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This post serves as an opportunity both to test out how my new blog design works in practice rather than theory, and to bid you welcome to my Dreamwidth. The name, for purposes of this blog, is gdelgiblueeyes, and I have been a producer, primarily of theater but hoping to break into TV and film, for the better part of 13 years. Welcome to the party!
And now... some Questions That Aren't So Frequently Asked But You're Here So Why Not Ask Them. (My "not-FAQ," for short.)
( Read more... )
(Note: Some of the information below was originally posted at gdelgiproducer on May 20, 2013. In the wake of Equity's #NotALabRat campaign, I thought it singularly appropriate for this to be the next entry ported over. It has been modified for its present audience.)
Since I'm de-mystifying a handful of things about theater on this blog, I thought it might be a good idea to untangle the pre-production process on a musical or play for my readers, especially as one phase of development is starting to get a lot of attention in the news lately.
How did I realize how important this topic was? A few years back, I had the privilege of associate producing the staged reading of a new evening of one-acts, American Asylum. The experience was quite successful, in that it resulted in a signed deal for a Broadway company. (You haven't heard of it? Look, development takes a long time, people.)
But when I got home from NY and began explaining what I'd just been working on to a layperson friend, I did something that troubled me a little bit. As I tried to clarify, I found myself using the terms "reading" and "workshop" interchangeably, yet insisting that they weren't the same thing. They pressed me to articulate the specific differences, and I struggled to come up with an answer. The more I asked around, both within and without the industry, the more I realized I wasn't alone. And with disputes between Actors' Equity and the Broadway League over "developmental labs" now forming a big part of show biz news, I began to feel that maybe it was about time someone sat down and explained it.
More than one developmental process is now considered fundamental to a show's creation, though they are relatively recent in origin. They're all technically different, but people tend to use the terms for them fairly loosely; this is understandable, as these days there is considerable bleed-through of each into the others. Still, the distinctions are important at a contractual level and at a... I'll call it spiritual... level, so it's worth the lesson. (My very loose definitions of readings and workshops, as well as their origin stories, are derived from Stephen Sondheim's book Finishing the Hat, a good source in any event, but are not particularly binding, and indeed the two overlap at points.)
Readings:
( Read more... )
Workshops:
( Read more... )
Developmental Labs:
( Read more... )
So, what is the best way to go?
Stephen Sondheim, in his book, is of the opinion that such a process is most valuable only when used for the creators' education, and that a workshop (or developmental lab) that is practically a mini-production is virtually worthless and nowhere near as instructive as a simple little reading; he's not the only one of this persuasion.
As far as I'm concerned, I think that each -- at least for as long as people think developmental labs are a thing -- is effective in its own way, and rather than hew to just one or the other style, it's my belief that any original work would benefit from all of them, repeated various times in the production process, both to chart the progress of where the show is at for interested investors, and to educate the creators.
Since I'm de-mystifying a handful of things about theater on this blog, I thought it might be a good idea to untangle the pre-production process on a musical or play for my readers, especially as one phase of development is starting to get a lot of attention in the news lately.
How did I realize how important this topic was? A few years back, I had the privilege of associate producing the staged reading of a new evening of one-acts, American Asylum. The experience was quite successful, in that it resulted in a signed deal for a Broadway company. (You haven't heard of it? Look, development takes a long time, people.)
But when I got home from NY and began explaining what I'd just been working on to a layperson friend, I did something that troubled me a little bit. As I tried to clarify, I found myself using the terms "reading" and "workshop" interchangeably, yet insisting that they weren't the same thing. They pressed me to articulate the specific differences, and I struggled to come up with an answer. The more I asked around, both within and without the industry, the more I realized I wasn't alone. And with disputes between Actors' Equity and the Broadway League over "developmental labs" now forming a big part of show biz news, I began to feel that maybe it was about time someone sat down and explained it.
More than one developmental process is now considered fundamental to a show's creation, though they are relatively recent in origin. They're all technically different, but people tend to use the terms for them fairly loosely; this is understandable, as these days there is considerable bleed-through of each into the others. Still, the distinctions are important at a contractual level and at a... I'll call it spiritual... level, so it's worth the lesson. (My very loose definitions of readings and workshops, as well as their origin stories, are derived from Stephen Sondheim's book Finishing the Hat, a good source in any event, but are not particularly binding, and indeed the two overlap at points.)
Readings:
( Read more... )
Workshops:
( Read more... )
Developmental Labs:
( Read more... )
So, what is the best way to go?
Stephen Sondheim, in his book, is of the opinion that such a process is most valuable only when used for the creators' education, and that a workshop (or developmental lab) that is practically a mini-production is virtually worthless and nowhere near as instructive as a simple little reading; he's not the only one of this persuasion.
As far as I'm concerned, I think that each -- at least for as long as people think developmental labs are a thing -- is effective in its own way, and rather than hew to just one or the other style, it's my belief that any original work would benefit from all of them, repeated various times in the production process, both to chart the progress of where the show is at for interested investors, and to educate the creators.
On Producing and Producers
Jan. 6th, 2019 08:43 pm(Note: This was originally posted at gdelgiproducer on April 18, 2013. It has been modified for its present audience.)
People always ask me what it is I really do as a producer. The answer is both obvious and complex: there are all sorts of producing jobs with somewhat different requirements. Budgets vary dramatically, and politics often change based on the money available. And no matter what, producing is a very involved job; after all, a producer ultimately calls the shots. They raise the money, they book the theater, they run the office... actors, directors, choreographers, designers, everybody from the highest to the lowest has their part to play, but as Mel Brooks put it, "The cast is great, the script is swell / But this we're tellin' you, sirs / It's just no go, you've got no show / Without the producers!"
Honestly, I love producing. I love the camaraderie; I love leading a big team, negotiating, debating; I love the fights, the "Kumbaya" moments, the planning, the creative ah-ha's; I love the meals; I love all the people around. Perhaps that has something to do with the fact that the other half of my life is spent, for the most part, without a social life. Maybe all that alone time makes me need some social time for the purpose of balance in my life. I can't say for sure. All I know is that I love producing, and there is, without a doubt, an art to it.
In all fields of entertainment, but particularly in live theater, you run into many kinds of producer. Is one kind better than another? Well, I leave that in the eye of the beholder; "by their fruits ye shall know them." But it's important to know the differences between them, so I'm going to outline each type with a brief description, bearing in mind that most of this is a gross over-simplification of these types' traits.
( Read more... )
Hope you have a slightly better idea of what I deal with, what I do, etc. Just don't ask me how the hell I handle it!
People always ask me what it is I really do as a producer. The answer is both obvious and complex: there are all sorts of producing jobs with somewhat different requirements. Budgets vary dramatically, and politics often change based on the money available. And no matter what, producing is a very involved job; after all, a producer ultimately calls the shots. They raise the money, they book the theater, they run the office... actors, directors, choreographers, designers, everybody from the highest to the lowest has their part to play, but as Mel Brooks put it, "The cast is great, the script is swell / But this we're tellin' you, sirs / It's just no go, you've got no show / Without the producers!"
Honestly, I love producing. I love the camaraderie; I love leading a big team, negotiating, debating; I love the fights, the "Kumbaya" moments, the planning, the creative ah-ha's; I love the meals; I love all the people around. Perhaps that has something to do with the fact that the other half of my life is spent, for the most part, without a social life. Maybe all that alone time makes me need some social time for the purpose of balance in my life. I can't say for sure. All I know is that I love producing, and there is, without a doubt, an art to it.
In all fields of entertainment, but particularly in live theater, you run into many kinds of producer. Is one kind better than another? Well, I leave that in the eye of the beholder; "by their fruits ye shall know them." But it's important to know the differences between them, so I'm going to outline each type with a brief description, bearing in mind that most of this is a gross over-simplification of these types' traits.
( Read more... )
Hope you have a slightly better idea of what I deal with, what I do, etc. Just don't ask me how the hell I handle it!