers for over 15
years now?
I thought about the upcoming production that my
current theatre company, The Syzygy Theatre
Company, is scheduled to produce. Written by Jon
Bastian, Syzygy and the Los Angeles Writers
Center have been developing this 6 hour epic for
over 2 years now. And then it hit me-could it be
true that Jon and I have maintained a
relationship for over 15 years? Does that really
happen in Hollywood? I mean who does that? Maybe
that is what happens when you find your tribe? I
quickly realized what the answer to the question
might be….
Finding Your Tribe…
When it was my turn to reply, I was able to say
without any doubt, “I think it is about the
relationships that you form early on in your
career that build a firm foundation for
friendship, trust, and like mindedness.” The
students looked at my blankly. I continued, “In
other words, work with people that have an
investment in you, in your talent, your
friendship, and your success. Playwrights-find a
director who believes in your work and let them
champion it. After all, it is directors who push
new work into production because of their
passion for the writer and the piece. Without
the director’s passion, new American plays might
not get produced!” They looked confused, but my
spark was ignited, and now I could not stop
talking! “Plays are not to be hung on Museum
walls, they should reflect the concerns of the
present time!” Even I was shocked by how
passionate I was becoming, but now I was on a
roll! “Write about what concerns you! Write to
discover the truth! Then, find someone who
believes the same things you do and partner with
them. Find your tribe. You are the future of the
American Theatre!” Ok, even I knew I was getting
carried away, so I turned the conversation back
over to Ann.
After a slight pause, one of the student writers
raised his hand and asked “but what if I don’t
know any directors?” I thought about this
question for a moment and then said with
confidence, “Well, now you know us.” After the
panel was over, the student came up and asked
for my card. I handed it to him knowing that
even though I barely have time to eat breakfast,
I would read his play.
(Che’Rae Adams is a freelance director and the
Producing Artistic Director of the Los Angeles
Writers Center. Log onto www.lawriterscenter.com
for more information or you can contact her at
info@lawriterscenter.com). |
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