And while, not always true, the history of an industry can be an indicator of its future.

Theater is one of the oldest and most collaborative art forms on the planet. The first recorded theater performance occurred in 2000BC in Ancient Egypt. This is only when they began RECORDING it and it was important enough to chisel into a stone tablet. In this time, people were actually killed during productions (….it was Ancient Egypt, so they hadn’t discover “stage combat” quite yet).

When comparing theater to film, we kick their asses by over 5,000 years! Theater has been a part of human society since the time of Ancient Egyptians and film was invented within the last 100 years, the nineteenth century is all they have to show for history. Film is an amazing medium and allows us to tell stories in more ways than we can currently imagine, even today; but if you put them in a ring, this is a David versus Goliath kind of fight.

The telling of stories is one of the most basic principles of what it means to be human and what it means to create and exist within a culture. We all learned in fourth grade Social Studies that the stories and histories of specific cultures were passed down through oral history, before anyone had efficient instruments for writing things down. I believe that science can support me in the statement that people are both visual and empathetic, meaning that the performing or acting out of stories is a natural part of the human condition.

Theater can never die. If you want to put it bluntly, theater is like a cockroach. We have the same kind of staying power. Even if some force, internal or external works to take down the institution of modern theater (Broadway, Regional, Touring, International), that would only be as an aspect of economic breakdown. The theater would survive, it would find a way.

Actually, let’s compare the power of theater to something more recent like Facebook. Firstly, it is one of today’s modern mechanisms for storytelling (along with Twitter, Blogger, etc). But more importantly, some of the best theater ever written or performed aided in the fight against oppressive governments, communism, world wars. When things are tragic, people come together and what do people do when they come together? They tell stories. They build community through common ground, whether political or simply human. The people of Egypt, used Facebook in a similar fashion; to illicit change, to protest and to win.

Theater is simply part of who we are. Whether you are willing to admit it or not, if you are human, the tradition of theater is both your history and your future.

Go see a show! I believe the Fringe Festival is still going on. Otherwise..Summer Stock or Shakespeare in the Park (any park).

MJZ

On a recent visit to my parent’s house, I was instructed to go through a box of “my stuff” to decide what I wanted to keep and what could be thrown away. On the top of the box was my high school graduation cap and gown, along with other nostalgic items. What I also found were folders and notebooks from Playwrights Horizons Theater School (NYU). Every thing from class schedules to final assignments, contact sheets for second year stage managers and the blue books from my History of Acting class.

As I looked through these things with the wonder of, “Wow, this seems so long ago” — the wonderful thought hit me that, “My god, I really LOVED theater school!” This was amazing! I had forgotten over time the pure joy of studying the development of the acting craft from the beginning of recorded history! I found a copy of a scene I was directing with nearly indecipherable notes scribbled all over the place. My heart felt lite, it was joy.

Now, living in the real world, I realize that I learned a whole lot more than I thought I had. The level of analytical thinking involved in directing or design and the incredibly high end level of problem solving (not to mention historical study, comparative literature, collaboration and visual palette). I think theater students could and should easily beat out any business or finance major for any job in which the desired outcome is not purely scientific.

And then I had a daydream of going into a job interview and being asked about my problem solving skills (or something like that); and telling the story of Pain: Eulalia by Eric Ehn. When in Director/Designer collaboration I was the costume designer for this show and I had to figure out how to get a girl to look burned, and not just burned…baked to a crisp from head to toe, worse than the walking dead. And that was just level one. We also had to deal with the fact that the actress playing the role would have less than 10 minutes to get into this costume (which means no heavy makeup or prosthetic) AND she would have to be out of the costume in less than 5 minutes to re-enter…looking like a pure white angel.

We solved it. It was genius. Just sorry we never got to put it into practical application (because then I would have pictures). However,  someone somewhere has the watercolor rendering of both costumes. This is only one, single isolated example of the level of creativity, innovation, analysis and problem solving that any job in the theater requires. I am not suggesting we actually go out and challenge those finance majors for their jobs (god knows they have enough problems already)…BUT explain to me, in purely logical terms, why what brilliant people do in the theater profession is compensated less than 10% of what they deserve?

I cannot give you an answer today. But I think that this particular problem is one that the collective genius within the theater industry could solve.

We just need to have a production meeting…or seven.

Always A Way.

MJZ

Theater Connects will host an exclusive networking event designed for production professionals in the theater industry. Directors, producers, designers, playwrights and stage managers from all career levels will gather at Angus McIndoe Restaurant on Monday July 25th, 2011 at 7:00pm for a collaborative experience.

The Theater Professionals Networking Event is an opportunity for theater professionals to meet other individuals who can make an impact in their career. This is the place to find new collaborators, learn about the industry and be more proactive in landing the right projects. So rarely do individual artists get a chance to take the temperature of the industry as a whole from discussion amongst their peers.

Theater Connects is committed to providing resources in connection and collaboration for the often-overlooked production/creative side of the theater. They are developing technology that will enhance the internal support and function of the industry as a whole. With products still in testing, Theater Connects is starting to bring the community together offline with this month’s first meet up event.

All levels of experience are encouraged to attend and create a diverse meeting of the minds. Attendees will have the chance to do a 60 second pitch for themselves or their latest project: Let the industry know who they are and what they are looking for.

Visit the event page to RSVP for July 25th (limited space), if you aren’t in town, and therefore cannot make it, don’t forget to fill out the early access request form. Note: All attendees will receive early access codes at the event.

(A little bit more) About Theater Connects

Theater Connects, Inc is a web technology company dedicated to improving connection, communication and access to resources for the production side of the theater industry. Lead by Founder and CEO, Megan Janel Zimmer, the Theater Connects team is developing new web platforms to enhance the viability, artistic satisfaction and financial stability of theater professionals in all disciplines.

See you next week!

MJZ

We may be all about the theater, but we can’t claim to be an expert in everything!

The private beta launch of the Theater Connects Vendor Database is happening this summer (Sign Up for Early Access Here). We are in the middle of designing the pages that allow you to search for anything and everything needed for a production. We are looking for experts in Lighting, Set, Sound, Costumes and General Production to contribute to the sub-categories for the Search page; creating an information resource made by you, for you. No matter what level you think you are at, please contribute because the more information we have, the better!

So what do we actually want to know? Well, if you are a set designer, we need a list of anything and everything that you could ever want to search for (to get your project off the ground) in terms of categories. What are the most efficient categories of resources you use? You are able to search more specifically for things such as: pirate hat, green paint, hospital bed – but what categories would these things fall under? For example, we have had a consultant in the lighting area suggest: Lights, Accessories, Dimmers, Consoles, Cables, Expendibles, Other. Do you agree? Is there something we are missing?

Again, we need the information for Lighting, Set, Sound, Costumes and General Production (aka backstage headsets, music stands, chairs, printed materials, etc).

Please contribute in the comments section or by emailing megan@theaterconnects.com.

Thank you in advance for your contribution!

MJZ

“Breaking her silence about “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” the Broadway musical from which she was fired in March, Julie Taymor tacitly criticized her former producers on Saturday afternoon for relying on audience focus groups and said that the rise of Twitter and blogs for instant theater criticism was damaging to shows.” – New York Times

This is a very interesting study on the ideas from The Theater’s User Experience, about user testing art and theater. Does rapid public opinion hinder the ability to create? Could an artist truly create a great work with a slew of public opinion battering them everyday on every detail of what they were doing? Imagining…if this had happened to Picasso? In general, I don’t think that focus groups on any type of art are beneficial in the process of creation, but every artist (especially in theater) comes to a point where they can go no further and must bring in other viewpoints in order to hone and improve upon what they have done. This is their choice.

On the contrary, I am personally a huge fan of Facebook, Twitter and the blogosphere. This is the place where I find the best information, most relevant to me and often from unexpected and unofficial sources. I court of public opinion is both a harsh and interesting place in which to be judged. However, I can relate to this concept in terms of what Theater Connects is working to create; because I can guarantee that our first product won’t be perfect. But we will be ready and waiting to improve! I would not want the entire company to be judged on its first product in a” Yay or Nay” conclusion, yet I welcome the court of public opinion and social media to tell us how we can do it better.

In this particular case, do you think Spiderman was fairly judged? Or did they deserve to work and improve without critique?

MJZ

Unfortunately, the general audience does not necessarily look hard enough. There are a few shows every season and those which have been running forever that put the face on theater; for the rest of the country, and the world. But let me quote the great Neil Patrick Harris/Tony Award writers with:

“If you’ve seen a show, than you already know how magical theater can be!

It’s a two hour, live action, barely affordable, un-lipsynced version of Glee.

So this song goes out to the rest of you! Those who’ve never seen theater before,

because Broadway has never been broader, it’s not just for gays anymore!”

While this song can definitely bring in the ratings and probably has more truth to it than we would like to admit, the fact is that the people who create theater; from the playwright with the poison pen to the director with the Herculean vision, we are all different. Simple human difference dictate that the art created will reflect the people who are creating it and the MORE people who create theater and the more TYPES of people involved, the more theater becomes a universal concept with powerfully relevant material no matter who you are.

So I want to see the shows written by the playwright in Missouri with a wife and two kids or the vision of the director who spent their childhood at NASA (his parents were astronauts). Theater still suffers from the barrier of immediacy in this sense. Anybody can pick up a camera and shoot a film, submit to YouTube or Vimeo and all of sudden they are at Sundance. If someone writes a play and finds some people to put it up in Missouri, only the people in that one town ever gets to see it.

Now, I don’t have an answer. Not at all. But if there was a way, would it be better for theater to be made by and available to all? What if we got the price of Off-Broadway down to the price of a movie ticket? Solutions are never easy, but as my old friend Zelda says in her theater blog :

“Broadways is often called the Fabulous Invalid, because it’s always declared to be on the point of dying, and yet it still trucks on, dripping glitter where it goes. What is true is that live theater in New York, whether it be on Broadway, or Off, or Off Off, is getting more and more expensive, both to produce and to attend. It’s a hard-to-sustain beast, subsisting on love from the people still eking out their living doing it and the funds of people who love it too much (or who want to make large deductions come tax time, who knows) to know better. This is my world, these are my people, and if nothing else (and there is a lot else, but) I want to support this genre. I want to do my tiny little part to help fill seats for Broadway and Off and Off Off.” – A work unfinishing

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT!! and enjoy NPH and the Tony brilliance of 2011:

MJZ

So let’s backtrack. The debate began with Scott, a fellow Dogpatch Labs founder who is still waiting on the official launch of his product because he wants it to be ‘perfect.’ Scott ended up in a philosophical debate with Ajay Kulkarni currently of GroupMe. The theory is that you should release your “product” as soon as you have anything at all to show for it and get it into the user’s hands; their feedback and response to the basic function of the product will tell you 1) If the product is even useful or needed 2) How to improve upon the basic version and continue to iterate until you get to final version. It is about listening to the user vs. spending months creating a product that in your own mind is awesome, perfect and that everybody needs…but what if you are wrong, what if the thing in your mind doesn’t make sense to the general public? You could have figured this out 4-6 months ago, and either pivoted your concept or started to work on something new. This is time you will never get back. Anjay then had to leave (he’s got a real job), and the conversation turned to me, Scott and Andrew Rollins, Co-Founder of Localytics. Scott’s argument is that, in the early launch, where does the overall concept of the user experience fit in? i.e. because if you release the minimum you will not have put a ton of effort into the design or what we in technology call UX or User Experience (ease and clarity of using Facebook vs Myspace).

I argued that the user experience is defined BY the user through the minimum viable product, the early adopters are your test audience and they will tell you that ‘that menu is confusing‘ or ‘ why are taking me to this page? it is really annoying‘ or ‘i don’t understand how this works‘. The fact is you could end up with these same responses whether you release an MVP (minimum viable product) or a UX design that you worked on for months. Scott argued that plenty of great products have been invented and were not user tested…i.e. the telephone? I said, “yes that is true, but there were also probably tons of other products invented in the 19th century that we don’t even know about because someone made them, tried to sell them and nobody bought them. History is written by the winners man!”

The way this philosophical debate ended up in the art world is that Scott replied with the fact that artist’s don’t user test their work, they don’t paint an MVP and then see what people think before they finish it. An artist does not create for commercial viability. I agreed. It is VERY true that no artist makes work just for the public to accept, love and buy it. Yes, that is the goal and the way in which they will make their living doing what they love. But that is the reason why business and art are on two different ends of the spectrum. I seriously doubt any painter or artist is going to change their aesthetic because people don’t tend to ‘like it’ or ‘get it’. The artist creates based on inspiration, heart, talent and passion, it defines what they do.

So let’s bring it back to theater. Does the theater user test their products? I say yes. And no. If you go all the way up to Broadway, we do in theory at least try and user test our products. A Broadway show starts out as a series of workshops and readings, though these are rarely seen actively by the general public. It is almost like a web site in private beta or stealth. Then the big shows will do an out-of-town tryout which really is the closest thing to true MVP in the theater. The creative team then goes back and changes/iterates on the first version in order to take a better product to Broadway. Then, both on Broadway and Off, we have anywhere from 3 days to 4 weeks of preview performances, which also allows the creative team to judge audience reaction and make changes. All the way down to community theater, we always have a Dress Rehearsal. Now a Dress Rehearsal is more for the actor’s and crew than for the audience and the creative team is not likely to make significant changes based on user experience, if they do it is more likely based on what THEY saw once the show was up with costumes, lights and sound.

So what is so fascinating? I think the fact that Theater exists somewhere in between Fine Art and Business/Technology. You will never know if a song is going to work until it is sung in front of an audience and either elicits cheers, laugher, tears, applause…or a dull silence. Let’s just say, Spiderman….had NO out-of-town tryout.

MJZ

The Lily Awards were named for the great Lillian Helman, female playwright du’jour and were started because in 2010, although the Off-Broadway shows written by women counted for 40% of all productions, received glowing reviews and extended runs. NONE OF THOSE SHOWS WERE NOMINATED for a single award! A lot of people were making the jaw dropping faces of disapproval. So the founders of the Lily Awards decided that they weren’t just going to sit by, they were going to recognize the brilliant work of these women, all on their own! THIS year only 33% of shows were by women, a drop (thought not a terribly significant one – thank god), yet STILL the standard of all nominations is 1 in 5 that go to women [obviously we are omitting the categories specifically geared towards them i.e Best Actress]. The 1 in 5 number is consistent and it has never been more, no matter how many more shows were written by women and no matter how many more are received BRILLIANTLY. This. Is a little sad.

But last night was ANYTHING BUT sad — the Lily Awards celebration was a magnificent showing of support and community. Also the Lily Awards only have WINNERS, no nominees…there are no losers in the room. I don’t think there would be anyway, but by definition. Christopher Durang hosted the evening and asked that he be considered an “honorary woman” for the evening, to which all approved. What was also truly fantastic and speaks to the spirit of these awards is that each winner was presented their award by either a colleague, family member or apprentice. A lot of kind, loving and passionate words were spoken off script each and every time.

When Eric Bogosian presented the Directing award to his wife, Jo Bonney he described her (in so many words) as being a ‘Writer’s Director’, an ‘Actor’s Director’ and a ‘Designer’s Director.’ [now that IS one kick ass combination] But tied this together with the fact that “Theater is about community.” When Jo accepted her award she agreed with her husband’s comments and added “The more voices the better!” Tina Fallon, from The 24 hour Plays spent most of her time at the mike reminding all of us that it is a privilege to work with great people and to do great work: “And if you have to choose between giving up, working with great people, doing great work, or money. Always give up money.”

Theater IS one of the best communities I know, but the logistics and the opportunities within this community are flawed in many ways. Unfortunately, we have all just come to accept these flaw as just the way things are and see it as our job to suffer through or push our way around, under or away from them. It shouldn’t have to be this hard, just as it shouldn’t be true that only 1 in 5 nominated shows are written or directed by a woman. When a friend of Lynn Nottage was at her house for dinner, he recounted her comments on her “frustration with the way that theater is made.” There are countless frustrations when it comes to having a career in the theater and a lot of it feels beyond our control because it is too big to tackle alone. I agree. It IS too big to tackle alone, but that doesn’t mean that it cannot and should not get done!

To solve a frustration, an amazing group of playwrights founded the Lily Awards last year and this year we are founding Theater Connects. Honestly, our team was very inspired by the reaction to the project from some of the winners and some of the amazing Broadway professionals there to support them at the after party (no I won’t name names…but email me if you really want to know). They all expressed the wish that there had been an easier way when they were starting out, or even back when they were in high school; also attributing their successes to a great amount of luck. We hope to change that and create an online professional community that supports each other, makes more shows happen, makes better teams happen and fosters the collaboration that our industry is known for. Hopefully by next year’s Lily Awards everyone there will be on Theater Connects! [hey, that IS the plan]

To Women! To Theater! To Our Future.

MJZ

Where My Ladies At?

Award Recipients:

(I may slightly butcher the names of these awards, as they are not printed and were only said allowed by the presenter)

Susan Stroman Directing (Scottsboro Boys)

Kristin Linklater Lifetime Contribution to Theater (Vocal Coach)

Susan Hilferty Costume Design

Jo Bonney Directing (Vera Stark)

Lisa Kron Playwrighting….ETC!

Tina Fallon Producing (The 24 Hours Plays)

Elizabeth Marvel Acting

Lynn Nottage Distinguished Playwrighting

Lynn Ahrens Lyricist/Composer

Diana Grisanti The Up-And-Comer

Lynn Cohen Acting….ETC!

Rachel Hauck Set Design

Bathsheba Doran Playwrighting (Kin)

Lynne Meadow Lifetime Acheivement

Amy Herzog “I Told You So” Playwrighting

Ntozake Shange Lifetime Achievement

Sunday was a theatrical experience; one I am not likely to forget anytime soon. My experience of GOLIATH reminded me in full force the power of theater in certain circumstances and the range of experiences had by each individual audience member. Now, sometimes theater (and art in general) is just bad and the whole audience is bored and in pain; nothing is perfect, it happens. To be fair, I was a little bit afraid of what would happen here, poetry has a slightly more exponential ability to be dull when it is bad. Just like listening to actors read Shakespeare who also have no idea what they are actually talking about, which leaves you confused, and yes bored.

But Sunday was not one of those days, because for me, Megan Janel Zimmer, GOLIATH was a magical transcending powerful experience. If I must admit, I was actually in tears about 10 minutes into the play, all the while thinking to myself….”seriously Megan? It just started? And your already a basket case? What?!?” It was true. [So lucky for all of you there are still 4 more performances].

Now back on topic, the reason that this show affected me so much was that it held a very harsh, accurate and well-acted mirror up to the experiences of my own life and lives of those closest to me. I saw my mother, I saw my brother, I saw my father and I even saw me. The power of the theater is that you are not voyeuristically watching someone in another world experience a story (like in the movies), but you are GOING through that experience with that other human being who standing anywhere from 12 inches to 50 ft in front of you and unless you are made of stone it affects you the same way everything that happens to you or the people around you does on a daily basis. I cannot expect that every audience member had the same experience that I did, how could they? But the fact that a mirror was held up to nature, a mere 6 ft from my chair, had me praying I did not look like a raccoon when the lights came up.

I do not write reviews, but suffice it to say, GOLIATH was beautiful. The characters were real, while speaking in a poetic ensemble that made everything they said, more powerful. The set is also made of 3 milk crates and some paper. In the discussion period afterward, I had my turn to speak and the first thing that I said was “All I keep thinking is ‘I wish I could bring my family to see this.’ Because the words spoken by “the mother”, were quite close to verbatim the words my mother also said when her son was shipped off to war and the words that weren’t, were even more powerful because I knew in my heart that those were the things she was thinking.” (I believe this is the first time I cried) My father never spoke the way this “father” did, but he certainly expected my brother to grow up, man up and shed all weakness, insanely proud of him when he enlisted. Anyway, I could go on and on, but don’t have the space, nor do I want to give away the story.

Theater holds a mirror up to nature. When it does so for you, it is one of the most powerful things you can ever hope to experience. We are not all the same, but a mirror reflecting back at one, is a portal for the other.

Go see GOLIATH

And if not….just go see theater!

MJZ

One of the shows is written by the entire cast, so I have a feeling they will dominate these events for the rest of the season (rep wise). My function at said event was both as Theater Connects ambassador/brand rep and also as it turns out, simply as an alumni. The most interesting conversation all evening was with one of these years participants who asked me “What is it really like?? What advice would you give? What was the most surprising part?” I LOVE interesting questions.

However, the unfortunate answer to what was most surprising…was how expensive it was. At least for any show that I had any knowledge of or involvement with; the expense was astronomical and either the writers/team ended up in debt OR they are STILL paying it off to this day (shows were in October people). There are certain things that are covered by the festival that do cut your cost from a standard production, but you are STILL doing a NYMF level show and you have to make that happen. Unless you are already operating a well-oiled fund raising machine, you could be in for a uphill battle. This is not ALWAYS true, it was just what surprised me the most. The next thing that surprised me was that being in a small venue, is not necessarily a bad thing. Ticket sales are all about perception. If you are in an 80 seat house and selling out every night, that looks awesome!! You need more shows to do! If you are in a 200 seat house and selling 80-150 seats a night…you are never sold out, sometimes it looks as though you are only half full. Same amount of tickets, different perception. In NYMF, you want to be, look and seem popular. You also want be lucky enough to be part of the year’s unintentional THEME (as we were). See the below New York Times – Arts Section, Front Page Coverage of NYMF and the two shows highlighted: “Creating a Musical is the Best Revenge (or Catharsis)”. AND THAT is almost all the advice I have to give on surprising things…

Jay Alan Zimmerman's Incredibly Deaf Musical - Autobiographical Musical - New York Times Article

I Got Fired - Autobiographical Musical - New York Times Article

How much work it is going to be and how little sleep you are going to get…should not surprise you. It might surprise you to think back on how much sleep you have gotten in any given week, but you are probably not surprised as to why! In closing, BEST OF LUCK TO ALL THE NEW 2011 NYMF SHOWS!!! I wish I could work on one of them! [I have already had to turn ya'down twice] BUT THEATER CONNECTS IS ON THE MOVE!! Meaning I seriously need 40 or so hours in a day and single focused mind space if at all possible.

ALSO the great Market Research Plan of 2011 will conclude with the (tentative) THEATER CONNECTS DAY in July 2011. If anyone is interested in taking part in the execution of said Theater Connects Day email megan@theaterconnects.com, any connection will do!

MJZ