Contributed by Guest Blogger of the week, Cat Parker
What IS “good enough?” Good enough for who… uh… whom? At the expense of what?
I’ve been bombarded recently by instances of having to push, hard, for the best in my work. And sometimes the pushing is not well received. And because my work is collaborative in nature, I can’t push alone. It can be difficult when one person aims for the stars, and others are content with the clouds. One actor gives 150% to a role, the next gives 100% - who’s ‘wrong’ in this instance? Is there a ‘wrong?’
Our resources are minimal, and yet we’re surrounded by platitudes “necessity is the mother of invention,” “go big or go home,” and “poverty breeds creativity.” We do theatre because we love it; we do it in NYC because we want to make a living at it. So we go for the gold, reach for the stars, etc. And yet…there are those that are happy at “good enough.”
How do these people work together? Conventional wisdom says you have to learn to cheerlead, to make people want to work harder, be better, reach for the stars. I confess, I’m not a good cheerleader – I can’t jolly people into coming along with me for the ride cuz it will be fun, awardwinning, profitable. Because oftentimes, it won’t be. It will be difficult, and frustrating. Will it be worth it in the end? I say “yes.” But will you agree? How would I know? I don’t know your priorities, your inner ruler by which you measure these things. All I can really say is what is the point of doing anything if you don’t give it your all?
Don’t get me wrong – I’m not a Fosse or Welles or Cameron, people known for their drive and determination in every way. There are days when I seriously want to chuck it all, go work in a flower shop, have a dog, pay my taxes and have a real honest-to-god weekend. But I just can’t! This storytelling..disease..won’t let me go. And so I do it again. And I push to do it the best that I can with every breath. And I piss people off. And sometimes I’m sorry about that – and sometimes I’m not.
I have no closing paragraph for this. I don’t know the answer. The closest I get is to search for like-minded people and then work with them again and again. And avoid the “good enoughers.” Not because they’re wrong – just because it’s wrong for me.
Showing posts with label Cat Parker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cat Parker. Show all posts
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
OOB Community: What and Who is it?
Contributed by Guest Blogger of the week, Cat Parker
When I first moved to New York, a dear friend, John Morrison, introduced me to the WorkShop Theater Company and they welcomed me into their fold. Thus began my entrée into the world of Off-Off-Broadway theatre. I met other directors, actors, playwrights, stage manager, producers, technicians and all the “slashie” combinations of those positions. As we all know, the ability to wear multiple hats, and change them mid-stream can be a real asset in our world.
Then I took a detour – I began work at T. Schreiber Studio, which afforded me a wonderful opportunity and unique environment to hone my directing and producing skills. TSS was a great place to work, but one thing I noticed about my time there was that I was losing touch with the outside community. So, after I left TSS, my first priority was to re-establish contact with the theatre community. Seems like an easy proposition, right? After all, it seemed pretty straight forward in my earlier years. Turns out, identities in the theatre world are mushy, grey, and ever-changing. See that struggling, first-time playwright over there? In her day job, she’s a well-respected actress in off-Broadway and regional houses. That budding OOB producer over there in the grungy jeans and decades-old tee shirt? He makes his living as a literary assistant at a very well established producer’s office, wearing a very snazzy tie with his white shirt, thank you very much.
Who are these people? Where/What are the parameters? How the hell am I supposed to get back into the swimming pool?
Fortunately, there are two very big and helpful elements to help me take this dive. The first is that theatre people are generally very willing to help each other out. When I sit in a puddle in the floor and wail “HELP!” I am never left hanging – good friends, and “6-degrees-of-facebook” friends have always come to my rescue. Casting advice, rehearsal space, that one freakish prop you desperately need – all of these have magically appeared just when I was on the verge of ripping my hair out because of the generous nature of our community. So, when I tap on the shoulder of a stranger at a gathering, feebly introduce myself, and take a chance on this scary thing called “networking,” it’s gratifying to have them smile and say something like, “Oh riiiight! You’re the one that was looking for the blue thing-a-ma-hoochie with the red candles and spotted feathers. Glad we could share ours with you.” (The fact that no one in the group even looks vaguely askance at that description is testament to a whole ‘nuther trait about theatre folks, which I’ll leave for another time.)
The second element(s) are the folks at NYIT. [Yes, I know this is their blogspot, but I’m really not just kissing up!] I got involved with NYIT originally as a judge for productions, and then was asked into the Honorary Awards Committee. Being involved with this varied group of individuals has really widened my understanding of how intricate, complex and passionate our community is. And professional! Sometimes the word “community” has more of a social feel to it, but the reality is that our “community” is deadly serious about what we do. And the folks at NYIT are entangled with community leaders and organizations at all the various levels – political, legal, social, revolutionary, journalistic, polling, statistics, reviewing, “a”warding and “re”warding, past, present and future. If it’s going on in the world of independent theatre, someone at NYIT is involved or knows someone who is. So, when I made the decision to leap back into the fray, I turned to these colleagues, and they said…… “Hey, wanna be a guest blogger for us?”
So, next time I’m being the wall-flower at a gathering, and I pluck up the courage to come tap on your shoulder, hopefully you’ll turn around and say, “Oh yeah, I know you – I read your blog!” and we’ll have widened our community by one more degree. Who is the OOB community? – I am.
And, should you need a blue thing-a-ma-hoochie with the red candles and spotted feathers, I’m there for ya.
Peace!
When I first moved to New York, a dear friend, John Morrison, introduced me to the WorkShop Theater Company and they welcomed me into their fold. Thus began my entrée into the world of Off-Off-Broadway theatre. I met other directors, actors, playwrights, stage manager, producers, technicians and all the “slashie” combinations of those positions. As we all know, the ability to wear multiple hats, and change them mid-stream can be a real asset in our world.
Then I took a detour – I began work at T. Schreiber Studio, which afforded me a wonderful opportunity and unique environment to hone my directing and producing skills. TSS was a great place to work, but one thing I noticed about my time there was that I was losing touch with the outside community. So, after I left TSS, my first priority was to re-establish contact with the theatre community. Seems like an easy proposition, right? After all, it seemed pretty straight forward in my earlier years. Turns out, identities in the theatre world are mushy, grey, and ever-changing. See that struggling, first-time playwright over there? In her day job, she’s a well-respected actress in off-Broadway and regional houses. That budding OOB producer over there in the grungy jeans and decades-old tee shirt? He makes his living as a literary assistant at a very well established producer’s office, wearing a very snazzy tie with his white shirt, thank you very much.
Who are these people? Where/What are the parameters? How the hell am I supposed to get back into the swimming pool?
Fortunately, there are two very big and helpful elements to help me take this dive. The first is that theatre people are generally very willing to help each other out. When I sit in a puddle in the floor and wail “HELP!” I am never left hanging – good friends, and “6-degrees-of-facebook” friends have always come to my rescue. Casting advice, rehearsal space, that one freakish prop you desperately need – all of these have magically appeared just when I was on the verge of ripping my hair out because of the generous nature of our community. So, when I tap on the shoulder of a stranger at a gathering, feebly introduce myself, and take a chance on this scary thing called “networking,” it’s gratifying to have them smile and say something like, “Oh riiiight! You’re the one that was looking for the blue thing-a-ma-hoochie with the red candles and spotted feathers. Glad we could share ours with you.” (The fact that no one in the group even looks vaguely askance at that description is testament to a whole ‘nuther trait about theatre folks, which I’ll leave for another time.)
The second element(s) are the folks at NYIT. [Yes, I know this is their blogspot, but I’m really not just kissing up!] I got involved with NYIT originally as a judge for productions, and then was asked into the Honorary Awards Committee. Being involved with this varied group of individuals has really widened my understanding of how intricate, complex and passionate our community is. And professional! Sometimes the word “community” has more of a social feel to it, but the reality is that our “community” is deadly serious about what we do. And the folks at NYIT are entangled with community leaders and organizations at all the various levels – political, legal, social, revolutionary, journalistic, polling, statistics, reviewing, “a”warding and “re”warding, past, present and future. If it’s going on in the world of independent theatre, someone at NYIT is involved or knows someone who is. So, when I made the decision to leap back into the fray, I turned to these colleagues, and they said…… “Hey, wanna be a guest blogger for us?”
So, next time I’m being the wall-flower at a gathering, and I pluck up the courage to come tap on your shoulder, hopefully you’ll turn around and say, “Oh yeah, I know you – I read your blog!” and we’ll have widened our community by one more degree. Who is the OOB community? – I am.
And, should you need a blue thing-a-ma-hoochie with the red candles and spotted feathers, I’m there for ya.
Peace!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Guest Blogger of the week: Cat Parker
Thank you to Cyndy Marion for blogging last week! We're happy to announce this week's blogger: Cat Parker!
Cat Parker is a freelance director based in NYC, who has worked regionally at Dallas Theater Center, Dorset Theatre Festival, and Oklahoma City Rep. She assisted Jerry Zaks on the Broadway debut of A Bronx Tale, featuring Chazz Palmenteri. In New York, Cat was the Producing Director at T. Schreiber Studio, and has directed at The WorkShop Theater Company, Creative Place NYC, Mid-Town International Theatre Festival, Abingdon Theatre, and UrbanStages. Favorite productions include Picasso at the Lapin Agile (NYIT Award Winner), Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Towards Zero, A Doll’s House, a steampunk-influenced Twelfth Night (NYIT Award Winner) and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead. New works include the New York premiere of Sister Cities, (NYIT Award Nominee), The English Channel, En Passant, A New Theory of Vision, Riders of the Golden Sphinx, Echoes of Radioland (a theatrical radio show), Lovers of Verona (an original commedia del’arte piece), Lilith, Blind Study, Safekeeping, Switch, Gone Astray, Shadow Pier, Beachwood Drive, The Chekhov Dreams, Native Stone, Underpass, and Rapture. (www.catparker.com)
Cat Parker is a freelance director based in NYC, who has worked regionally at Dallas Theater Center, Dorset Theatre Festival, and Oklahoma City Rep. She assisted Jerry Zaks on the Broadway debut of A Bronx Tale, featuring Chazz Palmenteri. In New York, Cat was the Producing Director at T. Schreiber Studio, and has directed at The WorkShop Theater Company, Creative Place NYC, Mid-Town International Theatre Festival, Abingdon Theatre, and UrbanStages. Favorite productions include Picasso at the Lapin Agile (NYIT Award Winner), Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Towards Zero, A Doll’s House, a steampunk-influenced Twelfth Night (NYIT Award Winner) and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead. New works include the New York premiere of Sister Cities, (NYIT Award Nominee), The English Channel, En Passant, A New Theory of Vision, Riders of the Golden Sphinx, Echoes of Radioland (a theatrical radio show), Lovers of Verona (an original commedia del’arte piece), Lilith, Blind Study, Safekeeping, Switch, Gone Astray, Shadow Pier, Beachwood Drive, The Chekhov Dreams, Native Stone, Underpass, and Rapture. (www.catparker.com)
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