Congresswomen Update

The most recent things happening with our little theatre project include finalizations of our original script, the installment of mirrors, and laying out vinyl dance floor for our brand new dance studio and rehearsal space. I am helping the costume designer compile a list of all the items we need to acquire. Our director wants us to get back to him by the end of the week with our research on free and/or cheap inventory that we can rent or borrow from local theaters, our internship sites, or elsewhere.

Our show opens in about a month so I'm glad we are moving into an actual casting and rehearsal phase. We only meet once a week though, and because our director never made a syllabus for the class I have to ask the actors if they feel like showing up to rehearsals outside of our assigned class time. I feel like this process lacks structure but I don't have the authority to put it into place. The professor/director has that authority but chooses not to assert it because he feels that parameters and limitations are restrictive to the creative process. I still don't know how much money we have to play with but he's asking me to create a budget anyways. I guess it comes down to differences in philosophy. I take more of an outside-in approach to art whereas he's more of an inside-out creator. He doesn't want any maximums, caps, or roofs and I get the impression that his least favorite word in the whole world is No.

Sometimes I feel like I am in the dark. I never really know what he wants me to do because he'll tell me that he wants everything from here to the moon and back again, and it's hard to keep the whole thing grounded. I imagine that I will get better at guessing what he wants in the next couple weeks. One of the other students, who has worked with him in the past, has suggested that I learn how to frame things to make it sound like my idea is better. Or better yet, learn how to lead him into thinking that my idea is actually his idea and that it's brilliant because he's the one that thought of it.

I have a lot of respect for my director and I know that he is a great artist but certain aspects of my work feel a little bit like babysitting. The comparison to a child is not meant to belittle him but rather to emphasize his unbridled optimism and enthusiasm for his life's work.

He's told me repeatedly that it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission and I'm still trying to decide if that works for me.