One of the things that comes up often in conversations with, say, businesspeople, is the question of whether one is a “big picture” person or “detail-oriented.” And while I think it’s true that some people tend towards one or the other, I think the real trick for most of us is just knowing which kind of thinking is important when. In most areas, I am what is considered to be a “big picture” thinker. I tend to approach plans and problems with a view towards larger strategy. But as an artist—especially an interpretive artist—all the truth is in the detail. And this goes double as a teacher of young artists.
Nurturing your strengths, owning your weaknesses
One thing I wish I’d ever learned to do as a young student is to fully appreciate the value of both my strengths and my weaknesses as a performing artist. In fact, it’s quite clear to me now that I gave neither category its proper due. Like a character out of a George R. R. Martin novel, I viewed my greatest strength (singing) as a sort of birthright that required constant defense against interlopers (including my own, well-intentioned mother), and my weaknesses (acting, dance) as sources of deep, deep shame. As a result, I improved at none of them—at least not at any kind of useful pace—and it was only after my first (and only) college audition that I began to admit that perhaps I’d been doing myself a disservice.
[Read more…] about Nurturing your strengths, owning your weaknesses
Congratulations, Paul Loesel!
Bob & Jan pose with Paul at the Norma Terris Theater
“When letters begin to fall from a monument in town, government officials ban them one by one. Chaos ensues until a determined teenage girl rallies the community to fight for freedom of speech. This unique musical is part romance, part clever word game and part adult fable that reminds us of how precious our liberties are; how quickly unbridled extremism can take them from us; and how important it is to have the courage to stand up for what we believe. A captivating story you’ll n_v_r forg_t!”
Based on Mark Dunn’s novel, Ella Minnow Pea, with music by Paul and book/lyrics by Scott Burkell, LMNOP received its first production at University of Michigan and, later, a three-week Lab production in New York, ultimately leading them to this gorgeous production at Goodspeed’s Norma Terris Theater.
We were lucky enough to attend a performance in August, and were blown away by both Paul and Scott’s work and the work of the cast and creative staff.
For a taste of what you may have missed (and what we’ll hopefully all have a chance to see in its next incarnation!), check out this “Sizzle Reel” from Third Coast Creative:
Congratulations, Paul and Scott! Read more about their work at scottandpaul.com.
3 Things Thursday: Characterization & Emotional Truth
Originally published at Manga Bookshelf.
Though I rarely wax nostalgic over flame wars, I’ll admit that searching for the comment I quoted in yesterday’s “Soapbox” post led me to revisit the material that inspired it. I won’t reiterate the entire argument here, or even my entire premise, but here’s a brief excerpt that I think expresses quite well what my purpose is in experiencing and writing about fiction:
[Read more…] about 3 Things Thursday: Characterization & Emotional Truth
Dear Glee:
This is a reprint of a blog post originally published elsewhere on March 23, 2011
Dear Glee:
I don’t always watch you. I’ll admit that until last week’s episode, I hadn’t watched you all season.
There are several reasons for this, from the unevenness of your writing to the fact that I sometimes wish that your adult characters actually did not exist. Another, though, (and my father is about to collapse from shock) is your myopic musical selection.
I defended you in the beginning. While my dad, a lifelong arts educator, was lamenting the relentlessly pop-oriented vocals and shallow musicality so often a part of “show choir” sensibility, I argued that anything that got teenagers excited about singing was to be placed staunchly in the “good” column. Even your over-produced, auto-tuned, obviously-dubbed performances were well-designed to appeal to audiences unaccustomed to the messier aesthetics of live singing. As long as your message was getting kids into music and revitalizing their schools’ performing arts programs, you were definitely doing your part.
That was then, this is now.
Make Your Garden Grow
While driving to work one day recently, I decided on a whim to listen to some recordings of my college choir concerts (c. 1989). One of the programs included a couple of pieces from Leonard Bernstein’s Candide, arranged by our director, Dr. Robert Page. As the second of these pieces, “Make Our Garden Grow,” began, I felt tears welling up and I had to stop and marvel at that for a moment. The performance was far from perfect. The piece was being sung by both of the university’s choirs combined, which means that the skill level of the singers (both in technique and musicality) varied greatly. [Read more…] about Make Your Garden Grow