Collaborating Backstage: Breaking Barriers for the Creative Network 9781350072848, 9781350072831, 9781350073104, 9781350073081

Table of contents :
Cover page
Halftitle page
Title page
Copyright page
CONTENTS
ILLUSTRATIONS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION
1 CREATIVITY BACKSTAGE
What this Chapter is About
Creative Productions
Skills and Creativity
The Personal Bag of Experiences
Improving Personal Creativity
The Production’s Bag of Experiences
Improving Team Creativity
Creativity and Communication
2 THE SCENERY OF COOPERATION
What this Chapter is About
Uniqueness
Multiplying the Impact
Hierarchical and Egalitarian Structures
Department Line-ups
Job Profiles
Team Leaders
The Responsibility Pyramid
The Backstage Network Model
Avenues of Communication
Shortcut Communication?
3 INTERCULTURAL ALIGNMENT
What this Chapter is About
Recipes for Cultures
The “Family”
The Melting Pot of the Performing Arts
Regional and Social Cultures
Cultural Themes
Working with Culture Shocks
The Roots of Action
Differences and Similarities
Perception of Time
Language
“Stage Right”
Establish a Language, Create a Culture
4 IMPROVING CONDITIONS
What this Chapter is About
What We Can Learn from Chickens
The Optimal Team
Positivity
Keystones for Commitment
Physical Shape
Preparatory Research
Mind Our Own Business
Knowing Ourselves
Personal Requirements
Presenting Ourselves
Enabling Access
A Punchline Introduction
The Condition of Our Materials
Names
Body Language
Handshake Quality
Trust and Fear
Avoiding “No!”
Reading Routines
Breaking routines
Sense of Humor
Post-processing
5 THE CREATIVE EXCHANGE
What this Chapter is About
Freedom through Directions
The T-I-M-O Technique
Task
Intention
Match
Organize
Why and When?
Collaborating with the Audience
6 TOOLS AND TRICKS
What this Chapter is About
Ideology
Rehearsals and Setup
On the Road
7 SUMMARY
NOTES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX

Citation preview

COLLABORATING BACKSTAGE

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COLLABORATING BACKSTAGE Breaking Barriers for the Creative Network

TIMO NIERMANN

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METHUEN DRAMA Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square, London, WC 1B 3DP , UK 1385 Broadway, New York, NY 10018, USA BLOOMSBURY , METHUEN DRAMA and the Methuen Drama logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc First published in Great Britain 2019 Copyright © Timo Niermann, 2019 Timo Niermann has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as author of this work. For legal purposes, the Acknowledgments on pp. xi–xii constitute an extension of this copyright page Cover design: Felicitas Grabner Cover image © Roman Glaser All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc does not have any control over, or responsibility for, any third-party websites referred to or in this book. All internet addresses given in this book were correct at the time of going to press. The author and publisher regret any inconvenience caused if addresses have changed or sites have ceased to exist, but can accept no responsibility for any such changes. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Niermann, Timo, author. Title: Collaborating backstage : breaking down barriers for the creative network / Timo Niermann. Description: London; New York : Methuen Drama, [2019] | Series: Backstage | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Identifiers: LCCN 2018025823 (print) | LCCN 2018030087 (ebook) | ISBN 9781350073081 (epdf) | ISBN 9781350073098 (epub) | ISBN 9781350072848 (hb) | ISBN 9781350072831 (pb) | ISBN 9781350073098 (eBook) Subjects: LCSH : Theater—Production and direction—Handbooks, manuals, etc. Classification: LCC PN 2053 (ebook) | LCC PN 2053. N54 2019 (print) | DDC 792.02/32023—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018025823 ISBN :

HB : PB : ePDF : eBook:

978-1-350-07284-8 978-1-350-07283-1 978-1-350-07308-1 978-1-350-07309-8

Series: Backstage Typeset by RefineCatch Limited, Bungay, Suffolk To find out more about our authors and books visit www.bloomsbury.com and sign up for our newsletters. iv

CONTENTS

List of Illustrations ix Acknowledgments xi

Introduction

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1 Creativity Backstage

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What this Chapter is About 5 Creative Productions 5 Skills and Creativity 6 The Personal Bag of Experiences 9 Improving Personal Creativity 12 The Production’s Bag of Experiences 15 Improving Team Creativity 16 Creativity and Communication 19

2 The Scenery of Cooperation

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What this Chapter is About 23 Uniqueness 23 Multiplying the Impact 25 Hierarchical and Egalitarian Structures 27 Department Line-ups 29 Job Profiles 30 Team Leaders 32 The Responsibility Pyramid 33 The Backstage Network Model 36 Avenues of Communication 41 Shortcut Communication? 45

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CONTENTS

3 Intercultural Alignment

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What this Chapter is About 47 Recipes for Cultures 47 The “Family” 49 The Melting Pot of the Performing Arts 50 Regional and Social Cultures 51 Cultural Themes 53 Working with Culture Shocks 55 The Roots of Action 57 Differences and Similarities 60 Perception of Time 61 Language 64 “Stage Right” 65 Establish a Language, Create a Culture 68

4 Improving Conditions

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What this Chapter is About 73 What We Can Learn from Chickens 73 The Optimal Team 74 Positivity 76 Keystones for Commitment 77 Physical Shape 79 Preparatory Research 82 Mind Our Own Business 85 Knowing Ourselves 86 Personal Requirements 88 Presenting Ourselves 91 Enabling Access 92 A Punchline Introduction 93 The Condition of Our Materials 94 Names 95 Body Language 98 Handshake Quality 99 Trust and Fear 99 Avoiding “No!” 102 Reading Routines 104 Breaking Routines 106 Sense of Humor 109 Post-processing 111

CONTENTS

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5 The Creative Exchange

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What this Chapter is About 115 Freedom through Directions 115 The T-I-M-O Technique 117 Task 118 Intention 120 Match 125 Organize 131 Why and When? 135 Collaborating with the Audience 136

6 Tools and Tricks

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What this Chapter is About 139 Ideology 139 Rehearsals and Setup 144 On the Road 147 Picture Dictionary 152 Backstage Dictionary 156 Recommended Reading 169

7 Summary Notes 173 Bibliography 179 Index 185

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ILLUSTRATIONS

0.1

A production timeline.

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1.1

Skills and creativity.

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1.2

The personal bag of experiences.

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1.3

The learning curve.

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1.4

A production’s bag of experiences.

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1.5

Communication and creativity.

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2.1

Hierarchical and egalitarian structures.

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2.2

Main stage departments.

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2.3

The Responsibility Pyramid.

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2.4

Creation and implementation.

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2.5

The creative process and the Responsibility Pyramid.

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2.6

The Backstage Network Model.

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2.7

An event’s structure.

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2.8

A band’s structure.

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A theatre’s structure.

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2.10 Vertical exchange.

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2.11 Horizontal exchange.

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2.12 From dancer to tailor.

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2.13 Vertical to horizontal.

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2.14 Horizontal to vertical.

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3.1

The U-curve of cultural adjustment.

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3.2

The Onion of Culture.

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3.3

Differences and similarities.

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3.4

Monochronic vs. polychronic time.

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3.5

“Stage right.”

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3.6

Expanding similarities.

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ILLUSTRATIONS

4.1

Timeline of motivation.

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4.2

Timeline #1.

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4.3

Timeline #2.

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4.4

Research.

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4.5

Personal requirements.

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4.6

Learning names.

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4.7

Professional trust.

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5.1

The T-I-M-O technique.

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5.2

T-I-M-O : Intention.

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5.3

A choreographer’s collaborations.

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5.4

Mutual intention.

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5.5

T-I-M-O : Match.

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T-I-M-O : Organize.

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5.7

Urban Juliet.

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5.8

T-I-M-O : Summary.

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6.1

The Picture Dictionary.

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6.2

The Backstage Dictionary.

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All illustrations are created by the author. The following are based on other publications: Figure 1.4: The learning curve, originally presented by Hermann Ebbinghaus in 1885. Figure 3.1: The U-curve of cultural adjustment, originally presented by Sverre Lysgaard in 1955. Figure 3.2: The Onion of Culture, originally presented by Geert Hofstede in 1928. Figure 3.4: Monochronic vs. polychronic time, originally presented by Edward T. Hall and Mildreed Hall in 1990. Figure 4.7: Professional trust, based on the content published by Lou Dubois in 2010.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First of all, I would like to thank my parents, for supporting me in all the unconventional and often weird paths I’ve taken. Over the last twenty years, they haven’t once missed visiting me at a single contract, and they are two of the very few people that genuinely understand and appreciate my passion. Second, I am grateful to have my own family—my wife Viktoria, who is so full of love, energy, and faith, that I couldn’t imagine a better person to live my life with. And then, my two daughters, who make me laugh and cuddle them every day while also teaching me the real art of creative communication. This book’s content evolved through working and reflecting with many inspiring people. At the head of these stands Robin Witt. The two of us have come a long way—professionally as well as in our unbreakable friendship. The countries we traveled to, the things we achieved, and the moments we shared will remain forever. My regards also go to my good friend Stefan Kubalek, who is a perfect partner for elaborating creative topics. He represents a prime example of a spotless work attitude. Next, I would like to thank Damian McKinnon, who conscientiously and sensitively edited this book while also helping me to improve my writing. And Felicitas Grabner, my graphic designer, not only offered a vast amount of highly creative ideas, but also made this book as pretty as it is. I also thank Camilla Erskine from Bloomsbury who believed in this book from the very first second. Exchanging with her is such a pleasure! And last—but definitely not least—I want to thank you, the reader, for engaging with this book. I am both proud and glad that we get to share this vital topic of collaborating in the performing arts.

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INTRODUCTION Connecting the Arts The performing arts are an assembly of different disciplines and crafts, all of which need to align toward one, final product. This includes not only various ways of performing, such as singing, dancing, and acting, but also other essential crafts, like scenery, costumes, light, and sound. A highly diverse set of skills are required for a successful collective presentation. Each of these disciplines is only able to function as well as it is incorporated into the overall network. Collaborating becomes a highly important tool for every single person involved.

Creativity and Communication Most education and training programs, and colleges for theatre or stage productions, focus mainly on their specific craft, often leaving professionals unprepared for when they become part of a complex production network. Many people are not equipped to align their individual skills with those of others to make the most of everyone’s potential. It is the primary goal of this book to facilitate and optimize this overall exchange. I start by analyzing the balance between two factors—skills and creativity— that every job in the performing arts involves. The bag of experiences involves an individual’s potential to contribute to a production’s overall capacity. To enrich both personal and collective creativity, the book refers to the impact of honest curiosity and rapid skill acquisition, which, it follows, also help to improve specific communication within the team.

Perceiving Gateways and Establishing Connections Chapter 2 addresses finding one’s own position within the various structures or setups of stage productions. The Backstage Network Model presented here 1

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supports an understanding of the interrelationships among all departments and segments, whether in relation to classical opera, pop concerts, fashion shows, the circus, or any of the other performing arts. By perceiving structural parallels, you can construct your own, specific network to efficiently approach designated partners by utilizing appropriate avenues of communication. The diversity of work fields and crafts also includes a variety of cultural provenance. This arises not only from international influences but also from people’s individual backgrounds. For example, technicians generally tend to represent a different culture than dancers in terms of norms and values, use of language, sense of humor, dress codes, and more. To align people’s different approaches, Chapter  3 offers insight into individual cultural perceptions and establishing a mutual language.

Preparing for a Creative Exchange Chapter 4 seeks to facilitate making quick connections with other partners and work fields in everyday practical situations. This involves enabling personal access, reading colleagues’ workflows, and saving valuable energy for further creative tasks. Chapter 5 applies the preceding content in the T-I-M-O technique, which helps to efficiently prepare for a specific, creative collaboration. By following four steps based on the previous chapters, you learn to elaborate the Task, find a shared Intention, Match creative languages, and Organize the assembled material. Following Chapter 5, you will find additional advice, unwritten theatre rules, and tools such as the Backstage Dictionary, all of which will help to improve team communication throughout the creation and implementation of any stage production.

How to Use this Book The book builds upon specific insight that can then be used toward practical implementation. Besides tackling the content in its building structure, you might find it more appropriate to focus on specific aspects that support your current creative processes. If you are part of an ongoing production, I encourage you to dive into topics that assist you precisely in what your tasks are at the moment. To help with this, I created the following timeline (Figure 0.1). It is subdivided into the main sections of any stage production so that you can effortlessly find the most relevant topics for your specific situation. Once initiated, the classic table of contents as well as the index may still assist you to further investigate and utilize the remaining subjects and techniques. Please focus primarily on the way that quickens your interest the most, whether you read from A to Z or jump between puzzle pieces. Any way you choose to acquire the content will support you in becoming more skilled, more creative, and especially more capable of aligning with all valuable team partners.

INTRODUCTION

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A PRODUCTION’S TIMELINE The Personal Bag of Experiences .................... 9 Improving Personal Creativity ....................... 12 The Optimal Team ............... 74 Keystones for Commitment ................. 77

Physical Shape .................... 79 Preparatory Research .......... 82 Knowing Ourselves .............. 86 Personal Requirements ............... 88 Task....................................118 Focus on Good Clients .......139

BEGINNING OF PRODUCTION The Production’s Bag of Experiences .................. 15 Improving Team Creativity .... 16 Department Line-ups ........... 29 Job Profiles ......................... 30 The Responsibility Pyramid ........................ 33 Cultural Themes .................. 53 Establish a Language – Create a Culture ............ 68

Positivity .............................. 76 Freedom Through Directions.....................115 Intention .............................120 Organize .............................131 Why and When? .................135 Embrace Plateaus ..............140 Working with Little ..............142 The Importance of Try-out Fields ...............144

Creativity and Communication ............ 19 Avenues of Communication . 40 Spare Energy ....................... 75 Positivity .............................. 76 Enabling Access .................. 92 Names................................. 95 Trust and Fear ..................... 99 Avoiding No ........................102

Reading Routines ...............104 Match .................................125 Multiple Levels of Competence ................141 Don’t judge People by Their Professional Level ........142 Sit Down ............................145 Other People’s Props ..........146 Fighting Jetlag ....................147

The “Family” ........................ 49 Working with Culture Shocks ......................... 55 Breaking Routines ..............106 Sense of Humor .................109

Collaborating with the Audience .....................136 Fake Friends .......................143 Noise Reduction .................148 Nearby Accommodation .....148

END OF PRODUCTION

Post-processing ................111

Figure 0.1 A production timeline.

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1 CREATIVITY BACKSTAGE What this Chapter is About In every stage production, there are creative processes that innately require cooperation. This applies to all team members who bring their expertise to a production. The final performance is based on both the interplay of established skills and innovative adaptability. These two elements form the basis of every team member’s “bag of experience,”1 a term used to describe one’s personal repertoire of building blocks that can be accessed and combined to aid a new creation. On a larger scale, every stage production also possesses a big bag of experiences in the form of its departments and individual members. The more variety that exists in this “bag,” the more fruitful the team’s work might be. This first chapter presents theories to enhance personal as well as team productivity.

Creative Productions Whether stage productions strive to generate stunning images, humorous stories, or intellectually challenging theories, they always seek to include new aspects. Each stage production aims for an unseen look or a groundbreaking perspective to create its own place in the landscape of presentations. Therefore, the performing arts are usually associated with creativity—they are perceived as an innovative genre. This definition, however, does not apply to all people working in the field. While directors and designers are part of the so-called “creative team,” other job profiles such as stage manager and technician seem limited in their creativity. They are mostly seen as executive roles, which do not provide input to the creative development of a performance. However, this distinction is not entirely accurate—individuals fulfilling such job profiles possess highly creative potential, too, even if they are not involved in contriving and planning a new show. I dedicate this first chapter to demonstrating that everyone working backstage delivers essential input for the overall creative process. Over the next few sections, I analyze in detail what it means to work “creatively” and how all the different work areas embody innovative as well as non-creative aspects. 5

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The knowledge offered in this book provides a small glimpse into the extensive material about creativity. It aims to supports a general insight of how creative processes can be enhanced to develop practical tools for working in stage productions later on. The first step toward a better understanding is to perceive the interplay of people’s skills and their creative potential.

Skills and Creativity In any creative process, an innovative product or action comes into being through original approaches or new ideas. According to author Linda Naimann, a central aspect is the moment of novelty as well as its direct implementation.2 A non-creative activity, on the other hand, is usually connected to repetition, regular recurrence, and tradition. Any repeated work such as sorting out and filing away documents is associated with a standard pattern and therefore the opposite of creativity (see Table 1.1).

EXAMPLE 1.1 At the age of 19, I went backpacking in South East Asia with Robin, my friend and performance partner. One night, we crossed the border from Thailand to Malaysia and ended up in a little town called Kota Bharu. We couldn’t find a hostel in which to stay overnight, but we noticed that a vibrant night market was about to open. Since we had to catch a shuttle boat early next morning, we decided to just stay up and kill time by wandering around the colorful stalls. Here, I happened to watch one of the best performances I ever remember. There was an old Malaysian man who prepared pancakes. The way he poured the dough into his pan, how he cut the bananas and sprinkled peanuts while joking with his customers was so hilarious, that we didn’t want to miss a moment of the captivating, comic entertainment. The longer we stayed, the more we saw his tricks repeated. The pancake man had developed a handful of skills that he could bring to bear according to the situation. He combined his artistic gimmicks with a few standard jokes—just enough material to entertain his clients during the time they waited in line. With the next customers, he would start all over again. The interplay of his well-established repertoire and its flexible adaptation made this performance unforgettable.

CREATIVITY BACKSTAGE

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Table 1.1 Creative vs. non-creative actions Creative actions ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

innovative new constructive original visionary inventive ingenious

Non-creative actions ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

routine pattern tradition ritual repetition automated old

When creative people develop an original and innovative idea, they always utilize repetitive patterns. They need established routines that can be used for alternation. Psychologist and author of Flow Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi argues: “Creativity involves changing a way of doing things, or a way of thinking and that, in turn, requires having mastered the old ways of doing or thinking.”3 The Malaysian pancake master owned a repertoire of standard tricks. Similarly, ballet dancers and acrobats practice the exact same movements year after year. And a light designer uses established techniques for every scene he or she creates. All these routines form people’s basis for being creative. Whether choosing the most appropriate joke while preparing pancakes, developing a stage character, or deciding how to combine lamps and colors to create new images—looking again at Table 1.1, creativity always combines both the creative and non-creative. Csikszentmihalyi continues: “A musician must learn musical tradition, the notation system, the way instruments are played before she can think of writing a new song.”4 With no technique, there is nothing to innovate with, and without any new ideas, someone’s performance is unlikely to be inventive. As both the creative and non-creative are equally valuable for each job, from now on, I refer to the latter as “skills” rather than using the negative allusion “non-creative actions.” We can picture the symbiosis of skills and creativity as strong roots supporting playful leaves. The balance of these two components is not set: in some cases, a well-developed trunk carries a few blossoms; in other cases, the roots are thin and delicate but support an enormous crown. The more each part is established, the more impressive the overall craft or product will turn out. Figure 1.1 presents the balance of skills and creativity. Focusing mostly on skills makes your craft highly technical and competitive. Aiming for uniqueness and novelty results in an artistic direction. A flawless combination of the two aspects provides the most grounded but flexible expertise for the conditions and circumstances of the performing arts. Each department or job profile stands for a particular craft. To be able to perform their job, people have learned and developed their personal skills. These

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Figure 1.1 Skills and creativity.

routines need to be adapted and adjusted for professional use. Most stage productions experience continuous change and adaptation—a new location of a tour, a combined setup, a changeover of cast members, or a new reading of an old script. All these situations make teams compromise, collaborate, and innovate. Everyone needs to work creatively to fit the given requirements. This applies equally to job profiles that typically are not associated with creativity, such as stage managers, riggers, and carpenters. Just as much as directors and designers, all other team members need to find inventive solutions for dealing with challenges as they occur. This makes every person on the site creative in their own way. The routine of a sound technician likely includes a particular console, setting up microphones, and patching channels. The creative part could be shaping the desired sound image. A costume designer utilizes creativity when coming up with new outfit solutions, but also needs specific knowledge about sewing, stitching, coloring, and exclusive fabrics to make the prototypes attainable.

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EXAMPLE 1.2 For a Las Vegas-themed show, we used about 120 playing cards that, by the end of the performance, were spread out all over the stage. Lying flat on the floor the cards had become very slippery, and we couldn’t risk anyone getting injured in the final choreography. Our stagehand apprentice had a window of just 30 seconds to clear the whole stage during scene transitions before the next section of the show commenced. Throughout a number of rehearsals, he tried several different ways of retrieving the cards quickly enough, but on average it took him five times as long to gather them up. At the next rehearsal, he began using a broom, but rather than sliding away, the cards seemed to stick flat to the stage floor. After many attempts—all of which failed miserably—he suddenly flipped the broom 180 degrees and pushed at a few cards. It seemed to work! The bristles—now parallel to the floor—were able to “unstick” the cards. He combined this new technique with an efficient way to push all the cards upstage and swipe them collectively into the wings. After that he always finished well before time and the problem was solved.

Stagehands often follow a fixed pattern, but there will always be circumstances in which inventive solutions will be required. This principle applies to every job profile or position within a stage production’s network. All members need equally to use their learned skills as well as their ability to adapt and invent.

The Personal Bag of Experiences In comparing different stage productions, there will always be parallels between the multiple types of performances, independent of how much they may also vary. There is no presentation, show, or even art form that creates something entirely new. Every production is influenced by earlier installations.

There is no presentation, show, or even art form, that creates something entirely new.

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Every technique builds on previous ones or, as influential pro-surfer Laird Hamilton states, “There are no new ideas, just new applications of old ideas.”5 In the performing arts, many people argue about copying performances, snitching ideas, and who came up with which original concept. Artists accuse or even sue one another for infringing copyright. Although this might be justified in some cases, there is a fine line between stealing concepts and seeking inspiration. Finding an adequate balance between the two is deeply rooted in the process of creativity, as innovative outcomes are always based on the accumulation of earlier impressions and experiences. Researchers Edward Necka and Teresa Hlawacz compared bankers with artists and found in the latter group, “a tendency to initiate numerous activities that lead to, or provoke, rich external stimulation. This richness of input creates a corresponding richness of output, as folks who score high on activity tend to have many diverse experiences that may be used as a substrate for divergent thinking and creative activity.”6 Every experience in our life leaves an impression on us. It forms the way we think and becomes a building block for our personal creativity. It influences the way we approach new tasks. In 1982, a 26-year-old Steve Jobs made a speech after receiving an award from the Academy of Achievements. There, he used the term “bag of experiences,”7 which serves as a metaphor for the idea that to work creatively, you need multiple, highly divergent experiences. Everything that we have seen, lived, or consumed in our lives ends up in this bag of experiences—our personal pool of creativity. When we are working on new, innovative projects, the gathered components become our box of tools to work with (Figure 1.2).

Everything that we have seen, lived, or consumed in our lives ends up in this bag of experiences— our personal pool of creativity.

To enhance our creative outcome, Steve Jobs promoted seeking very distant influences, in addition to those that already surround us. This might involve “being a poet for a few years, traveling to a third world country, or falling in love with two people at once.”8 These mixed impressions offer a greater “variety of experiences . . . to draw upon in order to try to solve a problem or attack a particular dilemma in a kind of unique way.”9 If we live predominantly in one set of surroundings—show business, for example—we gain our central repertoire

CREATIVITY BACKSTAGE

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Figure 1.2 The personal bag of experiences.

from this background. We absorb what we see and are inspired by existing performances to create new ones. The more we remain in this one particular niche, the more of the same components will recur in somewhat similar performances. Uniqueness, on the other hand, arises when we combine very distant building blocks.

Uniqueness arises when we combine very distant building blocks.

Hip-hop dance combined with classical ballet may seem like a highly contrasting combination. The performance presents a crossover of genres and could be seen as a creative invention, but the array remains within the areas of “performance.” It combines different “styles of dance.” If you want to further

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increase the creative potential, the choreography may need to be combined with something that exists far from its normal setting. If, for example, “dance” meets “household objects” or “cleaning devices,” the creative process becomes indeed more challenging but at the same time also more unique. The directors of Stomp10 have done exactly this and combined different styles of movement with broomsticks and garbage cans. Countless sold-out shows point to their high profile of creativity. It is the combination of two (or more) distant components that makes this performance so unique. Creativity comes from the Latin creare, which primarily means “to invent” or “produce something,” but it also means “to elect” or to choose from an existing repertoire.11 In Greek mythology, the Earth didn’t originate from nothing, but from an already present chaos. The random elements were organized for the world to be “created.” Innovative products are not something entirely new. They arise from an existing repertoire—the bag of experiences.

Improving Personal Creativity To fill the bag of experiences, creativity demands an overall interested and receptive mindset. In the so-called “Big Five” studies,12 researchers analyzed people’s character traits and found that creative people have a general openness to experiences. Inventive personalities like to put themselves into new situations to try to understand the world better. They desire to find new approaches. “Researchers have also found that creative people are exceptionally curious . . . In order to search out new answers, creative people must ask questions that others overlook.”13

Researchers have also found that creative people are exceptionally curious.

Like treasure hunters, creative individuals are constantly seeking new things to discover and naturally enjoy adding more building blocks to their bags. A curious mindset of collecting and developing forms their creative personality as well as their complex thinking. Best-selling author and entrepreneur Tim Ferriss adds: “The best way to get the most out of yourself, to give the most to the world, is to become a world-class learner.”14 Acquiring new skills is often seen as a long and strenuous activity that requires intense dedication. This image is often underlined with the so-called “10,000hour rule,” proposed by Malcolm Gladwell in his book The Outliers.15 He says

CREATIVITY BACKSTAGE

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that to master a skill takes at least this amount of practice—independent of whether these hours are put in over a few months only or over an extended period. Based on this information, many of us are likely to give up learning new things before we even get started, but, on closer inspection, the 10,000-hour rule applies only to becoming a master of specific skills. The research conducted has been done on experts in their field, not on the average person expanding their horizons. When we gather new components for our bag of experiences, it is best not to seek immediate perfection. We sketch a vague stage draft, play a few chords on the guitar, or learn to communicate through a different language. The primary intention is rarely to become a master but simply to absorb new influences. In this context, Josh Kaufmann presented another, more encouraging, theory called the “20-hour rule.” It is based on the learning curve shown in Figure 1.3, which demonstrates the decreasing progress of skill acquisition across the different learning phases. The better we become at a skill, the harder it is to improve further—our learning slows down, while the effort needed to achieve the same amount of progress is multiplied several times. This underlines why it takes individuals at least 10,000 hours to become specialists in their fields: the final steps toward expertise demand a vast amount of dedication.

Figure 1.3 The learning curve.16

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The learning curve also shows that the first improvements are seen relatively quickly. When beginning to learn new things, we achieve much in view of the effort invested. After dedicating only 20 hours to a new skill, we can reach a respectable level.

The major barrier to skill acquisition isn’t intellectual. It’s emotional.

Regarding this information, there is another aspect that keeps us from acquiring new capabilities: our own fear of embarrassment. Josh Kaufman says: “The major barrier to skill acquisition isn’t intellectual. It’s emotional.”17 At the beginning of every learning process, we find ourselves “grossly incompetent and knowing it.”18 We feel uncomfortable and therefore try to avoid such situations. We tend to circumvent unfamiliar experiences, thus limiting our creativity. To avoid this, we need to break through our first emotional obstacles—often referred to as our “comfort zone.” Overcoming our emotional barriers not only helps us quickly become fairly good at something, it also allows new skills to be added to our creative repertoire at the expense of relatively little effort. Embracing a “growth mindset”19 by being generally interested and curious has multiple benefits that are not always visible at first. The values of some building blocks will only reveal themselves later or in a different way than expected. Holding a scuba diving license, being interested in Vietnamese cuisine, or having a passion for playing ping-pong might all seem unlikely ways of improving our ability to stage a production, but each might provide a key connection to particular colleagues. This mutual ground also helps partners to pursue work-related issues further. And by taking Spanish classes, for example, we might also learn about associated cultural topics such as Cuban history, Argentinian traditions, or Catalan specialties. This may deliver valuable background knowledge if you ever work in South America or Spain, or are involved in a production of Zorro or Carmen. Curiosity is a general attitude that leads to greater flexibility and creativity in our lives—even if sometimes not immediately perceivable as such. Creativity specialist Gail McMeekin states, “It takes courage to follow your fascinations, wherever they may lead. Creativity demands that you trust and stay on the path, despite any obstacles. The good news is that you can.”20

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TIPS FOR LEARNING FAST 1

Deconstruct the skill: dissect and analyze to determine what is really important.

2

Learn enough to self-correct: be independent of other people.

3

Remove practice barriers: eliminate excuses to postpone or cancel a session—facilitate an easy approach.

4

Devote at least 20 hours . . . to overcome the first major obstacles.

The Production’s Bag of Experiences All members of a stage production have their personal, unique background and knowledge. Whatever people experience throughout their lives shapes the way they work—it helps them to develop particular skills and routines. When the different personalities on a team collaborate, they share these personal approaches with those of others. Everyone contributes to the overall creative potential. The production as a whole draws upon the diverse inputs of the individual team members. Every member of every department becomes a building block for the “production’s bag of experiences.” Just like an individual’s personal repertoire, the unevenness of components here decides the extent of the creative potential. The more dissimilar the inputs that are available, the more options there will be for creating something unique. A lack of group diversity, in contrast, will stifle creativity.21 In the performing arts, this elementary divergence is in part assembled through the various departments—wardrobe, scenery, props, music, stage technology, special effects, etc. When profoundly different inputs flow into one united performance, it naturally becomes more colorful than focusing on one or two aspects alone. But primarily the variety is created by the diversity of individuals within these units. Every member comes from a different cultural background. People develop their own personal attitude, sense of humor, use of language, professional knowledge, and more—which might essentially be defined as culture. Seeking access to the overall creative potential, therefore, involves stepping into an intercultural dialogue, aligning different expertises, and establishing a way to communicate with other people. The more varied the attitudes that collide and combine, the greater the team’s overall creativity in the form of the “bag of bags.”

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Figure 1.4 A production’s bag of experiences.

Improving Team Creativity Earlier in this chapter, we spoke about the synergy of skills and creativity. Of these two aspects, skills are much easier to define than creative impulses. While someone’s technical capabilities can be written down and discussed, their creative potential is more difficult to discern. People’s various ideas are often difficult to access or to take into consideration. According to actress and director Jada Pinkett Smith, a hugely varied input can become quite overwhelming or challenging to collect and filter.22 However, the original approach of each team member is an essential part of the production’s potential, and it is crucial to find a way of integrating everyone’s creativity—just as much as their skills. Through a mutually supportive attitude, people can contribute their ideas and allow everyone to benefit from one another. In this context, I would like to quote

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Richard Tirendi: “If you are the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.”23 Exchanges with other departments provide the greatest opportunity to improve and expand a team’s possibilities. In the performing arts, the skills of a dancer are very different to those of a technician, a designer, or a carpenter. We surround ourselves with endless experts of often unknown crafts. By gaining insight into their experiences and learning from one another, the overall creativity of the team will be raised. This book deals with the opportunities to trigger a personal and professional exchange. Here I would like to offer one particular technique for reaching out to a team’s input that I learned from creative coach Mario Pricken.24 It was initially developed for the field of marketing, but lends itself perfectly to the creative processes of stage productions. It has aided me for years in my professional work and the way I look for new ideas. In an interview, Mario explained the four steps involved in the technique:25

THE FOUR STEPS 1

The Target: The start is an explicit instruction, the goal for the collaboration. This needs to be a short, but detailed question that leads into the creative process. For example: “How can a full-sized truck appear on stage within 30 seconds?,” “What makes a 400-person audience sing the song ‘Frère Jacques’ as a canon?,” or “Which performance can represent the 20 greatest Italian inventions of the last 400 years within five minutes?”

2

Dinner with Friends: A small group of people are invited for an evening of creative brainstorming. They should come from highly diverse backgrounds, for example, one professional artist, a good friend, your 95-year-old grandma, your pubescent nephew. In relaxed surroundings, snacks and drinks are served until everyone feels at ease. Then the target line is presented. For the next hour, every idea offered is accepted. An individual not part of the group writes everything down. The craziest suggestion wins.

3

The Next Morning: The third phase occurs the following day when the meeting still feels recent, but you have had a chance to gain some distance. The many ideas listed are narrowed down to three or four potential solutions. Maybe another idea arises from those offered previously.

4

In the Office: The last step happens in the office, where you begin to realize the best possible option. “Grandma’s idea” gets turned into a professional project.

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In our real working lives, we don’t usually have the time to invite our friends around to take part in a creative session! We need to come up with ideas on the spot. Mario Pricken’s system works just as well here, even if in a more condensed form. Below is an example of how this technique can be applied within just a few minutes during an urgent situation.

EXAMPLE 1.3 A touring production arrives at a new location, and the scenery is too high for the set. A few trusted colleagues are gathered to ask for their ideas. The Target “How can we set up the existing scenery at this particular venue in the next 4 hours before doors open?” Dinner with Friends One colleague’s idea is to take out the theatre’s stage and perform at floor level. Another suggests cutting a hole in the roof. A third has the idea to angle all of the scenery. The fourth suggests performing the show without a backdrop. The Next Morning “Cutting a hole in the roof,” although the most unrealistic option, leads the team to two new possibilities: removing a few trusses in the ceiling or cutting a piece off the stage set. In the Office The team uses a cherry picker to inspect the rig and, after consulting the carpenter, decides to remove the top portion of the scenery.

Besides a clear direction, complete openness to other people’s ideas is required. Curiosity is kept separate from judging or selecting. Only after reviewing all options can one start to filter the individual components and begin to realize the project at hand. The most important thing to remember in this technique is not to confuse the single steps. By trying to be too realistic too soon, creativity will be hampered. In turn, by continuously adding new components, the original idea may become clouded, or the project never finished. The phases need to remain separate to allow openness and goal-orientated realization to interweave without disturbance.

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Creativity and Communication Developing advanced skills or becoming a top performer at a particular craft takes dedication, focus, and also a certain degree of non-compromise. Much time, effort, and observance need to be put in without letting anything detract from this. If, for example, you wish to become a high-profile drummer, you need to channel your energy into practice and not be sidetracked by other projects or ideas. Becoming highly skilled at something thus means compromising on personal diversity. Scientist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi says: “As cultures evolve, it becomes increasingly difficult to master more than one domain of knowledge . . . sometime after Leonardo da Vinci it became impossible to learn enough about all of the arts and the sciences to be an expert in more than a small fraction of them. Domains have split into subdomains . . . Therefore, it follows that as culture evolves, specialized knowledge will be favorized over generalized knowledge.”26 To master a particular skill, you need to thoroughly evaluate the importance of every outside subject and appraise whether it is worth dividing your attention. Csikszentmihalyi sees this as one reason why artists often seem weird or distant: they learn to focus their attention on a few areas only: “the demands of their role inevitably push them toward specialization and selfishness. Of the many paradoxes of creativity, this is perhaps the most difficult to avoid.”27 The more cultural fragmentation there is when individuals are highly focused on their own area of expertise, the more a team relies on collaboration. All the individual peak performances need to be brought together like creative building blocks. This can only happen through a productive exchange of interpersonal communication. Creativity coach Sharon Good notes: “Communication is probably not something you would instantly equate with creativity. It’s something that we do throughout our lives, but often don’t give much thought to how we’re doing it. But communication is a skill (and perhaps an art), and like any other skill, we can improve upon it. With better communication, we can enhance our relationships, both personal and business. And since just about everything in life is based on relationships, the impact of improved communication can be far-reaching.”28 Collaboration means building on the capability to find new solutions, combine components, and continuously adapt. In this sense, communication demands the same creative attitude as designing a costume or composing a song—since there is no one solution for every situation, a broad repertoire of experiences supports flexibility and exploring the unknown. When we meet someone that we wish to greet, we each possess a bag of experiences or tools to select from. This could be a handshake, a hug, a kiss on the cheek, saying “hello!,” smiling, waving our hand, or something else. Depending on the circumstances and who the other person is, we choose one

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Figure 1.5 Communication and creativity.

of these “components” or combine two or more as appropriate. This might result in adding a body check to a handshake, performing a high-five, or adding a little bow when smiling. The more options we have in store, the better we can accommodate diverse individuals and their personal cultures. Hopefully, we manage to find a solution that feels comfortable to both. While good communication is based firmly on creativity, a favorable exchange also raises the potential for innovation—the two begin to work hand in hand: The more creatively we collaborate, the more we support our creativity, which again improves communication, and so on. The numerous books and theories on the vast topic of “communication” frequently promote the importance of the skill of active listening.29 This means paying close attention to our partners and really trying to understand their point of view. If we further compare creativity and communication, finding out about another person’s approach by actively listening equates to curiosity. Embracing an attentive attitude offers access to new building blocks that might not yet be part of our repertoire. Appreciation of someone else’s opinion enriches both our communication and our creativity.

Appreciation of someone else’s opinion enriches both our communication and our creativity.

Being curious in a professional way, therefore, functions as a key trait for aligning different skills and raising everyone’s creative potential. The better we listen to our partners, the more we understand their expert background, specific workflows, and personal approach to the project. This may help avoid wasting time, money, and energy as in the example below.

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EXAMPLE 1.4 In 2012, a prestigious dinner show in Vienna ordered a vast set of costumes for the members of the cast. After everyone had been measured for their outfit, the costume designer spent several weeks producing the suits and dresses before sending them to the production. Upon unpacking the costumes, however, it became apparent that they were not suitable for the show. The designs didn’t correspond with the director’s idea. Since the material had already been tailored and paid for, the team decided to hang the costumes backstage and place a new order. Thousands of euros, weeks of work, and the creative potential of both the designer and the director ended up visibly stapled to the wall!

For a successful collaboration, all departments need to develop a unique way of communicating internally. The harnessing of different expertise can only occur when all partners help to create a shared language for cross-cultural exchange. This dialogue is shaped by curiosity and careful listening, as well as providing the best input. To make a stage production a smooth and fruitful experience requires that everyone be creative. The first step toward this goal is understanding who is involved in the overall process and what the particular line-up of contributors looks like. These structures will be analyzed in the next chapter, “The Scenery of Cooperation.”

KEY THINGS TO REMEMBER ●

All job profiles in the performing arts are shaped by the interplay of skills and creativity.

●

Curiosity results in acquiring new capabilities, assembling fresh input, and thus building a more rich and varied “bag of experiences”—a pool for later creativity.

●

Bringing together people’s various skills and creative input is based on the quality of their communication. Creativity provides for fruitful exchange, which then supports innovation.

22

2 THE SCENERY OF COOPERATION What this Chapter is About To improve the cooperation highlighted in Chapter  1, we now analyze the real scene of collaboration—a production’s network. In the course of this analysis, you will learn to understand various hierarchical and egalitarian structures, which become the foundation for team communication. This covers all genres of the performing arts, including opera, drama, circus, musical theatre, fashion shows, corporate events, and so on. In the next step, specific job profiles are defined and summarized in the various departments. Specific departments such as sound, light, scenery, costumes, stage technology, etc. then come together to form a production’s unique network. This chapter presents the “Backstage Network Model” to determine designated ways of communicating. Once this general model is applied to a specific production, the reader will begin to recognize the best possible means of exchange within an actual team.

Uniqueness The ancient Greek Dionysia is one of the oldest documented performances. It was held once a year to give people a chance to process current social and political topics through entertainment. Author Joe Goldblatt states that the festival was greatly anticipated: it was a special occasion for everyone to celebrate together, and functioned as an escape from daily routine.1 This principle still holds in the performances of today: whether people go to a theatre, a circus, or a concert, they are actively getting away from their daily routine in search of the experience of something unique.

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EXAMPLE 2.1 In December 2014, we attended the annual Feria Nacional de Xmatkuil near Merida, Mexico. This state-run festivity cultivates a beautiful tradition: each year, one show gets to perform for the inmates of the federal prison. That year, our production was elected and soon we found ourselves driving a pickup truck through the gates of a high-security institution, surrounded by barbwire and concrete walls. Our backstage area was the inmates’ basketball court, decorated with colorful graffiti. Peeking through the little windows we saw our literally captive audience taking their seats. Some prisoners’ eyes were empty, others wide open, and some carried a tattooed tear underneath. I was getting nervous about the situation: what if a gang member decided to turn this opportunity to their advantage? It turned out that everyone did—but in a positive way! The inmates’ eyes were suddenly shining with innocent wonderment as if they were children again, reduced to laughter and cheering in the delight of losing themselves for a short time in the show. The performance created a special day both in the life of the inmates and of the actors, and it was anything but normal. Everyone shared this special experience, which came nowhere close to being dangerous. That particular night, everyone went to bed with rare images in their minds.

Over the past decades, there has been an explosion in the number of special events on offer. Winfried Gebhardt speaks of an “accelerating eventing of the festivity landscape.”2 There has been a sharp rise in the number of amusement parks, nightclubs, and touring shows. Bachelor parties, birthday parties, and anniversaries are adorned with entertainment. Political events and business presentations are turned into show performances. Themes, costumes, scenery, show acts, and special effects are a part of many festivities today in the hope of making them unique celebrations. Events have become a “central type of behavior,”3 through which most people experience special moments on a regular basis: another business event, another theatre performance, another large birthday party. The sheer quantity of such entertainment means it is easy for a performance to lose its impact. Unlike waiting for traveling buskers to come to town or the annual carnival to arrive, we are now flooded with entertainment.

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EXAMPLE 2.2 In 2005, I traveled with a big team from Vienna to Dubai for a high-profile side event of the horse racing World Cup. We took a lot of equipment with us: costumes, stage decoration, and special effects. Money was widely available in the Emirates at that time, so we got well paid to create our performance. Rehearsals took place near the famous Burj al Arab on a hi-tech stage with massive LED screens. After many days of hard work, we managed to sync the physical performance with our video projections, lasers and fireworks, and felt both well prepared and excited to finally present the grand spectacle to an audience. For the evening of the show, we had invited a potential future agent from Australia. She told me later that while she was standing in the audience she felt like a girl on Christmas Eve. Halfway through the show she couldn’t help jumping up and down to the music. While continuously having goosebumps she turned to a local audience member and asked, “Isn’t this incredible? I’ve never seen anything like this!” The man looked at her devoid of emotion, rolled his eyes, and replied: “This is the same stuff we see here all the time.”

Multiplying the Impact When people are saturated with “special events,” the only way to stand out is to become even more unique. Instead of reducing the number of performances, most productions focus on making the festivities even more creative. To incorporate new elements into the performances, they look to introduce new inputs: circus artists appear in operatic productions, violinists perform in techno clubs, and fashion designers make theater costumes. Business events are treated to theatrical scripts, while public speeches resemble stand-up comedy performances. Every branch incorporates the elements of other branches. According to scientist Hubert Knoblauch, many productions turn into “orchestrations of media, not expressions of a single medium.”4 This has occurred to a large extent because of the people involved in these various productions. Performers, technicians, and designers don’t work in a single niche area. One day they are operating a touring show, at other times a wedding, a ball, or a sports gala. Every assignment adds new components to their personal repertoire, which then can be used to enrich other productions. Their experiences are transferred from one field to another.

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To keep up with the overall evolving requirements, team members not only have to improve their own specific skills, they have to branch out: catwalk models are asked to dance, composers simultaneously become audio technicians, set designers need to understand aspects of stage machinery, acrobats are required to become actors, and so on. The range of skills and challenges is always expanding due to the variety of incorporated elements. “Only a few years ago, the lighting designer was an electrician; today, he or she is an artist with a palette of gel for color and a wide range of instruments and lamps, providing a key ingredient of many special events.”5 Before these props and skills can be transferred from one genre to another, they need to be adapted to the new surroundings.

EXAMPLE 2.3 For decades, light design in the performing arts was marked by physically positioning lamps according to the requirements of the performance. This demanded an extensive period of rehearsal, as the brightness of traditional lights could only be controlled by the light operator. This crucial setup time is not always available at touring concerts or gala events. Around the 1990s, the invention and distribution of intelligent lights revolutionized the use of stage lighting outside traditional theatres: motorized scanners and moving heads allowed engineers to re-position beams from their console within seconds—and even during a performance. The downside was the noise that moving heads make when they scan to a new position. Though not relevant to rock concerts, traditional acting theatres and classical music venues continued to avoid intelligent lighting for years so as not to interfere with quiet moments. Today, almost every area of the performing arts has established a way to incorporate and combine the advantages of intelligent lighting into a production’s specific requirements.

To complement new surroundings, tools like skills need to undergo adjustment. The same applies to a production’s structure. The way people communicate with their team is not set: it mostly depends on the elements a performance incorporates. Therefore, the elements should be redesigned continuously to allow for optimum collaboration. Every setup of every stage production is unique and demands specific allocations, duties, and responsibilities. During my research, I found many books about large institutional productions— union theatres, operas, and touring shows—but little material concerning

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small venues such as jazz clubs, vaudeville, or street performances. Vast areas of the performing arts continue to receive limited interest in contemporary literature. One reason for this might be that large productions are often associated with a high level of professionalism as well as complex structures to learn from. Smaller productions, on the other hand, have to work with reduced conditions utilizing more modest budgets as well as fewer staff and limited material resources. As a result, they often become highly efficient in maximizing their creative potential. All productions have their strong and weak points, as they continuously develop, transform, and overlap. Martin Sigmund points out that for centuries, drama was seen as pure amusement, not art.6 Thus, we should appreciate the qualities of all kinds of stage productions to identify valuable components for creating new, unique art forms. To improve our ability to communicate with this diversity of structures, we should look at all aspects of a performance simultaneously and realize what each setup has to offer.

Hierarchical and Egalitarian Structures To perceive a production’s individual structure of communication, we first have to address the two main ways in which a group might be led: in a hierarchical or egalitarian system (Figure 2.1).7 The hierarchical system can be found in many cultures, where the social status of a person depends on factors such as birth, marriage, age, and education. The position in the hierarchy that a person finds themselves will decide the power and possibilities open to them—their individual abilities remain

Figure 2.1 Hierarchical and egalitarian structures.

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secondary. Distinct social groups mix little and, when they do, they do so in a highly formal manner. This kind of organization is found predominantly in countries like India, China, and Saudi Arabia. An egalitarian system, in contrast, encourages communication and exchange on the same level. Here, personal differences and formality are not that important. The system is based on the belief that everyone can achieve anything dependent on effort and willpower. Such a structure allows for social mobility, in that someone can literally move from rags to riches. Egalitarian systems can be found in countries like Sweden, Israel, and Germany. Writer Susan Greenberg notes: “There are things that are good about hierarchy, and things that are good about equality. When you’re creating an organization it’s important to think about what structure will serve your goals best.”8 A hierarchical system guides people on which paths to follow. A “commander” has the power to give orders, which are easy to understand and often lead to a quick and clear result. However, this leaves little room for personal input or creativity. Innovative contributions are only supported by an egalitarian system, where team members are considered to occupy the same level. Here, a “director” owns the responsibility to activate an exchange, collect feedback, and make decisions based on this information. Creative processes seek to make use of people’s personal experiences. Consequently, a flat system appears to be more appropriate for stage productions. In fact, most performances are led in a rather egalitarian way: people are able to achieve career advancement through hard work and talent. A dancer may become a choreographer, a stagehand may become a technical director, a musician may become a bandleader. It is essential that each department contributes ideas to the final product and that team members exchange on the same level.

EXAMPLE 2.4 The English word “you” has two different equivalents in many other languages: “du” and “Sie” in German, “tu” and “usted” in Spanish, “ti” and “vi” in Russian, and so on. The first equivalent in each language represents a rather casual and less polite way to address someone—they are used in the presence of friends and family. The second equivalent in each language is more formal and is used to address strangers or people from a different social background. Most stage productions implicitly agree to use the informal “du,” “tu,” and “ti” only—even if colleagues have never met before. This demonstrates the flat hierarchy of stage productions and how people generally see each other as being on the same level.

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Even if stage productions are predominantly led in an egalitarian way, this system might not be the best option for everyone. It has been shown that many people prefer or feel more confident in a hierarchical system:9 a clear structure gives them security and the confidence to carry out tasks. Such people would feel lost in an open arrangement. People’s preference can be linked in part to their cultural background. Someone from the United States, for example, is likely to have difficulties adapting to an Indian caste system, while a Chinese national will likely struggle in a Finnish flat hierarchy. Furthermore, within the same region, people may prefer a different balance of equality and hierarchy. This could be because orienting oneself in an egalitarian system is more complicated and needs to be learned. Adam Schell writes: “All children are born into a hierarchical state. Children have parents and grandparents and teachers and all of them give direction and guidance to the child. Egalitarianism, on the other hand, does not develop until late childhood and is contingent on the development of complex social processes that only begin to form around age seven.”10 Equality has to be processed and developed—in people’s personal lives as well as within professional teams. Susan Greenberg adds: “People often think equality is a natural state that doesn’t have to be managed, but it does. It’s harder for people to understand and learn an egalitarian structure. So you need more clarity in other structural variables, like really clear job titles, for instance . . . People need a way of organizing information, including information about relationships among people. You need a way to enhance people’s ability to understand what the organization is and how individuals operate within it.”11 Achieving equal exchange in an egalitarian production requires a coherent framework. Clarifying duties and responsibilities, as well as people’s professional connections, starts by making team members aware of the interplay between their respective departments.

Department Line-ups The overall process of putting on a production can be divided into several work areas. These represent the main aspects that need to be covered during both the creation and implementation of a performance. The subcategories vary according to the circumstances, but the following are key as they are fundamental to the staging of any presentation: technology, stage aesthetics, operation, and performance (Figure 2.2). Within these four categories, some skills will be optional depending on the production’s requirements: these include sound, light, costumes, SFX , and so on. In some cases, a single technician may cover several assignments, whereas for others multiple technicians from various backgrounds will be required. This principle applies to all working departments. Because of the vast variety of

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Figure 2.2 Main stage departments.

performances, there is no universally applicable standard. Every production team will adopt their own approach to determining which departments are required for a particular project and the scale at which each is employed. In the course of this book, we will work extensively on connecting these broad areas, so it is helpful to see each department as its own “cultural circle.” Members of each cultural circle share certain aspects, such as work language, professional interests, education, even their dress code or sense of humor. An individual’s position within these groupings is shaped both by their prior personal experiences and professional assignments. This will be addressed in more detail in Chapter 3.

Job Profiles The exact role of a particular person within a department depends just as much on the production as on its subdivisions. It is crucial to explicitly define job profiles in advance because they will become people’s guidelines for perceiving specific tasks and required skills. Many productions fail to state their expectations well or barely evaluate how individual team members’ assignments are supposed to come together within the team. Members can potentially be left to guess each other’s responsibilities. This appears particularly tricky considering the vast array of performances. Stage managers’ tasks, for instance, will alter depending on whether they are operating a classical opera, a rock and roll concert, or a theatrical play. This divergence becomes even more complicated when functions

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of a single collaborator change within one and the same production. For example, a sound engineer often works in a fixed recording studio during pre-production,12 whereas rehearsals usually mean arranging an adequate set-up or making connections with other departments.13 Throughout the performance period, the main focus is on leveling and mixing audio inputs,14 remembering time cues, and providing backstage support in the form of installing micro ports or controlling monitors. All of these tasks include different equipment, time resources, and team partners. A lack of clarity in this context leads to misunderstandings and weakens the interpersonal, creative collaboration. It is absolutely necessary for a production to apply accurate descriptions for each work segment, clearly stating people’s specific duties as well as those of their partners. Once the available creative building blocks are determined, everyone can focus on a smooth and prosperous exchange. If you are unsure how to apportion assignments, I recommend looking at the many examples online15 or interviewing colleagues from other companies. By observing the various customary ways to define terms of references or formulate job proposals, you support establishing your own definitions. The questionnaire below helps also to define adequate functions.

THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN WRITING A JOB DESCRIPTION 1

Workplace: Where are most parts of the job done (e.g., rehearsal-space, front-of-house, creative studio)?

2

Props and equipment: Which materials are used on a daily basis (e.g., rigging gear, sewing accessories, light-console)?

3

Work-partners: Who are the closest/most relevant associates within the production’s structure (e.g., team leaders, assistants, contributors)?

4

Production phase: In which segment of the overall process is this work relevant (e.g., only during rehearsals or starting at pre-production until the end of rehearsals)?

5

Regular routines: What activities are performed on a daily basis (e.g., constructing and decorating stage sets, looking after musical instruments, preparing and leading through costume changes, making show calls)?

6

Responsibilities: Which expectations have to be met (e.g., being in good physical shape, obtaining feedback, supervising colleagues, offering goalorientated solutions)?

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7

Specific characteristics: Which unusual properties are required (e.g., no fear of heights, experience in contemporary circus, having a particular degree/ certificate)?

TYPICAL JOBS IN STAGE PRODUCTIONS Director Choreographer Composer Set designer Costume designer Playwright Artistic director

Technical director Musical director Sound designer Lighting designer Video designer Make-up artist Hairdresser

SFX master Prop master Carpenter Electrician Wardrobe House manager Performer

Team Leaders As work teams grow larger and accommodate more diverse expertise, they need a representative to bundle up the group’s interests, thereby avoiding confusion in the overall scheme of things. Thus one member is assigned to be the spokesperson for each circle of similar crafts, ideologies, and goals. This person functions as a gateway for exchange with other departments. Much information needs to be gathered as well as filtered out by all sides and then passed on to the relevant recipients. This will likely see the spokesperson having to assuage competing interests—the responsibility of being a team leader demands both professional and personal tact.

EXAMPLE 2.5 I remember an occasion in 2008, after I had been a team leader for many international performances with the high-profile show company Phoenix Firedancers,16 when I unexpectedly lost my team’s passion. It had always been a group of close and self-reliant artists, but suddenly I needed to instruct and push them for the seemingly most straightforward tasks. I was also slightly

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overworked and incapable of dealing with every little issue, which made it even harder for me that their ever-reliable support had waned within just a few weeks. However, the reason was soon revealed—while under pressure from all sides I had tended to keep our clients happy instead of looking after my team, as this was my path of least resistance (at first). As a result, I made too many compromises at the expense of my performers. I could circumvent small problems but the overall team effort dropped dramatically. The artists’ passivity was merely a mirror of myself not incorporating their needs well enough. When I consciously started to involve the artists’ feedback again, it paid off in terms of improved team spirit and higher quality on stage—something even our clients would benefit from.

Higher positions within a network involve both privileges and costs.17 The privileges usually include better pay, more influence, enhanced reputation, and artistic freedom. The costs include having to consistently solve problems, protect the team’s interests, and, if necessary, make sacrifices for the team. It also means eliminating fear and competition within the group by creating an encouraging environment for everyone involved in the process. A team leader, in this sense, turns into a cultural leader for a particular work segment. The way members are treated by the leader will reflect the way they treat others down the chain of command. Simon Sinek even speaks of the “chain of trust,”18 which—in our case—works all the way down from the director, through the different departments, ultimately to the connection with the audience. The way of collaborating will reflect in the way a performance is finally received. The primary goal of every leader is consequently to create more leaders who are capable of continuing the intended (work) culture.19 As in all relationships, the human effort here counts more than money, bonuses, or certificates. As a leader, it matters to sit down and care for the team, to spend time and energy perceiving and understanding the individual members, and, consequently, making the right decisions based on the interests of the group.

The Responsibility Pyramid During implementation of a project, the number of participating crew usually increases. From first ideas to the actual performance, more and more people become involved so as to realize the original plan. This may vary from a few individuals to several hundred people on site. The formerly rather small circle of designers becomes an intricate weave of people running the performance—

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and this makes communication more complicated. The single departments move further apart; their workplaces, as well as their tasks, develop more unevenly. These differences make it challenging to find adequate areas, moments, and ways to collaborate. Effective communication increasingly relies on an appropriate, consciously arranged structure. In this book, I will foreground a somewhat egalitarian way of running a production. Yet, until all team members have identified their role within a preferably equal exchange, I suggest dividing the general process into four levels. Although this might imply a hierarchical structure, I would like to stress that the top positions should only involve more responsibility, not power. The fine line between open directions and closed commands will determine whether personal feedback and creative input are welcomed or not. When a dancer finds it difficult to perform in a specific costume, this requires input from the costume designer. If the first draft of scenery is not achievable, the set designer will need to make the required adaptations. Constructive feedback is as valuable as precise instructions for ensuring everyone is able to contribute their personal expertise. Higher positions have the responsibility to keep this exchange intact. Instead of rigidly directing colleagues in a particular direction, allowing them the freedom to contribute through specific instructions is the foundation of the “Responsibility Pyramid” (Figure 2.3). The first creative idea develops on level 1, usually represented by the director, who becomes the overseer of the future process. This initial spark is brought to level 2—the representatives of the most central departments or segments. According to the director’s instructions, these team leaders design the first draft

Figure 2.3 The Responsibility Pyramid.

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Figure 2.4 Creation and implementation.

of their art, which is then passed on to the specialists on level 3. Here, people are responsible for bringing the concept to life while instructing level 4 to carry out tasks at their final stage. This development is accompanied by a shifting balance of two factors: creation and implementation (Figure  2.4). While the former mainly involves “having vision,” the latter is about “getting things done”: most of the creation evolves in the first two stages, while levels 3 and 4 involve focusing on implementing the project. The further along a production proceeds, the more tangible all aspects become. In Chapter  1, I presented a technique by marketing expert Mario Pricken to access a team’s overall creative potential. These four steps toward a new product correspond perfectly with the individual levels of the Responsibility Pyramid. The function of level 1 is to express the overall goal: in stage productions, this is embodied in the director who delivers the visionary idea. To collect as much input as possible, a few people join the process. Instead of a brainstorming session with grandma, this segment is now done by the “creative team” in the form of the various department heads. Then the “next morning,” the best possible ideas are filtered, selected, and translated into a real plan. This is the specialists’ responsibility on level 3. Lastly, the production utilizes people’s

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specific skills to complete the project. These parallels demonstrate that stage productions are naturally formed in a similar way to an exemplary creative process (Figure 2.5).

The Backstage Network Model Within the four levels of the Responsibility Pyramid, we can now insert the various departments, job profiles, and team leaders that we have elaborated on earlier. Every unit receives its own branch of operators to guarantee a smooth interplay of both creation and realization. By doing so, we shape a production’s unique and lucid network that can be used to visualize the interaction of different tasks, departments, and people (Figure 2.6). At this juncture, I would like to highlight the cultural similarities that become visible in this depiction. All branches represent broad subjects, for example, “dance,” “costumes,” and “technology,” all of which involve more than mere skills. Establishing each craft is closely associated with individuals’ dedication to embrace specific knowledge, jargon, and work traditions. In many cases, it includes also agreeing on certain ways to dress, idols or status symbols. All this refers to a common (work-) culture within particular departments. It clearly doesn’t cover all cultural norms of an individual, but represents at least one shared facet. More information about people’s differences and similarities will be offered in Chapter 3. In the following, we examine three distinct ways of how a specific Backstage Network Model can be compiled. This will support you in accomplishing your own sketch as well as demonstrate how departments, responsibility levels, and job profiles may vary depending on the requirements of a production.

Example #1: A Business Event An event agency is booked to organize a corporate presentation. The client requests speeches by the CEO s of the company, alternated by a dance act and continued by a party band. The event agent effectively becomes the “director” of the evening. While receiving basic outlines from the client—the “producer”—they cast trusted team leaders and executives to make the evening a success. The network incorporates five branches: 1 The technical department (a rental company) 2 Performance 1 (dance act) 3 Performance 2 (band) 4 Performance 3 (speeches) 5 Operations (running the evening) The specific backstage network looks like that shown in Figure 2.7.

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Figure 2.5 The creative process and the Responsibility Pyramid.

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Figure 2.6 The Backstage Network Model.

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Figure 2.7 An event’s structure.

Example #2: A Party Act A singer hires individual musicians for a series of concerts. The performer wants to create a new show including his new musical sets, costumes, and dance moves. He seeks support from two external partners for choreography and costumes. The singer himself is represented at all levels of responsibility: he is the director, musical supervisor, and performing musician. Consequently, his roles vary for every part of the collaboration. The creative network looks like that in Figure 2.8.

Example #3: A Musical Theatre A director is asked to create a musical production for a local community theatre. She decides to take charge of choreography and music herself while collaborating with two colleagues for costumes and scenery. All technical aspects are provided by the theatre. Figure 2.9 shows their particular network.

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Figure 2.8 A band’s structure.

Figure 2.9 A theatre’s structure.

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Avenues of Communication Throughout any creative process, relevant information is passed on across a production’s network, as in one of the above examples. The more widely a particular piece of information is disseminated, the more it will be unintentionally modified, changed, or lost. We call this the Chinese Whispers effect. Chinese Whispers is a children’s game that runs as follows: One child whispers a secret message into another child’s ear, who then secretly passes it on to the next in line. This process continues until the last child says out loud the “message” that was received. Once compared to the original message, it becomes clear the two have entirely different meanings. The name of this game—Chinese Whispers—has become a metaphor for when information changes along the way, which often happens during the creative process in the performing arts. A director’s idea becomes altered as it gets passed on to the different departments because the original concept is interpreted in a slightly different way by each associate. As these individual interpretations are shared with the next level, they become even more modified and so the process continues. In a professional context, we need to dissolve this game and make sure everyone interprets information in the same way so that the whole team works toward the same goal. This can happen to a large extent by establishing a shared language—as described in Chapter 3—and by strengthening the internal feedback loop. When certain input is passed on not just hierarchically but also reconfirmed “upwards,” the Chinese Whispers effect is automatically eliminated. For sure, if every child enquired as to whether the words were interpreted correctly, it would take the fun out of the game. But in a professional working environment, it avoids misunderstandings and unwanted surprises. Another way to lay a good foundation for effective communication is to convey information according to a production’s structure. Knowing colleagues’ job profiles and assignments, we are often tempted to bypass an information chain and approach people directly. However, this involves a fair amount of risk. Exchanging information with people outside the given communication chain can cause destructive confusion on site. A random, even if more direct, exchange may fail to consider relevant background knowledge that team leaders wish to pass on. These people have a complete overview of their department and they have to remain within the information chain at all times. If any detail is bypassed, they might misjudge the circumstances and make future decisions based on incomplete facts. To avoid this, we should only choose two ways for passing on information: vertically—within the same department across responsibility levels, or horizontally—within the same level, but across different departments.

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Figure 2.10 Vertical exchange.

Vertical Exchange Vertical exchanges occur within the same department (Figure 2.10). Information gets transmitted between the group leader, the subdivisions, and their members. A piece of musical instruction, for example, travels from the director to the musical director, and then to the vocal captain until it reaches the singers. Any feedback is sent back in the reverse direction. This avenue of communication runs between levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 within the Responsibility Pyramid.

Horizontal Exchange Horizontal exchanges occur within a single level of the Responsibility Pyramid across the various departments (Figure 2.11). It allows communication between people contributing to the same part of the creative process. A costume designer, for example, consults with the choreographer regarding how to create a suit that works with the intended dance moves. The choreographer offers information about unusual movements and in return receives specific possibilities for the design. This kind of two-directional exchange happens between two or more people on the same responsibility level.

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Figure 2.11 Horizontal exchange.

Application The theoretical approach of vertical and horizontal avenues of communication now needs to be applied to practical, daily situations. To avoid misunderstandings and unevenly spread information, we need to stick to these paths without crossing or skipping people’s responsibilities. Let’s assume the costume of a dancer is damaged during the performance and needs to be fixed. This information needs to travel from the performer all the way to the tailor. There are two ways to request repairs: it can be reported to either one’s own team leader, or a person of the target department who is on the same level. In other words, the information runs either vertically and then horizontally, or vice versa. In the first instance—vertical to horizontal (Figure 2.13)—the artist informs the dance captain who collects this information, and maybe even consults his team as a whole: other performers’ costumes might also be damaged, for example. By identifying all similar problems, the team leader can then approach the responsible tailor with the faulty costumes. This avoids the tailor being approached by each dancer individually. The dance captain may also decide to exchange a particular dance move that seems to result in regular damage to the costumes. Keeping team leaders in the loop supports their judgment of the situation and enables them to act accordingly.

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Figure 2.12 From dancer to tailor.

Figure 2.13 Vertical to horizontal.

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Figure 2.14 Horizontal to vertical.

The second option—horizontal to vertical (Figure 2.14)—information is directed to the relevant department on the same level. In our example, this means addressing the wardrobe assistant who collects all the damaged costumes and passes them on to the studio for repair. In the case of a minor problem, this associate might also decide to fix it straight away and, by doing so, they filter out small issues and leave the team leader free to deal with other duties.

Shortcut Communication? The bigger and more complicated a network becomes, the more widely information will need to be disseminated. Following strict rules regarding avenues of communication can feel very bureaucratic, which is often tempting to avoid. Many artists, designers, and technicians begin their professional careers on a small scale and find it hard to adjust to the increasing complexity around them. They may feel more comfortable and efficient having intuitive exchanges rather than following set paths. To simplify and thus facilitate the overall process, they consequently favor exchanges with trusted colleagues or doing “everything” themselves. This is associated with a fundamental principle: the closer two people are, the better the communication between them. In the extreme, each person is closest

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to him or herself: each of us understands best what we personally enjoy. Similarly, friends have more established lines of communication than distant colleagues. Collaborating with close friends/colleagues, therefore, tends to be effortless and constructive because the creative repertoire is more clearly expressed. Having to fathom others’ unidentified skills and possibilities, on the other hand, is more challenging. However, in the long run, being able to collaborate efficiently with anyone offers more options for creativity. It incorporates the whole team’s capabilities rather than limiting the available potential to a few friends or simply oneself. Enhanced communication skills allow access to whatever a production may have to offer, and at the same time enable a fruitful exchange between departments, individuals, and their specific cultural backgrounds. In the next chapter, we will learn how to access these different approaches and enrich our collaborations by appreciating diversity.

KEY THINGS TO REMEMBER ●

There are a staggering number of stage productions. To produce a unique experience, it is necessary to develop and enrich through the exchange of ideas, personnel, and equipment.

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Work structures vary on a case-by-case basis. The importance of individual departments, as well as their associated job profiles, depends on the specific needs of a production.

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The Responsibility Pyramid offers a practical system to facilitate a mostly egalitarian, multi-directional exchange.

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A lively feedback loop, as well as vertical and horizontal avenues of communication, avoid the “Chinese Whispers” effect while supporting effective cross-department communication.

3 INTERCULTURAL ALIGNMENT

What this Chapter is About Collaborating on stage productions entails dealing with cultural differences within a team. We not only find a multitude of nationalities working together but also a strong cultural divergence between the different departments. A technician and a dancer typically represent different cultures as regards language, dress code, norms, and values. Therefore, collaboration between nationalities as well as units is often marked by culture shocks and misconceptions. This book draws upon Hofstede’s “Onion of Culture,” Lysgaard’s “U-Curve,” and language research to use this cultural diversity for the best possible creative outcome. The theoretical background presented will help the reader understand people’s differences and similarities better. The goal is to find ways of establishing a mutual language. Matching communication then presents the team with a culturally diverse yet accessible “bag of experiences.”

Recipes for Cultures Intercultural exchange has had quite a high profile in recent years. Not only do companies now operate on an international stage, they also incorporate more mixed teams and clients that they need to align with. Additionally, the higher a product’s quality, the more it demands highly specialized, yet narrow skills that— to remain creative—need to be associated with other niches and approaches. This inevitably leads to overlapping circles between crafts and requires cultural barriers to be overcome. Bringing a diversity of backgrounds together for a collaboration means having to deal with cultural issues and misunderstandings. This does not always lend itself to a congenial way of working. Culture specialists Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner point out that to facilitate such challenging

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yet unavoidable cooperation, people naturally seek to measure cultures.1 We try to force relationships into rigid structures and hope for a “recipe” to deal with other spheres—or at least a list of dos and don’ts for making cultural adjustments. Such simple solutions don’t exist for two reasons: first, cultures develop continuously and, secondly, every individual represents multiple cultures simultaneously. Migration has always been a part of human development. Whether we look at the lives of nomads, the shifting territories of warring tribes, people moving for work or education, or individuals seeking more prosperous lives in distant lands—a regional movement is part of all our history. There “is no such thing as the culture of the original inhabitants.”2 Even nationals of the same country derive from multiple cultures in that they are second- or third-generation immigrants or are from various ethnic backgrounds. As such movement happens continuously, various cultures collide while unavoidably influencing and complementing each other. Their interchange results in continuous transformation and modification. When we seek to derive ways of dealing with these cultures, their very backgrounds will have already evolved further. Detailed manuals for intercultural collaboration are therefore only really applicable for time travelers! Within these ever-changing cultural circles, we find individuals that are shaped by the different influences of their personal lives. Not only will this include the conventional cultural perception of a region, but also how people were raised by their parents, the impact of religion or education, and, of course, their own personal experiences. In this sense, every individual embraces multiple cultures simultaneously. Nobody is only German, or solely a designer. Everyone encompasses hobbies, passions, and interests, all of which entail cultural features like jargon, a sense of humor, norms and values, and more. Since collaborating with a team involves personal relationships, we cannot reduce our communication to a single recipe or approach. We need to perceive the individual’s personal mixture. Developing cultural competence, therefore, means creatively interacting on many different levels with our partners while appreciating every individual’s personal view. Despite the risk of stereotyping, racism, or generalizing, there is one significant advantage of defining cultures, federations, or groupings. These circles unite broadly shared viewpoints or similarities of people. Understanding the characteristics of a particular community offers us a precious—even if not guaranteed—way to access our partners. It supports us in perceiving people’s broad approach and a possible way of thinking. When we analyze common ground, we acquire an efficient way to evaluate and appeal to people through at least some of their norms and values.

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The “Family” Working on a stage production includes developing strong relationships. Many hours are spent together in a closed environment; both commitment and passion are required. The intimate connections made on the site affect not only professional relationships but in many cases life as a whole. People live together, share intense experiences, and depend on one another. They unavoidably grow close. This is especially true of international productions, where many members will have had to leave their homes to be part of the production. They often share accommodation, which means they can’t get away from work—they are with their colleagues 24 hours a day. In addition, people often have to leave their loved ones behind. It is rare to travel with one’s partner or children, so being on the road usually means finding yourself a long way from family and friends. This is especially relevant when contacts are shaped by acute experiences or strong personal events. On the upside, people might find new love, make a professional breakthrough, or achieve an important goal. On the downside, injuries or accidents come into play, professional hopes can be dashed, or someone might even lose someone while being tied to a production. Most people desire to share these emotional moments with someone.

EXAMPLE 3.1 My first child was born while I was on stage 800 kilometers (500 miles) away from Vienna—my home town and the capital of Austria. While my wife was in labor, I sat in a little changing room in Essen, Germany, and our midwife continuously sent me updates on my wife’s progress. At the very moment of the final contractions, I had to go on stage for the final bow. The host of our show announced to the public that it was an extraordinary night for the whole cast because one member—he pointed to me—was to become the father of a new baby girl. The audience went absolutely crazy, and I tried hard not to break down in tears. I was devastated not to be there for my family yet, at the same time, I was so thankful to share this precious moment with the wonderful people of that particular cast. For my entire life, I will never forget the emotional connection of that evening.

In sensitive situations like the one above, the physically closest people are often colleagues. Being away from home, you are unable to visit your best friend and talk about your worries or rave about your achievements. But other team

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members are usually able to lend you their ear. People naturally start to exchange thoughts, worries, and future plans with each other. They jointly evolve and grow. These strong personal connections in stage productions go way beyond professional cooperation, and such bonds are often equated with (and feel like) a “family.” There are a few downsides to these bonds, too. First, “family ties” may be used to make members more committed to a project—they cannot be seen to “let the family down.” This exploits personal relationships for professional gain. Secondly, most family-like relationships have an expiry date. Few are maintained at the end of a contract, and those that are weaken over time due to geographical separation. For the duration of a production, however, there is one significant thing that ties close colleagues and family members—we can’t choose them or the baggage they come with. Team members will have had different experiences, have different goals, and diverse interests, and some will be easier to deal with than others. Production teams, like families, unite people and their personal values. These members create their own collective culture by agreeing on particular values, embracing a mutual goal, creating a shared language, or coming up with collective rituals. In this chapter, we look at the different backgrounds that unite to become a new collective culture. Understanding the diversity of both a family and a professional team helps us to detect our partners’ unique potential, to connect with them productively, and to improve the overall interpersonal exchange.

The Melting Pot of the Performing Arts The entertainment industry has always been connected to a life of traveling. Buskers and tale-tellers used to go from village to village to perform their arts with the aim of giving an audience something special that often could not be found closer to home: a tale from the battlefield, an unknown craft, or a foreign tribe’s strongman. By presenting the unusual, performers created an image of the world the audience knew nothing about—a fantasy to distract them from everyday tasks. This fascination of the unknown it still used today to wow audiences.

By presenting the unusual, performers created an image of the world the audience knew nothing about— a fantasy to distract them from everyday tasks.

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Whether you think of traditional circuses or cruise ships, buskers or Broadway, Metallica or Pavarotti, they all have at least one thing in common: work is intimately connected to traveling. The performance industry has used this fact to create a glamorous image around its stars—staying in expensive hotels, visiting multiple countries in just a few days, having friends all over the world, and so on. Over the past few decades, this principle has reached another level. The rapid development of the internet and air travel has made it incredibly easy to both promote and employ talent from all over the world. New production members can be identified, contracted, and flown in within a matter of hours. The world of stage productions has literally become a global village. Technicians, designers, and performers have started settling down in different parts of the world to acquire work while some people on tour collect countries like others collect stamps. Cirque du Soleil’s touring show Quidam was performed in 21 countries in its final 12 months before closing, unifying 17 nationalities among 47 performers.3 In 2015, the resident Vienna State Ballet united 108 dancers, of whom only 15 came from Austria: the other 93 represented 31 foreign nationalities.4 These simple facts demonstrate the enormous variety of cultures, languages, and values that are part of the relatively small environment that is a stage production.

Regional and Social Cultures Multiculturalism in the performing arts involves more complexity than a coming together of different nationalities. I would like to highlight two ways of looking at people’s backgrounds: regional and social cultures. When we speak about cultures, we usually think about the different kinds of structures that have developed within the world. We often speak about the “African” or “Asian” culture, a “German” mindset, or the culture a particular city represents. We connect the subject to an area or district—in this book, I call this a regional culture. In addition to these local commonalities, there are the varying backgrounds of the people who live in the same region. This is based on how people spend their lives and the various ways they shape their own, personal surroundings. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi says: “No one is immune to the impressions that impinge on the senses from the outside.”5 Our environment has a major impact on our own character, as the subjects of our daily lives mold us in a manner similar to growing up in a specific area.

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Our environment has a major impact on our own character, as the subjects of our daily lives mold us in a manner similar to growing up in a specific area.

Philosopher Will Durant claimed: “We are what we repeatedly do.”6 In this sense, we develop languages, specific rituals, and traditions, our personal identity and a sense of community through our jobs, interests, friends, hobbies, and more. A characteristic stage technician, for example, embodies a different culture through his work background than a typical dancer, even if they were brought up in the same region and had the same social background. In this book, I call these aspects that people may share a social culture. ●

Regional cultures are connected to an area—a place or a country.

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Social cultures are connected to social background—job, hobby, or shared interest.

In the professional context of working in stage productions, aspects of both these categories are to be found—some influences arise from international backgrounds, others are job specific. Every person working backstage embodies a different cultural mix regarding both the regional and social aspects.

Every person working backstage embodies a different cultural mix regarding both the regional and social aspects.

To align a team, each of these different influences has to be taken into consideration. In some productions, we find many people from the same genre or niche, who have come from different parts of the world. Other groups contain mainly members from the same country who, however, represent a lot of various jobs, departments, and backgrounds. The balance of regional and social cultures and the way these overlap will depend on the specific production. To achieve a fruitful collaboration, it is crucial to appreciate the differences as well as the similarities that people have. A wide diversity of backgrounds offers a versatile bag of experiences, while commonalities enable bridges to be built across cultural gaps. Any exchange between two people is partly dependent on how they

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each discern their distinctions and affinities. This starts with the way each perceives their own cultures as well as those of the other person. To explain this more thoroughly, let’s take a look at stage productions that incorporate cultural themes.

Cultural Themes Many performances aim to represent a particular culture, which might involve geographical areas in such shows as Afrika, Afrika, Shanghai Nights, and Viva Las Vegas, or a certain lifestyle or subculture in Modern Primitives, Highway to Hell, or Gumboots. All of these performances process either regional or social cultures through the display of a specific interpretation.

The way an image is portrayed doesn’t always correspond to the way it is received.

The way an image is portrayed doesn’t always correspond to the way it is received. Some audiences might agree with the particular depiction while others might not. To evaluate the different perspectives, we can address the following two questions: “Who?” and “For whom?”

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Who? → production Who installed it? Who is the producer/director/creative team?

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For whom? → audience For whom is it made? Who is the target audience?

First, we look at the initial trigger of a theme performance. Who stands behind this installation and what is their perception of a specific culture? How do they see the presented aspects? What background do the particular people come from and what have they experienced before? Then, we look at the social circle of the target audience. What is their specific approach to this topic? What expectations of an image will either be met or dashed in this performance?

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EXAMPLE 3.2 The Sound of Music 7 is regarded as one of the most successful pieces of musical theatre. Set in the beautiful hills around Salzburg, it presents the Trapp family and their Austrian culture, which includes the associated music, nature, dress styles, education, relationships, and more. Through the international success of this production, a certain image of Austria was reinforced that is still accurate for a lot of people around the world today. In particular, many Americans associate Austria with what was presented in The Sound of Music. This doesn’t necessarily conform to the way Austrians see their own culture. The performance was created by Americans for Americans. It would surely have looked different if it was made by Austrians for Americans or even by Austrians for Austrians!

People’s different perspectives have an impact on the way a culture is presented on stage. Finding the right balance between the production’s and the audience’s view is a challenge that Italian-Belgian director Franco Dragone faced when he was asked to install a Chinese show in Macau. Coming from a different cultural background than the target audience, he had to prepare well for this project. In an interview about the creation of The House of Dancing Water,8 he said: My wish was from the beginning to create a show that would become a kind of iconic show for Macau. I want a show that people from Macau, from Hong Kong, from all China will say: “We are proud of the show.” I was there for working on the show for years now, the only thing I have learned is to try to listen and to have a dialogue with the Chinese culture. And I think we have succeeded to have a beautiful dialogue. And it is why I think the show is going to be a pride for all of us.9 This statement includes two things mentioned in Chapter  1 of this book: in order to understand other people’s individual approaches, we need to listen carefully and have a dialogue. Curiosity and honest openness support both the process of creativity and interpersonal communication. Before we achieve this, however, we need to overcome the distance between different approaches and the culture shocks that are experienced when working on a stage production.

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Working with Culture Shocks When teams begin to align their expertise and supplement one another, they can at first experience a lot of confusion and irritation. This is mainly based on people’s differences in rather than the similarities of their backgrounds. Being confronted with an unfamiliar way of thinking or acting often results in what we call a culture shock. To collectively overcome these misunderstandings, which slow down and hinder the creative process, we may consider two ways of looking at culture shocks that affect how we are able to see into other people’s backgrounds.

When teams begin to align their expertise and supplement one another, they can at first experience a lot of confusion and irritation.

For the first one, let’s assume that you originate from a western country and travel to Mumbai, India, for the first time. You step out of the airport building and realize that everything around you has just changed within a few moments: Different climate, different smells, different transportation, different rules, and different food—everything is different. Each of your senses has to adapt to the new world around you. Your brain is forced to deal with many new aspects at once, all of which are challenging and difficult to understand. The situation leaves you with a sudden cultural shock. Such puzzlement doesn’t only happen when traveling, but also—to a small extent—when we experience a culture shock “just by sitting at our own desk.”10 The diversity of our work brings us into regular close contact with other cultures, both regional and social. Team members continuously experience other backgrounds through professional exchanges with colleagues who possess unfamiliar ways of expressing themselves. It often demands a significant effort as well as the conscious decision to try and understand one another’s point of view. Pausing and reflecting on different approaches is something we are not always willing—or able—to do on a daily basis. Instead of taking the time to learn about different viewpoints, we tend to rush through irritations, ignore or just pass them over, while adopting an “I know I make sense” attitude,11 as Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen call it. But when we focus on ourselves instead of dealing with people’s varying approaches, we lose the most dynamic resource for team creativity.

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Instead of taking the time to learn about different viewpoints, we tend to rush through irritations, ignore or just pass them over, while adopting an “I know I make sense” attitude.

To avoid this, Deborah Swallow suggests we need to “gain an insight into the cultural patterns of our market because good communication is much more than the fluent expression of our own ideas.”12 Reading people’s surroundings in order to adapt ourselves, as well as the way we collaborate, will be covered in more detail later in the book. A second way of looking at “culture shock” can be found in social psychology, where the term refers to four different phases of adapting to a new cultural background. It is based on the much-discussed “U-curve”13 of Sverre Lysgaard, which divides the process into “honeymoon,” “crisis,” “recovery,” and “adjustment” (Figure 3.1). When you meet a new culture, you might initially love everything about it: the food, the people, the overall experience. It feels like a honeymoon. Then, you hit a crisis, where your first enthusiasm tips over into missing home and hating the way people deal with issues. You even become tired of the food that you enjoyed so much at first. Next, you reach the recovery phase, slowly clawing your way up again. You are now learning to adapt to the circumstances, and how to incorporate your own culture into the new surroundings. This leads into the last phase: the final adjustment to becoming fully acclimatized within a foreign culture.

Figure 3.1 The U-curve of cultural adjustment.14

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The duration of the different phases varies depending on the individual’s personal network, the extent of the culture gap, and of course the individual him or herself. The whole process is estimated to take up to 48 months in total.15 I have noticed that this kind of culture shock occurs throughout every international contract, independent of the amount of time people commit themselves to. Most productions trigger a lot of excitement at first. One enjoys the new company, the upcoming challenges, and usually also the work itself. After some time, people start to become weary of at least some team members, the production enters a not so interesting routine, and many colleagues start to miss home. But then people reorganize their lives around the production, find new purpose, and, in the end, it often feels hard to leave.

EXAMPLE 3.3 During my first long-term cruise ship contract, I suddenly had a devastating loss of energy. I felt trapped in my cabin and became frustrated with the way of life onboard. Additionally, I was constantly tired and lacking in drive. A few more experienced colleagues noticed my mood and we started talking about it. They looked at me and said: “Timo, you might have MCD!” This sounded serious, so I asked: “What exactly is MCD?” And they replied: “It is Mid-Contract-Depression— no matter how long you are onboard, sometime in the middle your excitement starts to wane. Don’t worry, it will be over soon. Once you are past the halfwaymark, you are going to enjoy the rest of your contract.” They were so right.

The moment of “MCD ” might possibly correspond to the U-curve’s “crisis.” But what I do know is that, whether arriving in Mumbai, experiencing little daily shocks, moving to another culture, or having MCD , we need to make personal adjustments by stepping into an intercultural dialogue. Becoming cognizant of people’s differences and—most importantly—having additional energy to deal with irritations help us to develop personally as well as professionally. To help ourselves in perceiving and dealing with these clashes, let us look now at the way cultures are set up.

The Roots of Action How to define “culture” is the topic of countless books, studies, and theories. The subject has many facets that cannot be presented in fine detail in this book. Instead, I focus on the theories that work best for our context. One of them is the

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widely known “Onion of Culture,” originally proposed by Geert Hofstede in 1991.16 When we seek to understand a colleague’s background, we are unable to get to the core of their arrangement straight away. It is a complex system, which takes time and dedication to perceive. Only in small steps can we work toward the core. Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner say: “Culture comes in layers, like an onion. To understand it, you have to unpeel it layer by layer.”17 Their version of the model consists of three primary levels, as shown in Figure 3.2.18

Culture comes in layers, like an onion. To understand it, you have to unpeel it layer by layer.

On the outside layer of the onion we find artifacts and products of culture: food, art, architecture, and other visible aspects. In terms of regional cultures, this would be something explicit such as Swiss cheese, a Spanish tapas bar, an art gallery in Paris, skyscrapers in Dubai, or ancient sculptures in Greece. In the context of a social group, it could be dress-sense, diet, or music. All of these

Figure 3.2 The Onion of Culture.19

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things are invented or constructed by a group of people. They are easy to detect and discuss. Taking a step further toward the core, people’s norms and values become visible. These are harder to distinguish than products but are still identifiable to our consciousness. Norms are what people declare as “right” or “wrong.” This definition has developed over generations and is either passed on verbally or written down in books and statutes. Values, in addition, are what people sense as “good” and “bad.” They are intimately connected to personal ideals.20 In most cases, norms and values exist side by side within a particular culture— but sometimes they come into conflict. Norms are the ways in which your culture expects you to behave, whereas values are the basis of how you personally conduct your life. If the norm of a culture is to dress in black at a funeral, but your own values tell you to wear bright colors, it might lead to cultural tension. It is a friction that can be discussed consciously. People are aware of these facets and may express why something is right or wrong, or good or bad. When someone is faced with a new cultural background for the first time—for example, by being invited to a Hindu temple or a meeting of a motorcycle club—the specific norms and values can be openly explained.

Norms are the ways in which your culture expects you to behave, whereas values are the basis of how you personally conduct your life.

At the heart of the onion we find basic assumptions that have become so accepted by a group of people that they no longer realize their existence. Like continuously breathing without being aware of it, the cultural core is an invisible part of the system or society. Accepting things as uncompromising facts makes a community’s daily life more efficient. Basic assumptions were used initially to help a tribe focus on more critical issues like how to survive the winter, how to find food, and how to raise successors. Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner further add: “The deepest meaning has escaped from conscious questioning and has become self-evident because it is a result of routine responses to the environment.”21 These implicit things are much harder to verbalize. Questioning basic assumptions will likely provoke irritation and hardly ever results in a real discussion—because people don’t actually know the reasons behind their fundamental conviction—it is just a given fact.

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When we step into an intercultural dialogue with partners from an unfamiliar culture, we need to begin to communicate on the outside layer while aiming toward the core. Along the way, we will find both differences and similarities between our own background and those of other members.

Differences and Similarities Comparing different cultures, some aspects will appear quite similar while others will differ widely. Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner point out that the more facets revealed to be similar or parallel, the more analogous two cultures will seem.22 Comparisons can be made on all levels of the cultural onion and don’t necessarily have to show linear results: even when basic assumptions are similar, they can bring forth wholly different artifacts and viewpoints. These analytics becomes particularly complicated when looking at individuals who possess many cultural aspects simultaneously. In the earlier example of the French technician, some similarities with the dancer might be observed in terms of norms and values, while the technician’s specific cultural products could be more like those of a British stagehand. When it comes to food, his preferences might match those of an Italian wardrobe assistant. His musical taste is likely to be different to that of a Japanese orchestra member. However, they might agree as regards their perception of time. And the language used predominantly at work will be similar to that of a German technician, and so on (Figure 3.3). While cultures and individuals will always overlap in various aspects, the things that tend to catch our attention are people’s differences, not their similarities. The unusual confuses us and, in the first moment, it tends to feel wrong. We often equate something unfamiliar with something incorrect and therefore focus on this particular distinction. Stereotyping, which might result, is an extreme, exaggerated form of expressing that which surprises us, rather than seeing what is familiar. A stereotype, consequently, is a limited view of the average behavior or trait within a specific environment, usually an unfamiliar one. By showing up the differences, stereotyping caricatures the observed culture and simultaneously the background of the observer.23 This overstated presentation not only ignores the similarities, it also fails to consider the fact that individuals don’t necessarily live or act according to the averages of a cultural system. Every person unites different facets of their identity and, by mixing individual aspects, people form their own personal background with commonalities as well as variations in their cultural views. One topic that frequently leads to disagreements or stereotyping in stage productions due to people’s unique approaches is the perception of time.

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Figure 3.3 Differences and similarities.

Perception of Time The way team members address daily time management or meeting deadlines is often linked to their specific cultural background. When working as part of a diverse team, people have different expectations of how long processes should take and what it means to be punctual. To align a team successfully in the face of such different expectations, anthropologists Hall and Hall highlight two central concepts (Figure 3.4):24 ●

Monochronic time, and

●

Polychronic time.

Monochronic time runs in linear fashion: it is structured and segmented to focus on one thing at a time. The schedule is more important than social activities, and deadlines overrule one’s natural human rhythm. As a result, personal conversations may be interrupted if a person is “running out of time” for their next appointment. This concept was invented in the industrial revolution when things needed to be finished at a specific time to interweave with other production

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Figure 3.4 Monochronic vs. polychronic time.

processes. Monochronic time was initially learned and then passed on to later generations, so becoming a natural phenomenon. It is found mainly in the USA and Northern Europe, especially Germany, Switzerland, and Scandinavia. A polychronic system, on the other hand, is cyclical and derived from a sense of seasons, periods, and episodes—which means combining many responsibilities at the same time. Working simultaneously on several things is done for the sake of a shared culture, and usually occurs with “great involvement with people.”25 A deadline can never outmatch the importance of a chat or a personal exchange. People intuitively follow a rhythm and are in control of time rather than being controlled by time. Polychronic concepts can be found in vast parts of Africa, Latin America, and Asia. The different perceptions of time and time management frequently cause arguments in multicultural work settings. Hall and Hall state: “Like oil and water, the two systems do not mix,”26 but the way that this issue is dealt with can decide whether a production is a failure or success. Scientist Edward Hall said: “It is impossible to know how many millions of dollars have been lost in international businesses because monochronic and polychronic people do not understand each other or even realize that two such different time systems exist.”27 Many intercultural stage productions are based on a European or North American influence. These consequently include a monochronic time management

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system whereby all processes run in a somewhat linear way: people work with clear deadlines, segmented production phases, and are used to being present at specific times for rehearsals, meetings, and so on. This kind of organization isn’t always applicable when working in other countries.

EXAMPLE 3.4 In 2006, we entered new markets in the Middle East, India, and Africa. As a supervisor, I always wanted to present my cast in the most professional way to our new clients. So in typical German style I always arrived well prepared. I took with me lists, folders, and schedules, and planned the rehearsal period well in advance. However, somehow my presumed professionalism was hardly returned. Whenever I collaborated with local companies, nothing got done the way I expected it should. I quickly became nervous because of how long certain processes were taking, and my foreign partners didn’t seem to share my concerns. Every production, whether in Sharjah, New Delhi, or Alexandria, seemed to be running late, and each time I felt like I had to take on extraneous tasks so that the production could be completed on time. I also tried to push harder for deadlines and results, which turned out to be even more stressful and not at all successful. It took me a few years to realize that people had their own sense of organizing routines. Every time we reached “doors open,” and the public started to come in, all tasks were miraculously accomplished. This had seemed impossible just moments before. Some issues were simply solved by having a coffee and a chat with the team rather than trying to enforce tight deadlines. Every cultural background takes its own rhythm to evolve.

Philosopher Emeka Emeakaroha notes that: it is not uncommon to hear people talking about “African time” to mean that Africans have no sense of punctuality. This statement always refers to the half-Europeanised and half de-Africanised Africans who are finding it difficult to adjust to the “Clock”-category . . . It must be pointed out that . . . Africans do have and conceive of time in a punctual sense. That is, at a particular time, things must happen, have effect, or must be done.28 A different perception of punctuality is not only seen in the distance between, for example, Africa and Europe, but also between relatively close countries, say

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Switzerland and Italy. In fact, people’s sense of time even differs within the same area due to their diverse personal viewpoints.

EXAMPLE 3.5 While the expression “We will meet at 4 p.m.” points at a highly monochronic time concept, it can still be received in many different ways. For some people it means arriving any time up to 4 o’clock, so the meeting can start at this moment at the latest. Others might understand they should arrive sometime between 3:50 p.m. and 4:10 p.m., and again for others, it could vaguely mean showing up around this time but not before 4 p.m.

When people from different backgrounds join a production, it means combining vastly different perceptions of punctuality. Some people might feel their time is being wasted when waiting for others, while those others don’t understand the stress they are causing. Everyone usually sees themselves as being punctual in the sense of their own understanding. To avoid frustration and arguments within the team, we can evaluate these kinds of differences and align everyone according to the demands of the situation. In some cases, we might be able to embrace a more natural rhythm while in others an explicit deadline will be crucial. By verbalizing cultural differences individually, we learn to develop awareness and establish a shared language. Being clear about time management—like what it means to meet at 4 p.m.—supports the team in adjusting and working conjointly. Everyone begins literally to speak the same language.

Language Language is a means of communication that represents a group of people and their specific culture. All peoples have developed verbal expressions to facilitate internal exchange. This has led to a great variety of spoken words around the world. Professor Matthias Brenzinger says that, in Africa, about 2,000 different languages are still in use today.29 These all evolved to fit people’s specific needs. As a result, they also reflect the issues a culture is faced with. Studies have shown that people living in cold regions, for example, have more words for ice and snow than those living in warmer areas.30 The former find themselves in surroundings that require them to differentiate between the many types of snow, while the latter might not even have seen snow and need to focus on other things.

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The specific use of words can vary just as much within a particular region. Writer Axel Bojanowski says that a ski instructor from Germany, for example, necessarily uses more words for snow than the average German.31 Thus, languages are connected to both regional and social cultures. They represent the life of both a group of people and individuals. The way someone speaks mirrors their cultural background and may lead us to a person’s identity, origin, sense of humor, fears, etc. Author Deborah Swallow says: “Language is what we hear, culture is how we understand.”32

The way someone speaks mirrors their cultural background and may lead us to a person’s identity, origin, sense of humor, fears, etc.

Working on stage productions, we often hear our colleagues conversing in their native languages, but there are also multiple languages that arise from the different departments. Performers, musicians, and designers have developed specific words for their craft. Instead of distinguishing between types of snow, a technician might use multiple words to indicate types of “fog” (haze, smoke, low fog, dry-ice, etc.), and a dancer similarly specifies “turns” (chainé, en dehors, piqué en tournant, etc.). Their particular vocabulary evolves to allow them to share essential details with fellow technicians, dancers, etc. The more complex this professionally shaped language becomes, the harder it is for anyone outside this circle to understand. When a technician talks about DMX matrixes, wavelengths, compressors, or gates, it is usually hard for a dancer to comprehend. In turn, speaking about arabesque, bevel, and numbers of eights is likely to confuse a technician, yet these unfamiliar words offer the opportunity to learn about the particular cultures of our team. Languages appear on the outside layer of the cultural onion, but they can be used as a gateway toward the core. Once we understand the meaning behind mere words, we learn about people’s approaches and their ways of thinking.

“Stage Right” Throughout the development of a language, new words are invented while others fall into disuse. A particular way of speaking evolves, which may occur simultaneously in different regions of the world. For example, people in Spain are expanding their vocabulary at the same time as Venezuelans and Cubans are. The evolution of their Spanish language doesn’t always correspond. For example, the word “juice” became zumo in Spain and hugo in Mexico.

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SAME/SIMILAR LANGUAGE . . . DIFFERENT COUNTRIES ●

English: UK , USA , Australia, Canada, South Africa, India . . .

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Spanish: Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia . . .

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French: France, Canada, Switzerland, Niger, Mauritius . . .

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Arabic: Morocco, Saudi Arabia, UAE , Iraq . . .

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Russian: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan . . .

The same principle also applies in the professional context of a stage productions. A specific prop for aerial acrobatics, for example, is sometimes called ring, while in other productions it might be named hoop or lyra. One particular type of light is often called blacklight, in other cases UV-light or conga blue. The same concept is referred to using different terms depending on the cultural context. A particular word or phrase can also have different meanings in different countries. A Sessel in German-German, for example, refers to a different piece of furniture than in Austrian-German: in the first it is an armchair and in the latter a stool. A fanny in UK -English is a different body part than in US -English. Such differences also occur in a professional context. A classic example is the use of stage directions, which potentially could have the opposite meaning. People may have different perceptions of where left and right are on stage. “False friends” have spread around the world, which I call “the actor’s view” and “the painter’s view” (Figure 3.5). The actor’s view is that Stage Right appears as seen from standing on stage, facing the audience. It is the opposite of House Right, which defines the audience’s view of the performance. Stage Right consequently equals House Left. The painter’s view, in contrast, sees everything happening on stage as a piece of art that a viewer (audience, director, Front of House) is facing. Stage Right, here, is on the right side of the artistic image. Throughout my professional career, I have been presented with both concepts and I have needed to adapt to one or the other when using stage directions. Though the two definitions seem reasonable, it is also very confusing. But it is noteworthy that every single production believed it was adopting the international standard. Regarding these different work traditions, there is no one correct way for any production. The terminology has developed independently of professionalism or geographical area—and has established itself differently between the vast diversity of performances. Even if we personally believe one expression is more logical or standard, we are not in a position to educate and convert a whole cultural system—for example, a large opera house—and change

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Figure 3.5 “Stage right.”

their use of vocabulary. Instead, to deal with the situation constructively, we need to be attentive and sensitive to words with different meanings and clarify their use in any specific set of circumstances. Katie Mitchell writes in her book The Director’s Craft how she makes her teams agree on a whole body of terminology at the beginning of each production.33 The defined technical terms then become a stable reference point for everyone’s

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communication from the first day of rehearsals until the last night of performance. When we start to match our discussion, it facilitates the exchange, improves the creative process, and makes the overall collaboration more fluent and fruitful.

Establish a Language, Create a Culture Much attention has been given to the recognition and respect for cultural differences. However, if we limit ourselves to only these first two stages, we run the risk of supporting only stereotypical views on cultures. So, the agenda follows the logic that in order for an organization to secure long-term success, the cultural dilemmas between the various stakeholders need to be reconciled. In so far as innovation could be defined essentially as combining values that are not easily joined, this process is created by and leads to innovation.34 The creative outcome of a production depends on the quality of exchange between individuals, teams, and departments. To unify the different approaches, team partners need to develop a shared language. Missing out on a productive dialogue can be decisive to a production’s success or failure.

EXAMPLE 3.6 In 2010, we performed at the foot of the Giza pyramids in Egypt. The scenic stage setting was built for a major telecommunications company, which had invited approximately 2,000 business partners to its event. The highlight of the evening was a one-hour performance from singer Mariah Carey and her incredible band. The organizational team for the night was comprised of mainly western agencies, all of which had apparently not recognized one major factor when working in Arab countries: the dramaturgy of a presentation is usually made in reverse compared with the West. Here, instead of building-up toward the final highlight, the most impressive presentation should come first because influential sheiks usually leave before the end of an event. That particular night in Giza, the most high-ranking guests only experienced little side-acts and walkabout performances. By the time Mariah Carey went on stage, the vast terrain was deserted and only around 150 guests remained. The world-famous singer ultimately performed for more staff than actual audience members! An impressive location, millions of dollars, and the presence of hundreds of potential clients were wasted because a small detail was missed in cross-cultural communication.

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To gain an understanding of our partners’ regional and social cultures, we need to establish a fruitful dialogue. With this in mind, I would like to recall the graphic we used in the earlier section about differences and similarities. Every member—just like the exemplary French technician—shares aspects with other colleagues and here the alignment needs to begin (Figure 3.6). When partners share a passion for scuba diving, heavy metal, or Golden Retrievers, such common ground provides a basis for future interactions. Instead of focusing on differences, people are able to be more productive, more collaborative, when they find things they agree on first—no matter how small these might be. This creates an initial positive context for venturing toward more complex interactions.

Figure 3.6 Expanding similarities.

EXAMPLE 3.7 For one contract that lasted 18 months in total, I was working with a highly international cast. As we were going to spend a lot of time together, we initiated a cultural exchange that involved theme parties. One week we celebrated “Russian Night” where our Russian cast members cooked borsch, pelmeni, and a traditional mayonnaise salad. We drank vodka and listened to Russian folk music. The next week our Turkish members prepared the evening and the following week we had

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“Mexican Night,” then “Austrian Night,” and so on. In addition to the strong impact of dining together, this provided us with much more than just learning about food: we started to exchange recipes, compare them with other traditional dishes, and bragged about how our mothers used to cook them in the old days. This led us to childhood memories, our hometowns, and other personal approaches to the various cultural backgrounds. It resulted in deep personal connections as well as understanding between members of the entire crew! It often takes only a small collective interest, such as enjoying foreign food, to create a gateway to other people’s cultures. When we trigger a dialogue, people are more open to dealing with little culture shocks, stereotypes, or the various perceptions of time. Team members may verbalize whether they prefer hierarchical or egalitarian structures or which fears they have. Some of these aspects may seem familiar, while others appear strange. All of the discovered information leads people closer to the core of each person’s onion of culture. The acquired knowledge supports the team partners in adapting their words, or at least choosing them more appropriately. This may involve switching between regional languages like English, Spanish, or French, and also the way we use jargon. Sometimes it is helpful to speak more elaborately, while at other times one may prefer to choose a simple, basic way of talking. Using technical terms, slang, or lingo, being more polite or really precise, speaking metaphorically or applying sarcasm—these are all ways to adapt our language to our partners. Composer Rachel Claudio says: In language we’re often using ready-made templates, reaching for the nearest possible word and then adjusting our thoughts accordingly. But in songwriting, just like in art, just like in any accurate or faithful self-expression, sometimes we have to push a little further than that—beyond the linguistic templates. Sometimes, you have to get inside the cracks that exist between the words, or at least between the feelings that already have names.35

As a team begins to agree on a way to express themselves, colleagues naturally form common sets of beliefs.

By doing so, people are able not only to gain access to each other’s backgrounds, but they also create their own particular culture. As a team begins to agree on a way to express themselves, colleagues naturally form common sets of beliefs. They align their norms and values and define shared goals. Language, in this sense,

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not only serves as a shortcut to someone’s individual culture, it also supports a team in creating their own, common surroundings for a fruitful collaboration.

KEY THINGS TO REMEMBER ●

The melting pot that is a stage production evolves from both regional and social cultures.

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To avoid stressful culture shocks, a lively dialogue supports clarification of people’s approaches as well as an understanding of the roots of their actions.

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All team members possess diverse cultural differences and similarities.

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Individual languages can serve as a gateway to someone’s specific culture and knowledge.

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Establishing a shared way of expression between team members leads to the creation of a common “(work-) culture.”

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4 IMPROVING CONDITIONS What this Chapter is About The next step toward successful cooperation can be implemented practically. Once we have realized what to expect from a production, our personal skills and requirements can be presented in a way that is convenient for other team members. We become prepared for effective communication on the site—this guarantees that we perform successfully. We seek to fully engage with our partners, which means making quick personal connections, reading other people’s work routines, and adapting to their capabilities. This chapter offers a variety of practical tools to stimulate and enhance good collaboration backstage.

What We Can Learn from Chickens In 1990, professor of genetics William Muir conducted an experiment1 with chickens in which he took the most productive hens—the ones that laid most eggs—from each cage and used them to breed the next generation of hens. He wished to determine whether it was possible to generate a population of highly productive animals. The problem was that these star performers, or red zone chickens as Jim Tamm was later to call them,2 were not actually more effective. They had achieved their “most productive” status by aggressively pecking and suppressing the egg production of the collaborative green zone chickens. After one year, William Muir presented the results: in the red zone cage, six of nine chickens had been killed by the three that remained, all of which were in poor health and still continued to peck one another. The separated green zone chickens, on the other hand, were in a healthy and stable condition; furthermore, by being separated from the red zone chickens, they increased their productivity by up to 260 percent. Jim Tamm draws a connection to human organizations and points at the unpleasant consequences competition within a team can create.3 Consequently, for the long-term success of a company, it is crucial to create a safe, collaborative work environment. William Muir himself also adds that, similar to chickens, “companies with the greatest internal dynamics, associated with cooperation and collaboration, are the survivors. Survival of the strongest 73

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individuals in a society (company or nation) leads to predatory behavior, loss of a community goal, and ultimately failure.”4 With this in mind, we will now start to develop a welcoming environment for any creative team in the performing arts.

The Optimal Team Collaborating creatively is intimately connected to solving problems and finding solutions, adapting to circumstances and experimenting. This may also involve errors and detours, arguments, struggles, and physical exhaustion, especially when the team is full of diversity and individualism. The most important tool to remain constructive through stress and pressure is to efficiently arrange one’s own energy resources. We need to find an optimal means of preventing fatigue and dejection, as these make us inflexible and rigid in our creative exchanges. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi says: “To achieve creativity in an existing domain, there must be a surplus attention available.”5 To be able to effectively align unequal components, we need to optimize existing workflows, highlight shortcuts for communication, and organize the available content to cultivate vigor. “Life is not something you do on your own in a vacuum, especially when it comes to your career. There really is no independence. A team is a community. You can’t be selfish and expect great things. You have to get to know each other and rely on one another.”6 Most often, we don’t get to choose the partners we work with—on the contrary, we can be faced with working with a whole new group of people on each new project. Having colleagues who we find a joy to work with offers multiple advantages. For example, agreeable communication makes workflows both easier and faster. We become more eager to support each other and to increase the team’s collective achievements. Speaker and author Michael Port wrote: “When you perform with colleagues, partners, or teammates you like and trust, you’ll enjoy, even love, the entire process. If you are going to deliver a significant performance or product and your colleagues or co-participants don’t have your back or simply lack the right chemistry with you, the outcome will suffer. That is a significant risk.”7 One means of creating a positive setting, therefore, may simply be to turn to colleagues you prefer to work with. Even when a team is assigned externally, we could choose our favorite person within each department to collaborate with. But personal preferences can be treacherous, too. Director Katie Mitchell mentions the danger of favoring people during creative exchanges: “Do not prioritize one relationship over another and thereby create competitiveness in the room. Give clear and encouraging feedback to each member . . . irrespective of a status.”8 To produce a pleasant working environment for the team, we need to interact with all colleagues on as equal a basis as possible, thus avoiding making someone feel left out.

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When a network is defined for you and not by you, it also gives you the chance to reveal unexpected potential. New members can offer input you wouldn’t have come across if you chose to work with favored colleagues and their relatively foreseeable approach. Incorporating everyone’s input forces you to be more open to new methods and work techniques. This sustains the process with possibly unexpected or surprising outcomes. For optimal results, we need to learn how to get on with strangers as well as friends. The sooner we start to actively prepare an exchange, the more chance for it to become flawless and effortless. Besides embracing a supportive attitude, we can clarify who exactly is part of a collaboration and how we may align our own work routines with those of colleagues. A lot of this is based on a positive and supportive attitude, which can only be sustained by having spare energy— both physical and mental.

TIPS FOR ENHANCING TEAM SPIRIT 1

Little things matter: Small signs of politeness or appreciation make a huge difference. Say “please” and “thank you,” greet people, smile at them, don’t leave your stuff lying around and always be responsive, no matter how short or quick an encounter might be. Simple, easy, efficient.

2

Don’t gossip: If you are negative about other people, it will leave you with a not-so-perfect image. Even people who are on your side at this moment get the impression you could turn against them, too. Gossipers are hard to trust, so people naturally stay away from them. Don’t make negative talk the end of a good team.

3

Be reliable: Be someone others can count on. Arrive on time, keep your promises and deadlines, and work conscientiously.

4

Embrace flexibility: Your own way is not always the best. Make an effort to think through other people’s options and compromise as much as possible.

5

Respect private lives: Everyone has a bad day every now and then. Personal issues cannot always be separated from work. If someone is privately distracted, needs to leave early to pick up their child, or go to a funeral—cover for them!

6

Develop empathy: Learn to recognize and share your partners’ emotions and give support where it is needed.

7

Be consistent . . . in all the above.

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Positivity The Austrian scientist and author Paul Watzlawick said: “One cannot not communicate.”9 As soon as two people are in the same room, they automatically communicate with one another. Even if one person tries to avoid any kind of contact, a message is transmitted. The mere presence of two people triggers an exchange of information.

One cannot not communicate.

Optimally, partners accommodate and support one another, but when pressure and fatigue come into play, it’s not so easy to maintain positive intentions. Enthusiasm seems to slip away when we are caught up in stressful work situations, negative influences gain the upper hand, and we lose the most valuable and vital foundation for fruitful communication. Professor Ole Hruschka says that power struggles, arguments, setbacks, and doubts will always be present to a certain extent,10 but negative emotions can have more of an influence than often perceived at first. When your mood worsens, it can turn the rest of the team against you, especially if you direct your anger at another person. Director Katie Mitchell states: “Treat someone badly, and everyone’s respect for you in the rehearsal room will be undermined. You will also create a climate of fear. The actors will be frightened that you will suddenly turn on them in the same way. As a result, they will stop offering you the best of their creativity.”11 Pleasant surroundings for creating new things can only be developed with thoughtful communication. We need to stay positive and carry each other at all times for common processes to unfold.

The primary goal is, despite exhaustion and stress, to spread a positive mood.

During the first day on the site, most people are nervous or tense. They are busy with themselves and, as a result, are often unable to connect well with other people. However, the first contact is still one of the most critical moments to lay the foundation for future communication. As rehearsals commence, anything that pulls us down should be discarded. All of our energy needs to be available

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to compensate for unexpected problems. The primary goal is, despite exhaustion and stress, to spread a positive mood.

EXAMPLE 4.1 In 2016, I worked in a German variety theatre near Berlin. The creation phase was an intense time for everyone involved and people’s energy levels were getting low. To top it all off, the host suddenly exploded at a few members after an insensitive comment from the aerial acrobat. This affected the whole team. Instantly, everyone retreated and shut themselves off. Luckily, we were almost finished and could soon call it a night. The next morning, we all arrived with a lingering after-taste about the host’s mood, but surprisingly, he was happier and more open than ever. He showed himself to be productive and cooperative during rehearsals, and he involved everyone equally in the creative process. The whole team’s spirits were lifted and a sense of relief filled the air. Then, in a quiet moment, he turned to me and said: “So how am I today?” I replied: “I can’t believe how much you’ve changed!” He smiled and said: “Last night when I got home, I decided I don’t want to be angry. Whatever comes my way, I will keep it positive!” And it worked for the rest of the contract —the artists felt the positive energy and creativity, and it made the work process far more enjoyable for everyone.

Positivity means making a clear decision to invest energy into our relationships. This attitude can be supported by improving our conditioning. Detailed preparations for both our own craft as well as interpersonal connections make life on site easier and leave us with more freedom for collaboration. The more conscious we are about the underlying conditions, the more space we create for the people that surround us. To begin with, this means arranging our own toolbox.

Keystones for Commitment The first step toward a lively dialogue is to learn about ourselves and be well prepared for work. We need to find out what is really important to us, what our work requires, and how we can help to create a pleasant atmosphere. The preparation starts when we first sign a contract. I often found myself upset at a production because the job didn’t turn out as I expected. When I first

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agreed to the conditions, everything seemed promising. But during the production, my faith in the contract crumbled. Maybe I realized too late that I should have negotiated more strongly, that some creative aspects could not be implemented, or that success didn’t materialize as expected. These things can quickly bring someone down. A lousy atmosphere then gets transmitted to the whole team, who might have nothing to do with the issue at hand. To be happy at work, we need to make a conscious decision about each new job. An offer of employment may seem very exciting, this can make us blind to its underlying conditions. However, once you have committed, you have to accept all the terms—the good and not so good. To help decide whether to take a new job offer, we need to be rational when thinking about the contract. We need to find out what it has to offer and why exactly we might want to accept it. The aim is to consciously consider all facets of a particular project instead of making a rushed decision. We should look at the bigger picture in advance and ask ourselves: “What’s in it for me?” Maybe a job is well paid, you will get to work with friends, or get to travel to a country you always wanted to visit, all of which can affect your decision. Having decided on a few factors, we can recall them later when stress and long working hours shift our priorities. Our personal goals should be subdivided into three categories: short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals (Figure  4.1). For example, I place money and carefree lifestyle in the first category and expanding the network as well as improving professional references in the second. The third category is about long-term improvements and personal development. I try to set these priorities as fixed as possible, even though they may have shifted over the years. Any job proposal that comes in now is filtered through our individual model. Sometimes it is just lovely to work in the Caribbean, regardless of the money on offer; sometimes the fee is so good that we can justify postponing personal development. Whatever a contract promises, we should try to clarify at least two or three things that we can circle in our timeline. In some cases, we might end

Figure 4.1 Timeline of motivation.

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up in a situation where one of these is not as relevant as we thought it would be. Maybe a professional contact fails to show, or the excellent beach hotel is actually a shabby hut. Perhaps our client is declared bankrupt and we don’t get paid. That is why we need at least two—better three or four—reasons to sign up for a particular production. If one of these reasons is invalidated, we still have the others. Spending some time going through any new offer and entering the promising aspects into a personal timeline will remind us of the reasons for our decision once we have committed ourselves. Example #1: If the desired contacts don’t develop, we still have personal development to focus on (Figure 4.2).

Figure 4.2 Timeline #1.

Example #2: If a promised lifestyle turns out to be somewhat less glamorous, newly learned skills still make the job worthwhile.

Figure 4.3 Timeline #2.

Physical Shape Working on a stage production is physically exhausting for everybody. Each job profile will likely involve walking for miles, standing for hours on end, carrying stuff, kneeling down, climbing heights, crawling on the floor, or pushing cases—often in combination with little sleep and lousy food. Sometimes, it

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also means sitting on planes or buses for long periods before rushing into physical activity, which puts a strain on our bodies. It doesn’t take much to run out of energy or even fall ill, which means extra work for the remaining members who have to compensate for sick or injured colleagues—and that means their health might also deteriorate. It’s a vicious circle that can bring down a production.

The stress on our body manifests also as stress in the mind. When we struggle physically, we are more nervous, agitated, and unwilling to compromise.

Even if we are able to cope relatively well with physically demanding conditions, the stress on our body manifests also as stress in the mind. When we struggle physically, we are more nervous, agitated, and unwilling to compromise. It becomes harder to remain curious and show interest in other people while trying to find creative solutions. When a whole team is busy looking after themselves, the production’s general flow suffers.

EXAMPLE 4.2 In 2013, we left the cold Austrian winter at a temperature of 2°C/28°F and arrived in Leon, Guanajuato at a summery 28°C/80°F. The Mexican city lies 1,800 meters (6,000 feet) above sea level, compared to Vienna at 200 meters (650 feet). While we were still in “temperature-shock,” our bodies also had to adapt to the new altitude. This made any physical activities very strenuous. We had crossed seven time-zones, which made sleeping at night difficult, even though we were all exhausted from the long flight with multiple connections. For meals, our only option nearby was to eat street food, but our digestive system had not yet acclimatized to the unfamiliar bacteria. Some members were starting to experience stomach problems. At this point, we were preparing for a three-showsper-day rhythm while having twelve-hour rehearsals in a location with artificial light and air conditioning. One lead dancer broke her ankle in rehearsals, and another artist had to be brought to the hospital because of an allergic reaction to the Mexican washing powder. By the day of the opening show, most of us were ready for a vacation.

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The only way to cope with such stress is to be in excellent physical shape beforehand. This doesn’t necessarily mean going to the gym three times a week or doing yoga every morning—it means being able to handle the physical challenges that working in show business entails. Looking after our body is a part of our professionalism and demonstrates our worthiness as a team member. The last thing we want on an exciting job is to be knocked backwards lying helpless in our hotel room. The requirements of every job are different and affect each of us in varying ways. We need to find out for ourselves what it takes to become, be, and remain stable under production-related stress. Some points that helped me over the years are listed below.

TIPS FOR STAYING FIT ON THE ROAD 1

Real light: Working in theatres or convention halls usually means spending a lot of time in dark places with artificial light. Since this neither covers the whole light spectrum nor changes the light temperature throughout the day like sunlight does, it is easy to become confused whether it is night or day outside. You lose your natural rhythm. The only solution is to emphasize the day/night rhythm as much as possible so your body can orientate well. This means catching as much real light as possible by going outside—even if it’s just for a quick coffee or a rushed lunch. When it’s daytime, don’t darken your hotel room. When it’s dark outside, don’t leave the lights on. Little things make a big difference. Every minute helps.

2

Real air: Working inside often also incorporates dealing with air conditioning. The reused air dries out your lungs and mucosa. It sometimes also means a lower percentage of oxygen. Consequently, muscle power and concentration decrease. The solution is, again, to spend as much time outside as possible, breathing fresh air. Look out for outside lunch areas, or seize the opportunity to walk home instead of taking a taxi. Open the windows when driving your car, switch off the air conditioning in the hotel room, and try to keep windows ajar while you are out.

3

Undo positions: Every job comes with at least one specific body position. For a sound technician, this could involve one hand on the faders; a costumemaker may be sitting at the sewing machine; a stagehand kneeling down while taping cables. Whatever positions you repeatedly find yourself in, try also to “undo” them. If you are sitting in front of a computer, stand up regularly and stretch to the ceiling; if you are carrying cables, loosen your arms; if you are

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standing a lot, lie down for a couple minutes with your legs up. This will bring balance back to your joints and muscles. 4

Squats: An efficient way to increase your blood circulation is to do bodyweight squats. The thighs are the biggest muscles and therefore function as a giant pump. Contracting these particular muscles makes your blood literally wash your body. Cold hands? Squats. Tired? Squats. Hard to focus? Squats. From my experience, it is the most vigorous exercise to reset the body. While traveling, I do 40 squats every couple of hours in the plane bathroom or at a gas station. It takes less than a minute and helps you to stay awake when driving and, additionally, to arrive fresh and keen after a long journey.

5

Hot/cold shower: When taking a shower, you may experiment with the water temperature. Instead of average “warm,” go for burning hot and ice cold. Change back and forth a few times. This increases your blood circulation and results in a good overall feeling, higher attention, and more good sleep. It also challenges and then boosts your immune system.

6

Mental training: A more complex yet highly efficient way to improve fitness is through mental exercises. These can range from simple breathing rhythms to more advanced methods like meditation, self-hypnosis, or affirmations. Over the years, I collected a palette of patterns that I apply for freshening up, finding my focus, or toning myself down before going to sleep. Elaborate your personal routines to take with you on the road!

Preparatory Research Before arriving on a new assignment, we can ensure a good start by obtaining an information advantage. Any information—no matter how minor—we can gather about a new project will help us in our preparations. Knowing what to expect from a job will support us in understanding the overall work structure, identifying our most relevant partners, or merely assembling the essential materials. In some instances, a production’s framework is only revealed to us only once we are physically there. With corporate events, for example, it is not unusual not to know the name of the company involved. People arrive on site without knowing where to go or who to approach. They have to find their way through a jungle of misinformation before they can even unload a truck. This situation has become so prevalent that many professionals don’t even bother to inquire anymore—they improvise.

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Figure 4.4 Research.

Limited preparatory information can prevent us from doing the best possible job. A lack of readiness then takes up valuable energy that could have been devoted toward laying the foundations for prosperous working relationships. If we don’t receive the requisite information—whether from our client, agency, or team leader—we have to do the homework ourselves. The more we are able to find out about a production, the more variables we can exclude. This can be achieved as follows: first, researching our working conditions and, second, investigating the project’s content (Figure 4.4).

If we don’t receive the requisite information— whether from our client, agency, or team leader— we have to do the homework ourselves.

To stake out the circumstances of a production, we need to find out as much as possible about the location, the network, the schedules, the general logistics, and so on. This ensures that we can focus on the actual work rather than having to engage in troubleshooting.

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EXAMPLE 4.3 In 2016, a Spanish circus artist arrived for a four-month contract in Germany, where he was supposed to perform a particular acrobatic act on a large sphere. Once he had unloaded his props from the car, the team came to the realization that the theatre’s doors were not big enough for the giant ball to fit through. Despite all efforts, it could not be rolled into the room nor was it possible to dismantle it! To be able to proceed with the contract, the artist had to come up with an entirely new act within a few days only. The situation put a lot of pressure on him as well as on the whole production during rehearsals, when everyone’s energy could have been harnessed in other creative ways. Thoughtful preparation on both sides—theatre and performer—could have avoided the problem and given everyone enough time to elaborate the performance in advance.

Even when not openly communicated, some details can be further investigated: email addresses, names, slogans, directions, and so on—all might be identified. These bits of information can be used to make a quick phone call, pack some extra gear, or merely create a clearer picture about the upcoming job. In an interview, light designer Tino Schätzler told me that he always tries to actively connect to unknown colleagues before arriving at a new location.12 He normally makes a brief phone call to introduce himself. By doing so, both partners have a chance to develop a feeling for each other, which quickens their connection once they meet in person. Sometimes, they even “stumble” over some misunderstandings or problems on the phone that then can be ironed out in advance. Schätzler said: “Many people . . . have no idea how much a phone call of five minutes can aid them personally as well as the whole production.”13 If you can’t sound out someone’s phone number, you may still find it useful to google them. By finding pictures, interviews, CV s, or references online, we can generate an image of our partners to refer to at a later moment.

POSSIBLE HIDDEN INFORMATION ●

If someone briefly mentioned the director’s name, look him up or ask around. Most likely, you can develop a feeling for his work or at least find a simple headshot of him. There is nothing worse than arriving on site not realizing who the most responsible person in the room is. You may also print out a picture of him to remember his face better.

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●

When emails about a job are sent to other people in “Cc:” form, their email addresses give you an opportunity to research names or companies, and sometimes even both. Look up your associates and find out who you will be working with.

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If you need a stage plan but only know the name of the location, you can still research the theatre or venue. There are usually photos posted online, sometimes websites even offer a virtual tour of the building. Examining a specific location can also help to remember random background facts that you can use later on for initiating a conversation.

Once we are clear about our working conditions and partners, we can look at the content of a production: its theme, style, background, or any other specific aspect. If the performance is set around a historical topic, for example, we may want to research relevant facts, or figure out the divergence between the dramatic story and the actual historical incidents. Some colleagues like to visit libraries, museums, or art exhibitions for delving into a production’s background. They say it helps them to research colors, fashion, music, architecture—even associated smells or tastes. Any impressions they acquire offer new building blocks that might become useful later in the creative process. Whether we research working conditions or the content of a production, the quest becomes much more efficient when we know what we are looking for. Instead of randomly browsing, we need to clarify what is essential for our specific job profile and the associated routines. Becoming conscious of both our own potential and our workflows makes us channel all our efforts in the right direction.

Mind Our Own Business We have already seen in Chapter  1 that everyone working in the performing arts possesses a mix of skills and creative building blocks they can contribute to the overall process. When we utilize our bag of experiences, the primary consideration should be which of these many bits are most pertinent for the current project? This is not always an easy task. The more experiences we accumulate, the more they blur in the mass. They become a bag of chaos rather than a creative repertoire. Sometimes, even sophisticated techniques have become so natural that it is hard to express them. We find ourselves unaware of performing simple operations. When collaborating with a team, we need to step back and consciously understand our own workflows. This allows us to offer access points for other people’s skills. Our capabilities and creative ideas have to be made available as well as compatible. To achieve this, we first have to know ourselves to be able to present ourselves to others.

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The more experiences we accumulate, the more they blur in the mass. They become a bag of chaos rather than a creative repertoire.

Knowing Ourselves Setting a strong foundation for exchange with other colleagues also means knowing our own material inside out: a singer can’t lead a band while trying to remember the lyrics; a costume designer can’t create costumes without understanding the characteristics of fabrics; a technical director needs to see how his team operates, and so on. Professional improvement doesn’t only mean gaining more knowledge or skills—sometimes it is merely about recognizing what is already there. People who are considered the most professional are often those who know their own potential the best.

People who are considered the most professional are often those who know their own potential the best.

EXAMPLE 4.4 The talented drummer Tim Miller told me a story about the Scottish singer Brenda Cochrane14 to exemplify how he realized her high professionalism.15 During rehearsals on a cruise ship, Brenda handed out sheet music to the musicians like every guest entertainer does who comes aboard for a one-night performance. Tim felt tired that day, so he hoped playing an easy-string would be enough for Brenda’s rehearsal. He was soon proved wrong as he messed up slightly a drum fill that he didn’t spot on the sheet music. He was hoping nobody had noticed and continued playing. However, after the song was finished, Brenda asked him respectfully if he had any questions about the one fill that he had played wrong. Tim instantly realized that she knew every bar of every instrument in her set. Previously, he had experienced singers who couldn’t provide an answer if he had questions for them. Brenda’s ability not only to know her own material inside out but also to spot small deviations made Tim extraordinarily keen to live up to her standards.

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Professionalism encourages other people to support it where they can and even to perform better themselves. Expertise, to a large extent, is based on the ability to manifest one’s own skills and material. Not many people are able to put into simple words what their regular work rituals involve, because once their technique is well established many little details become stored in the unconscious. They merge into the cloud of a person’s overall knowledge.

Not many people are able to put into simple words what their regular work rituals involve.

On one hand, this makes daily routines more efficient. It provides extra space to focus on other things. On the other hand, once internalized, these details become hard to manifest or communicate when needed for a creative exchange. Therefore, we need to consciously step back and reflect on what is essential to perform our particular craft well. The more aware we are of our workflows, the more accessible they become. When we organize our toolbox before going to work, we build up reserves that can be devoted to achieving a better overall performance.

EXAMPLE 4.5 Many physical performers—acrobats, dancers, and singers—tend to extend their warm-up before an important show compared with a standard performance or rehearsal. The result often is that they step on stage exhausted from the warm-up and perform worse than normal. In this situation, I recommend applying a technique that I call “training like show, show like training”: If we are as committed in rehearsals as we are with a live audience, we practice in comfortable surroundings how to get into the perfect condition to perform on stage. Once we consciously develop a personal preparatory routine, this may also be recalled when we feel the pressure to give an exceptional performance. An established ritual helps us to focus on dealing with the distractions a live performance involves.

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Personal Requirements Let’s now look more closely at what it takes to perform well—even under difficult conditions. Team members change constantly, as can their commitment and support. We won’t always get what we desire. However, we still need to know what to ask and aim for. In this section, we look at what we as individuals need to create the best possible setting for our professional work. Our requirements can be divided into three prioritized (Figure 4.5): 1 Survival needs 2 Quality requirements 3 Sweet bonuses. The first category guarantees that we can complete our work, the second enables us to deliver a good outcome, while the third optimizes work enjoyment. Heading the list of survival needs is the one thing we absolutely must possess to perform our job. It may be a fundamental prop or condition, without which completing the task would be impossible. Many people mistake something that

Figure 4.5 Personal requirements.

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makes work more comfortable for something they truly rely on. They ask for multiple things at once, which often results in confusion, or receiving no support from the team they are working with. We need to ask ourselves, which prop or tool is so important to us that without it we simply could not work at all? That prop or tool then becomes our treasure. It is the one thing that travels in our hand luggage, it is the first thing we check on site, and it is also the one thing we must insist upon in negotiations with our representatives or clients.

POSSIBLE SURVIVAL NEEDS Orchestra: Illusionist: Tap dancer: DJ : Singer: Aerial acrobat:

music stands black backdrop solid floor PA system/amplification monitoring secure hanging point or motor

The second step is to identify our personal quality requirements. These are the things we could “survive” without, but don’t want to compromise on because they help us to deliver a successful result. This category should be whittled down as much as possible. Think of two—maybe three—things that are important to you for performing your professional role. Try asking for one of these at a time until you have arranged a comfortable work setting. In some cases, we will achieve more, in some less, depending on the production and our client’s capacity to accommodate us. Over time we learn when it is the best moment to ask for which “quality requirement.”

POSSIBLE QUALITY REQUIREMENTS Stage manager: Singer: Wardrobe assistant: Sound engineer: Light designer:

intercom, reading lamp, precise schedule, script water or tea, warm-up room, bed quick-change area, backstage light, mirror, hangers backstage assistant, adequate materials (e.g., specific microphones) favored console, running order, intercom

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The final category involves things that make us happy while working—“sweet bonuses” that make a job a smooth and enjoyable experience. Bear in mind that we may not always get these rewards but one can always be optimistic. These are the little things that can sometimes make a world of difference. We may even indulge ourselves and bring a couple of treats with us. As team leader, we can consider providing such bonuses to our team members as a way of showing we care for them and are grateful for their endeavors. The appreciation we show backstage pays off on stage as well.

EXAMPLE 4.6 On my first job in Mumbai, India, our local agency asked us to fly in two days before the official start of rehearsals. We expected extra hours of preparation, but we were entirely wrong. The company provided two guides whose job it was to introduce us to their country—they looked after us around the clock! For two days we drove around the city in private limousines, went to traditional markets and pumping nightclubs, bought authentic souvenirs for our families, and had our hair cut by a local barber. Once rehearsals began, we felt so appreciated that everyone in the team did their absolute best to give the Indian agency an unforgettable performance in return.

POSSIBLE SWEET BONUSES Acrobat: Host: Director: Video operator: Singer: Dancer:

appropriate and well-timed catering, sauna access backstage assistant, cordless microphone, background information assistant, microphone, shuttle comfortable highchair, energy drinks on-demand private dressing room, snacks/drinks, honey backstage towels/shower, videos/photos of their performance

Once we have drawn up a list of the main things needed for us to succeed, we can apply them in a real work situation. The primary goal is not to confuse the different groups categories, especially “survival needs” and “quality requirements.” Many people insist on five or more fundamental conditions, which is too many for most

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projects. While you may get lucky in certain circumstances, many teams don’t have the time, money, or resources to address every detail of all members preferred needs. This is why it is essential to start with only one survival need: having a single requirement will make us look focused, professional, and relaxed. Plus, since we have only asked for one thing, the team will instantly recognize its importance and we are practically guaranteed to have it at our disposal when needed. Once we have secured our “survival need,” most of the pressure and stress should have drained away. We can now start slowly asking for “quality requirements” until we achieve the most a project can offer. Focus on building rapport and developing a good relationship with partners before asking for too much. It takes a lot of tact to know when to ask for which support, but once fundamental conditions have been established, we can sit back and enjoy the icing on the cake.

EXAMPLE 4.7 One day on a ship I was on my way to the production office. On stage, I saw a new entertainer rehearse with the band: Claire Vinkesteijn-Maidin, an incredible singer and show pianist, who I hadn’t met up until then. I was instantly hypnotized by the way she led rehearsals, so I sat down and watched her work for more than an hour. Over the next few cruises Claire and I became friends, so one night after having sushi, I finally spoke to her about the strategies she uses as a bandleader.16 She told me for any new band she starts rehearsals with two programs in her mind. Number one covers basics like speed, transitions, and general atmosphere of the songs. Through this, she realizes if her new band members are able to jump to the next level or need more time to process this information further. Program two goes into far more depth—working in addition on dynamics, emotions, and desired sound images. Sometimes, she senses that a given band only has the capacity to get through a concert, no more, whereas others are good enough to be led further. Starting with the basics, but having additional options in reserve, allows her to never overrun rehearsal schedules while making the best use of the time together.

Presenting Ourselves On the first day of a new production, we often initiate connections that might become long-lasting and intimate relationships. At the same time, the beginning

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is also one of the most challenging times. When arriving at a new location, we have to find our way around, remember names and faces, answer questions, and familiarize ourselves with equipment and directions while understanding specific production rules. While busy finding our own feet, it is often hard to evaluate what to expect of the team, or what other people expect of us.

It is often hard to evaluate what to expect of the team, or what other people expect of us.

Throughout these tense moments, we tend to overstate their importance for framing the communication for the rest of the production. Communication coach Vanessa van Edwards highlights how people decide in the first moment how they feel about someone else.17 Their initial instinct will be proved right 67 percent of the time, but even if their first impression is incorrect, 97 percent of those people won’t let anyone convince them otherwise. Thus, whatever a person thinks of us on first meeting is most likely how they will continue to view us subsequently. The following sections will help us to quickly enhance personal connections in our first contact on site. Any effort we invest now will pay handsomely throughout the rest of the project.

Enabling Access When we are presented with a new team, it is often difficult to ascertain who is responsible for which task or even which department the different members belong to. Finding our closest collaborators can sometimes appear a hidden secret. Which of the technicians is responsible for sound? Who is the dance captain or the wardrobe assistant? While we are still trying to figure out our new partners, we can facilitate an exchange by letting others know who we are.

EXAMPLE 4.8 On the first day of a Mexican production, our technical director Stefan Kubalek18 took a piece of gaffer tape, stuck it to his chest, and wrote his name on it. Instead of using the Austrian “Stefan” he decided to add an extra “o” to the end, to make it

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sound more Mexican. Over the next few days, “Stefano” became the primary link between local workers and the international production company—mainly because of his little tag gag. People quickly remembered his name and approached him first if they had any questions. The Mexican alter ego additionally opened up a host of possibilities for jokes and stories. His local associates soon gave him a real sombrero, taught him about their favorite music, took him to a leather market to buy authentic boots, and, of course, he learned a lot of Spanish swear words. People loved him and tried to support him whenever they could. It was the name tag that opened up the possibility for everyone to find out about him. Being the main conduit for communication also made his task a lot easier. He was always aware of what was going on backstage and was able to prevent mistakes and misunderstandings, merely by staying in the loop. If he ever needed anything, it was sorted within no time. People were thankful to have found out about him. In the end, everyone—including “Stefano Mexicano”—was able enjoy a fruitful exchange.

Instead of hiding within a complex structure, we need to be able to contribute our skills to the team. By allowing people a glimpse of who we are, we can save precious time in finding valuable partners. A unique name tag, or some other creative idea, offers personal access and facilitates stepping up to someone ready to collaborate.

OTHER NAME TAG IDEAS ●

My name is TIMO, and I love gummy bears

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TIMO like Timon and Pumbaa

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T-I-M-O—Today I Made Omelet (for breakfast)

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TIMO —how could you possibly OMIT me?

A Punchline Introduction On many productions we find general rounds of introduction. These are a perfect opportunity to get to know other team members, but most people don’t make good use of them. Instead, they present themselves like, “Hi, I am Matt. I am a technician,” which provides no information to remember, work with, or refer to.

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Our next tool for making quick connections is to prepare a little sentence about our job—a striking definition that sums up what could be useful for others. It may also be a brief summary of why we are part of this particular production. This can turn out to be creative, different, or even funny. When I was still working as an acrobat, I often said, “Hi, I am Timo. I balance my partner standing on my head.” This created a lively image in people’s mind that was easily remembered. The primary objective is to give people something to talk about.

MORE POSSIBILITIES FOR A CATCHY JOB DESCRIPTION ●

I am Jacky, responsible for wardrobe. If your pants rip, I can help you.

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I am Phil, the conductor. I make music by waving a stick.

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My name is Ben, I am the light designer. If I am not at my console, you can find me in the smoker’s lounge.

Although Phil, the conductor above, does more than just “wave a stick,” it is an image that people can identify with. They might also invite Ben for a cigarette, or ask Jacky for advice. Any unconventional presentation eases boring introduction rounds and makes those spoken to more interested. This supports everyone in starting a dialogue while they also remember you better.

The Condition of Our Materials Everyone working in the performing arts uses different equipment, tools, or props on a daily basis. These things are a vital part of what we are. For a carpenter this might be a toolbox, for a stage manager the cue-book, and for tap dancers their shoes. A work personality can be judged to a certain extent by observing people’s props. They can say a lot about them—the way cables are taped down, flight cases are stored, or costumes are maintained represents a company, the department, but most especially the member responsible. It is easy to tell if someone is messy or organized, enjoys decorative details, or to what extent they are willing to invest. To fit the image we want to convey, we should be aware of our equipment’s condition and adapt it if necessary.

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EXAMPLE 4.9 Showband musician Tim Miller told me about the various qualities of sheet music he received from bandleaders.19 Sometimes, these were slightly torn printouts with bent corners only held together with paper clips. They often included scribbles made by previous musicians, which served as a definite sign that other colleagues weren’t quite sure about the exact arrangements. Bent corners also represented that they were not updated regularly or didn’t get looked after well. In contrast, other bandleaders hand out clean, fresh prints in a nice folder, easy to turn over. Blank sections help to bridge moments when a page flip might be inconvenient for the musician. Every artist can recognize the thought that was put into the material. This quality influences the whole team before rehearsals even get underway.

Names Remembering names is a fundamental skill that most people don’t internalize strongly enough. The topic is often bypassed, with people saying, “I’m not good at names.” However, no excuse can really justify avoiding this groundbreaking tool. The performing arts see new people enter into our lives every day. Some of these personalities we remember well, others we forget over the years. For the time we spend together, we need to know our team members and thus their names too. Learning names is something that every professional person inside the performing arts can and needs to become good at. Names function as a deeply rooted connection to our personality. It is a linguistic link that is manifested over the years. Everyone’s mind is trained from birth to react to this particular word. Studies have shown that hearing one’s own name triggers connections in the brain.20 Blood pressure is raised and one’s overall attention is increased. The amount of activation when we hear “Hey, how’s it going?” and “Hey, Michael, how’s it going?” cannot be compared. Within the first two months of an international production, I had to remember 90 new names and 46 of them in the first week. Some of those like Tim, Nicole, and Brittany were easy to recall while others like Dipok, Nevena, Sanju, and Shanika I had never heard before. Whatever the names we need to remember, the process of solidifying them should be a standard procedure. Similar to learning a script or packing tools, it facilitates our later work within the team. When our partners feel noticed and appreciated, they try to give us something in return. As a result, our driver will likely be on time, our food mostly fresh, and our

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changing room close by. The support on offer then makes us free to concentrate on what we are actually booked for—contributing the best of our skills. The earlier we catch someone’s name, the easier it is to acquire. In an introduction situation, people usually just mention their own name; they forgo the perfect opportunity to pick up those of others. Whilst these introductory moments often present people’s names on a silver platter, we tend to focus on eye contact, greetings, shaking hands, or dealing with any other distractions. The longer we wait after that, the harder it becomes to register the information. After three days of working together, it feels awkward to ask someone’s name again, hope for it to be mentioned again, or to secretly consult a third person. In comparison, after five or ten minutes, the chances are that the other person will be relieved and ask for your name again too! Thus, if we find ourselves in an introduction round, we should try to memorize as many names as possible. Even if only recalling three or four out of ten, we are still likely more efficient than other members of the group. This gives us a head start on assembling and remembering the remaining people’s names.

EXAMPLE 4.10 Learning each other’s name became key to my friendship with the Swiss juggler Eddy Carello.21 When we first met, he repeatedly insisted on forgetting names all the time and warned me that he would not remember mine the next day. I started joking around and said: “It is easy, my name is Timo—like Timon and Pumbaa from The Lion King! ” He began to smile. The same afternoon I approached him several times—with a wink—to see if he could still recall my name. The next day, he walked up to me during rehearsals with a big grin on his face and said: “Good morning, TIMO!” He suddenly started mentioning my name on every possible occasion, which turned into a running gag and a lot of laughs. It was the perfect introduction for the rest of the contract and many more years of collaboration.

Once we have learned someone’s name, we need to save it efficiently to avoid embarrassing situations in the future. Journalist Emmie Martin notes: “Forgetting someone’s name, especially more than once, gives off an apathetic vibe, signaling that you don’t care enough to make a point of remembering. But by taking a few moments to commit a name to memory, you greatly increase your chances of making a genuine connection and building a relationship with the person.”22 Committing names to memory should be an enjoyable process. To facilitate this, we can come up with funny associations, read names backwards, or build

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rhymes around them. Sometimes, it helps to think of someone we already know with the same name, and then picture the two together. We can also create a secret description, like “Bert, the nerd,” or anything else that seems to suit. The more fun we have, the easier a name is registered. After you remember it once, it only needs to be solidified. The most gentle way to do so is by repeating it— preferably out loud. To avoid appearing a weirdo, simply incorporate the new names into a regular dialogue: “Thanks for your help, Jim,” “See you tomorrow, Maria,” “Chris, do you want to join us for food?” This supports us in remembering well and simultaneously makes our team partners feel noticed and appreciated. Otherwise, write the names down in a notebook, or invent a game that makes it more fun to repeat them. Whatever suits us best, we should embrace the power and skill of using names (Figure 4.6).

EXAMPLE 4.11 When my professional partner Robin and I enter a new production, we always sit down in a quiet moment of the first day and start gambling. We observe the rest of the crew and play “Who knows most names?” In turns, we present our freshly acquired repertoire until one of us runs out of names. This works as a perfect challenge to support each other in recognizing unfamiliar colleagues and extending our database of names, as well as bridging endless waiting times.

Figure 4.6 Learning names.

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Body Language Non-verbal communication is as important a topic as it is hard to apprehend. Many books are filled with valuable information about body language but most studies and theories are only as good as how we are able to apply them on a daily basis. Developing an understanding for gestures and facial expressions relies also on fostering our tactfulness and sensitivity. Only through constant awareness may we perceive people’s signs and learn to adjust our own. It is widely believed that non-verbal signals constitute 93 percent of all communication. This is based on Albert Mehrabian’s research,23 in which he subdivided people’s responses into body language (55 percent), tone of voice (38 percent), and spoken words (7 percent). However, we need to bear in mind that this research refers to attitude—positive, negative, or neutral—not the overall content. If, for example, we overhear a conversation in an unknown language, we might possibly detect the emotions of the exchange but surely not 93 percent of the overall information. Words contain a vast amount of valuable data. Inferentially, we should use body language and gestures to create the right emotional atmosphere for the exchange of information. Non-verbal rapport is an important tool for subtly underlining our intentions. Working internationally, it may be the only way of communicating we have at our disposal. When language barriers present themselves on a regular basis, we need to revert back to basic, elementary exchanges by pointing at things, signaling affirmation or rejection, or gesticulating—eat, drink, tired, happy, yes, no, etc. We need to reduce our transmissions to the most fundamental aspects. (This will also be covered by the Picture Dictionary in the “Tools and Tricks” chapter later in the book.) In the situations above, it becomes evident that—like almost everything else—body language is culturally dependent. It evolved differently in different social circles. Again, there are no fixed recipes to follow. If you want to present yourself openly, an outgoing gesture might seem welcoming to some members, yet intimidating to others. Similarly, the typical Indian headnodding might also be understood as a rejection or lack of clarity. To overcome this complexity of non-verbal signs, Professor Jeff Thompson promotes the 3C model of clusters, context, and congruence.24 Corresponding patterns (clusters) help us to base our judgments on several factors simultaneously. Lack of eye contact as a sign of insecurity could possibly be upheld by stuttering or raised shoulders. Being aware of a specific environment and people’s interrelation (context), we may perceive the same gesture in a different way. Leaning back may either be a sign of retreat or of being relaxed. And lastly, we determine whether non-verbal signals align with the spoken words (congruence). In summary, the first step toward optimal body language is to raise our awareness of other people’s signals. Our personal curiosity helps us to develop an understanding of our partners’ messages, adapt our own, and, ultimately,

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create the best possible environment for the exchange of information. The easiest and best way to start is—smile as often as you can!

Handshake Quality Another simple tool to improve our first connection with unfamiliar colleagues is the often underrated handshake. Traditionally, it was a sign for warriors to demonstrate that they came in peace. Writer Robert Hume notes that by shaking their empty hands, the two warriors showed each other that they carried no weapon.25 This ritual is still considered a sign of trust and reliance in most cultures today. Offering someone our open hand triggers more attention and confidence than an everyday “hello.” According to communication coach Vanessa van Edwards, scientists found “that the physical connection that you get, how fast we judge someone, from a handshake . . . is worth 3 hours of face-toface-time.”26 A handshake is easy to offer and underlines our intent to develop openness and trust.

Trust and Fear Over the past few decades, it has become relatively easy to promote one’s work professionally. Versatile hardware and software are accessible, thanks to which high-quality promotional videos, impressive CV s, or the portrayal of past achievements can be created effortlessly and beautifully. In addition, social media help to spread this content for promotional means. However, the package does not always equal the product. A lot of clients have been misled owing to unreliable promotional material. People have come to realize that it demands a different way to evaluate trustworthiness, other than by remote communication. Close personal relationships have turned out to be more reliable than a sparkling cover. Business specialist Lou Dubois wrote: “Organizations are facing some of the biggest challenges of the last 25 years thanks to the economic climate of the past few years. Therefore, the need to build and cultivate solid relationships is vital not only to success but also survival. Solid relationships are built up over time by gaining trust. And while most other parts of business require measurement, trust is tough to measure. But the effects of a lack of trust can be clearly evident (unhappy customers, lost business), and down the road very costly to your business.”27 In the performing arts, the quick turnaround between productions often leaves little room to establish these kinds of long-term connections. Unfamiliar people work together for a short period only, while relying on one another to deliver challenging projects. In some cases, they literally have to put their lives into

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someone’s bare hands—for example, when it comes to the use of pyrotechnics, rigging, or stage machinery. Professor Joel Peterson of Stanford University points out the economic value of having faithful partners: “Mistrust and politics are expensive, time-consuming and dispiriting. When a company has a reputation for fair dealing, its costs drop: trust cuts the time spent second-guessing, worrying, and lawyering. Trust strengthens every part of any deal: its durability, its potential profitability, and its flexibility. Like most things, business works better when the energy spent on doubt, fear, and suspicion are reduced.”28 On a professional level, Lou Dubois mentions three categories of trust29 that both represent essential aspects for stage productions and are based on mutual dependence: capability trust, contractual trust, and communicational trust (Figure 4.7). Capability trust relates to our belief in people’s professional skills and their capability of completing a specified task. A light technician needs to be proficient in controlling a console, a director to lead the creative process, and a dancer to perform the desired choreography. These skills may go hand in hand with making relevant decisions or dealing with particular consequences. A pyrotechnician, for example, needs the confidence to decide on the effects that suit a given situation or location. An electrician has to professionally evaluate that any installed equipment won’t overburden the electrical supply, and so on. This kind of trust builds on the experience of our partners. Contractual trust is based on both parties delivering what they agreed on or signed up for. This includes being reliable, punctual, discreet, and sober, as well as having the ability to deal with the physical and emotional stresses a production throws up. If an artist signs up for twelve performances a week but is physically unable to keep up, he or she is likely to break the company’s contractual trust by quitting or dropping out.

Figure 4.7 Professional trust.30

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Finally, communicational trust is about the team’s willingness to cooperate. Every member needs to play a vital role in support of the overall exchange. This includes being solution-orientated and contributing ideas, as well as treating colleagues with respect and recognition. Instead of talking behind someone’s back or being hostile, team members should be able to discuss their problems openly and provide constructive feedback. All of these different facets of trusting one another need to be considered when two people commit to a working relationship. Additionally, these aspects are framed by one fundamental element of cooperation: the elimination of fear. This may involve the anxiety someone experiences of not being skilled enough, the fear of being injured and losing one’s job, or even being part of a team that doesn’t align well. Even legendary choreographer Bob Fosse spoke in an interview of his fear of not having the “equipment, talent, intelligence to bring (better things) off.”31 When people sense the need to protect themselves from potential danger, it affects the way they are able to develop trust. Some people unexpectedly turn into “divas,” others explode for seemingly no reason or suddenly refuse to contribute. When a discussion touches someone’s inner fear, it can result in abrupt changes in attitude, misunderstandings, or frustration. A remarkable number of communication problems in my career were simply reducible to people trying to shield themselves. When colleagues and partners don’t feel safe, trust and cooperation rapidly go into decline. To avoid this, we need to generate a supportive environment in which team members can trust one another. Simon Sinek talks about creating a circle of safety32 among close partners that causes a chain reaction, as the sense of security gets passed on among members of the team. The more personal fears that can be eliminated early, the more trust can develop and vice versa. Katie Mitchell, author of The Director’s Craft states: “First days are about managing everyone’s fear efficiently so that they can do a proper and useful day’s work. If someone is frightened, they do not take in information well or respond precisely to tasks, so consider the things you can do to reduce the fear.”33 In this context, I want to propose a technique with a Buddhist background that promotes acknowledgment of the presence of anxiety without any prejudgment. It states that before his enlightenment, Buddha had to face Mara, who attacked him with lust, greed, doubt, and anger. Tara Brach writes: “Instead of ignoring Mara or driving him away, the Buddha would calmly acknowledge his presence, saying, I see you, Mara . . . He would then invite him for tea and serve him as an honoured guest. Offering Mara a cushion so that he could sit comfortably . . . Mara would stay for a while and then go.”34 Instead of trying to push scary situations away, realizing and appreciating them helps us to act accordingly. By simply becoming aware of our fears, we slowly eradicate emotional uncertainty and generate confidence. Dealing respectfully with one another’s individual fears not only enhances intimate relationships but also fosters trust among the professional team.

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Ernest Hemingway proposed another simple, yet striking, theory to initiate trust. He wrote: “The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.”35 Instead of waiting for other people to prove themselves, having confidence in them leads to earlier insight. By offering faith in little things, we can expand our support once that faith is confirmed. If not, at least we found out about people’s unreliability. But from my experience, faith is unlikely to be abandoned once given. Trusting people makes partners more trustworthy because it creates a desire to live up to the standard. People naturally want to avoid causing disappointment, as nobody enjoys losing something they already owned. Once more, dissolving uncertainty improves our personal confidence, the team’s loyalty, and the overall collaboration.

Avoiding “No!” Another way to enhance trust and avoid competitiveness or fear is to emphasize our willingness to cooperate. A remarkable technique for fostering cooperation among team members is to avoid the word “no” throughout any creative exchange. This doesn’t mean to say “yes” and “amen” to every situation, but to consider all input we receive without rejecting it immediately. The following is a practical example.

EXAMPLE 4.12 It was mid-winter in a most beautiful and typical Austrian setting: a hotel in St. Wolfgang, near Salzburg, next to a crystal-clear lake surrounded by the Alps. Winter had covered the mountains in white powder. The drive there was pure pleasure, but we didn’t realize until we arrived that the show was supposed to be outdoors. By the shore of the freezing lake, the organizers had set up a little stage, which was at first hard to see because it was covered in fresh snow. The agent showed us our performance area and added with an unsure smile that he had agreed that we would perform half-naked. Everything just seemed so ridiculous, but we decided to at least think it through. That night we sat down with the whole team and weighed up our chances of pulling off our acrobatics act in the snow. The hotel manager mentioned that they had a spa area close to the location of the stage. He suggested we stay in the sauna until 30 seconds before our performance. As this was our best option, we agreed to give it a try. We warmed up in the sauna with anticipation and fear, then, as our call came, we emerged—walking barefoot in the snow, steam rising from our bodies—to reach our icy platform.

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Surprisingly, it turned out to be one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I now remember holding my partner’s handstands in the middle of this beautiful winter scenery. It started to snow gently, the lights creating glitter all around us. We performed the act flawlessly and walked straight back to the sauna without feeling cold for a single second.

One significant quality of creative processes is to be completely open to any input that is offered. We often tend to see our own vision as the only way forward without truly acknowledging others’ ideas. Though it takes more effort to think through other options, our own solution might not be the best way forward for a particular situation or the production as a whole. Therefore, we need to be open to different approaches without dismissing them out of hand.

We often tend to see our own vision as the only way forward without truly acknowledging others’ ideas.

In all improvising arts—dancing, acting, clowning—where performers have to connect instantly to allow their presentations to develop, avoiding “no” has become a fundamental technique often connected to a theory of Keith Johnstone. The founder of the contemporary improv-theatre calls “anything that an actor does an offer. Each offer can either be accepted or blocked. If you yawn, your partner can yawn too, and therefore accept your offer. A block is anything that prevents the action from developing, or that wipes out your partner’s premise. If it develops the action, it isn’t a block.”36 By accepting an offer, we support our partner to continue the creative process. Johnstone says: “Bad improvisers block action, often with a high degree of skill. Good improvisers develop action.”37 The same principle can be applied to backstage collaborations, where people improvise on a daily basis, yet in a different context. When we avoid the word “no,” it doesn’t mean we are not standing up for ourselves. Difficult situations will inevitably arise. We may need to insist on a different approach or redirect our team completely. Sometimes we even have to make a decision for our own safety or are forced to make a cancellation. In most cases, though, there are options to compromise or adapt without “blocking” an action. Since being creative means offering a part of ourselves, it is easy to feel naked and vulnerable throughout the creative process. Other people’s input or instructions can force us beyond our comfort zone or realize our own limits. This kind of creative challenge may feel like a personal threat and we then tend to use a refusal

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to protect ourselves, our worries, and fears. A “no” shuts out anxiety but also hinders cooperation. Often when people strive to promote their own ideas, it creates competition. To avoid this, we need to generate an open and supportive atmosphere, where team members can supplement one another. Johnstone continues: “An important change of thinking is involved here. When the actor concentrates on making the thing he gives interesting, each actor seems in competition and feels it. When they concentrate on making the gift they receive interesting, then they generate warmth between them.”38 Approaching collaboration with a “yes, and . . .”-attitude eliminates rivalry and supports creativity. In a work context, the best way not to turn ideas down is to know our own— as well as our partners’—essential needs. If the team really wants a given collaboration to be successful, everyone becomes more open to other people’s inputs. All partners need to agree on their limits, critical conditions for undertaking their work, and under which circumstances they can perform best. Having already looked at our own requirements earlier in this chapter, let’s now look at those of our partners to ensure we support them most adequately.

Reading Routines Successful collaboration often depends on either the optimal way or the right moment to communicate—the first of these is covered by establishing a shared language in Chapter 3. Here, we take a more detailed look at how people’s specific ways of working interrelate with our own craft. Every member within a production’s network operates differently. Independent of their assignments, people have their preferred workflows. They have personal routines or adopt specific concepts to achieve a specific goal. All members achieve things in their own way but these various approaches have to be aligned. Rather than allowing continuous interruption of one another’s processes, these need to be synchronized, adapted, and combined for conjointly reaching the creative goal. Reading people’s routines helps us to find the optimal moment for interaction. We need to understand, as director Jada Smith puts it, “how the tool operates, in order to utilize it.”39 Our ability to engage with people is highly related to our earlier experiences. The more different partners we have already worked with, the easier it is to align with new personalities or circumstances. This competence begins with the acquisition of a particular repertoire regarding people’s backgrounds and the way they act. As we discussed in Chapter 1, communication—like creativity—is established through curiosity, the ability to listen and to observe. In the same way, discovering exactly who we are dealing with and what someone’s personal approach is helps us to link up efficiently.

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The frankest and most direct way to do so is by asking questions, as this is a clear sign that we really wish to find out about another person and how to approach them. This not only results in information exchange, it also makes valuable partners feel appreciated and approachable. As practical and personal as this might seem, there are two difficulties: first, people often don’t know their own work routines well enough to verbalize them and, second, answering questions demands considerable attention on the part of our colleagues, which might not be possible in some circumstances. Imagine sitting in the booth with a light designer and explaining how we see the cues for a particular scene. He listens carefully and then starts working on his console. Many things are going through his mind right now: lamp addresses, light cues, presets, color palettes, frontlight, sidelight, backlight, intensity, saturation, gobo effects, moving patterns, pan, tilt, rotation, truss numbers, work pages, and much more. Suddenly, we remember another detail we forgot to mention earlier. By offering further input while our associate is still translating our previous words, the dialogue we just developed will be destroyed. To keep mutual communication constructive, we need to find an adequate moment to present that additional information. Directly addressing someone during their personal routine might result in the opposite of our intentions. That is why I promote developing a discrete way to learn about our partners. This should occur in three steps: first, we observe what a person is doing at this very moment; then we figure out what was just accomplished; and, finally, we estimate where our partner is going.

READING ROUTINES 1

What is this person doing right now? (Present)

2

What did this person just do? (Past)

3

What is this person about to do? (Future)

Present actions are the best starting point for reading routines. We can quickly follow what someone is doing, even if we don’t yet understand the process as a whole. Additionally, observing the “now” before an impulsive approach avoids the possibility of a catastrophic interruption. Considering the right moment to communicate is a sign of respect and increases the chances of our input being well received. The more we study our partners’ actions, the more we understand the cause and effect of their work. One step triggers the next. Realizing what someone just did might attach more sense to their current actions. We begin to detect repetitive patterns, understand personal dynamics, or perceive the intervals of sub-cycles.

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Once we are aware of the present and past work steps, we develop a sense for what is going to happen next. Anticipating future actions helps us to evaluate the best moment for exchanging information or adding further detail. Also, times when not to interrupt someone, and how to align important aspects of one another’s routines. We learn to synchronize individual work phases. Consequently, both work partners can focus fully on their own tasks before checking in with one another again. The questions in the box below further support observing other people’s work and perceiving how different expertise can be interweaved. (For more information on this topic, see also the “T-I-M-O” technique in Chapter 5.)

CONSIDERATIONS FOR READING OTHERS’ WORK ROUTINES ●

What are the most essential tools for this job?

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Where is most focus needed?

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How time-consuming are the various parts of this job?

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What is a stressful situation?

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Which part is most tiring/exhausting?

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What kind of personal character traits does this job require?

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Which actions are repetitive?

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What are the creative possibilities?

As a general guideline, the goal is not to learn every detail of a person’s expertise, but to understand individual dynamics and capabilities. We need to discern where a partner is coming from and where the path is leading to, to identify the right time to communicate. Again, embracing honest curiosity helps us to recognize when colleagues have enough free head space to consider our suggestions.

Breaking routines When a production is to run for many performances, all crew members have a chance to develop their personal rhythm for the challenges they will be faced with. After the first show, rehearsals are usually reduced to a minimum, and few adaptations are adopted—in some cases, adaptations are even shunned. This is when people can focus on optimizing their workflows and rituals. Knowing the exact run of a production leads to it becoming a smooth, energy-efficient, and

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stable one. It reduces the strain of the overall workload. The production as a whole evolves when its individual members have the chance to consolidate their routines. There is, however, a fine line between the positive and the negative aspects of a daily rhythm. When a production runs monotonously for a long period, it is difficult not to become bored—the excitement, flexibility, and enthusiasm all decline. The quality of work and the moments of creativity slump. Therefore, fixed patterns can also lead to missing out on a team’s full potential. To achieve the optimal balance, work routines should be kept lively without undermining them. Let’s now look at three ways of avoiding monotony backstage: private intermission, uncommon projects, and surprises.

Private Intermission One way of avoiding monotony in professional routines is personal intermission of it. A daily work scheme can be used to introduce a more personal feel— organizing a collective barbecue, a poker night, or merely exchanging musical preferences. Sometimes this new level of communication can help solve workrelated issues. Private events are also a chance to connect departments that don’t usually work closely together. When we share a private experience with unfamiliar members, it offers new insight and improves our shared language.

Uncommon Projects Rigid routines are not only connected to productions with long runs. They can also arise when being a part of one niche for too long. For people working in the gala event field, it may be technically hard to create a daily rhythm due to the ever-changing locations, clients, and team members. We still see many of these events being run in a fixed and uncreative way on site. The daily routine of gala eventers doesn’t involve the same stage/building every day. For many, it becomes tiring to have “another flight,” “another set-up,” or “another hotel room”— repetitive patterns are just as common. A single job becomes blurred in the multitude of assignments, and the quality of work drops. In this case, it is helpful to alternate the challenges someone is facing. Changing job assignments or conducting new, unique projects refreshes professional attitudes and usually helps people to appreciate their work once more. When faced with a monotonous task, and it becomes evident that our creative contribution has fallen, we don’t necessarily need to find a new niche or quit our job. But we can be reactivated based on the kind of input we are given. Instead of the same requests that make us regress, introducing new triggers can interrupt fixed ways of working. If, for example, a composer has been producing the same

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style of music for years, he or she could be asked to go in a different direction for the next project. If we want to motivate our ensemble of dancers, they could occasionally be given a solo. If the costume designer becomes bored, ask them if they want to help create the scenery, too. Doing so will result in more attention, flexibility, and creative output for all involved. The result of refreshing a repetitive task might even be more fruitful than anyone could have expected.

Surprises Many productions adopt a wonderful tradition for the closing night: everyone incorporates gags into the final performance, with the intention of making one another laugh. The only rule usually is that the jokes should only be apparent to the crew and not to the audience. This is a longed-for and well-prepared event that makes the team remember the production with fondness. Although everyone is naturally tired when a production comes to an end—while having also to deal with such tasks as packing up, organizing flights, and having goodbye drinks— most people suddenly have more energy during the final performance. Sometimes, cast members even perform at their best. The tradition of incorporating surprises into the performance refreshes everyone and loosens up rituals in a positive way. As scientist Vanessa van Edwards mentions, researchers at UC Santa Barbara have found that, “when you surprise someone and get them out of their typical default or automatic responses, it boosts their creative thinking . . . [and] it increases their cognitive abilities. They found that when they surprised someone right at the beginning of a math test, they performed better on that math test. It increases our thinking. It activates new parts of the brain.”40 Surprises are positive experiences that make people aware of a particular situation and not experience it as a repetitive ritual. They are able to interrupt the reoccurring rhythm of expectations and confirmations.

EXAMPLE 4.13 Some days you enjoy being on stage, sometimes it is hard to fake a smile. For this situation, my friend Phillippa and I invented a game to keep our eyes sparkling during the final bow on stage each night. As we took hands in the line, we surprised each other with tiny gifts, secretly transferred from one to the other. In turns we had to prepare something small like candy, a tiny toy, a little drawing, or a balloon. Guessing the object while still hiding it from the audience results in the most natural smile we could possibly have on stage.

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The performing arts provide an excellent environment for making surprises. The variety of departments and personalities offers a lot of access points to invent moments of amazement. People are trained to enjoy and make use of creativity. However, this does not mean surprises are always welcome—if not thought through, they can backfire spectacularly. If, for example, someone gets distracted or confused by a surprise while having to focus on a demanding task, it could be considered somewhat counterproductive.

EXAMPLE 4.14 In 2014, my partner Robin and I performed on a small platform high above the ground. There was literally no room for mistakes—one step to the side and we were in trouble! So, we asked our light designer for a bright spot to be shone on the ceiling above as a reference point for balancing our acrobatic poses. All went fine and after about 80 shows the contract came to an end. For our final performance, the light technician had a great idea. He decided to change the color of the lights to a soft pink. He imagined we would think it funny. Instead, it was difficult to spot each other, not to mention maintaining balance while not falling off the tiny podium. A well-intended surprise ended up as a dangerous situation.

Before we break other people’s routines, we need to read their methods carefully. Delicate situations should be filtered to ensure our partners have enough capacity to enjoy the surprise. This helps everyone to perform better.

Sense of Humor Another way of enhancing personal relationships and breaking rigid routines is by revealing a collective sense of humor. Shared amusement helps to bring teammates closer and reduces work-related pressure. Neuroscientist Lynne Barker says: “Laughter is, after all, a communal activity which promotes bonding, diffuses potential conflict and eases stress and anxiety.”41 Despite the many forms of humor, there is one recurring element in laughter: the impact of surprises. Psychologist David Evans elaborated that all jokes “follow the same identical structure. They set you up to expect one thing, and then switch toward the end and give you something completely different. We’re surprised, and we laugh. That’s the formula. That’s what humor’s all about . . . Surprise is at the heart of comedy.”42 Evans also stresses the connection between

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humor and creativity, highlighting the way jokes need to be suited to a given audience. This underlies the need to adapt to specific situations, topics, and individuals. Looking back in time, comedy, together with tragedy, formed the ancient Greek origins of today’s modern theatre. The two masks—one laughing and one sad—are still used today as the symbol for the performing arts. Despite their different forms of presentation, both of these arts have the same intention—to process current topics of a particular cultural circle. Writer Wilhelm Schnotz states: “Social issues provide the foundation for every comedy and tragedy.”43 Thus, laughter is connected to people’s background—their hopes, problems, and fears—which also makes it highly individual. While understanding that laughter is global, a sense of humor is not. It is specific to countries, niches, cultural fields. As a result, we can’t apply one kind of humor to a very diverse environment like that of stage productions. We need to shape it creatively and individually for the people we wish to address. When we seek to involve humor in multicultural collaborations, I suggest contemplating the following three aspects: its content, its delivery, and its timing.

Content In 2001, when I first met my friend Damian,44 an extraordinary street performer, he told me about three levels of comedy. He said the most basic is cheap humor—farting, fucking, and shitting—which is followed by making fun of celebrities and well-known people. Only after that, supposedly, the wide range of more valuable humor is to be found. Damian pointed out that the most basic forms of humor will reach most audiences, yet not in a highly elaborated way. What we can learn from this is that “bathroom-jokes” appeal to most backgrounds. Everyone shares a certain embarrassment when identifying with this form of humor. The “higher” someone’s comedy, the more specific it becomes: it might entertain a small group of people, leaving others clueless. Consequently, most successful comedians incorporate various levels of comedy. After some intellectual jokes, they present universal allusions or slapstick gags to include and capture the audience as a whole, before continuing more specifically again. When we aim to incorporate jokes into collaborations, we should evaluate people’s backgrounds so that we choose the content accordingly.

Delivery Humor and comedy exist in various forms and shapes. Laughter is not limited to verbal jokes but can be triggered by any medium or resource. Some

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people love the use of language or puns, others enjoy cartoons or facial expressions. These preferences often reflect people’s personal backgrounds. Dancers typically have a much more physical way of applying comedy than most writers, for instance. The success of jokes depends on how they are created and delivered.

Timing The last factor to consider is a joke’s timing. When I worked with the Collins Brothers,45 I saw them coming off stage every single night whispering the same words to themselves: “Timing is everything! Timing is everything!” It took me a while to really understand the meaning of this mantra, but the more I watched their comedy performance, the more tiny variations I detected in their rhythm. Some nights audiences needed more time to react, whilst on other nights jokes had to be fired incessantly and promptly not to lose their impact. Similarly, yet on a larger scale, every culture has its specific timings when jokes are received the best. Business coach Chris Smit notes that “humor for the Germans is a serious thing. You don’t start something serious with a joke . . . you don’t start a meeting with a joke because why would you undermine the seriousness of a meeting by starting with a joke. There is a time and a place to be funny.”46 Though Smit purposely stereotypes the German behavior, it makes apparent the importance of knowing when to apply humor, especially in a multicultural setting. As we learn to align people’s backgrounds and begin to establish a shared language, we may come to understand our partners better through their use of humor. Funny signs on office desks, cartoon printouts on the wall, and people’s reactions to specific jokes not only highlight how individuals like to be entertained, but they also refer to cultural issues of that particular niche. This closes our circle to the ancient Greek art forms or, as the German band Freundeskreis stated in one of their songs: Komik ist Tragik in Spiegelschrift (Comedy is tragedy in mirror writing).47 Our colleagues’ sense of humor is also a clear indicator of their particular cultural mindset.

Post-processing Some jobs leave us with impactful experiences that we believe we will never forget. The reality is, however, we do. What is at the forefront of our minds can quickly become overshadowed by new impressions and projects. Many things we have learned begin to fade away before we even start on a new production. To keep our experiences accessible we need to go through a finished project

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again and reflect on its most relevant details. In this regard, I suggest writing down our thoughts, have a closing round of feedback with the team, or sending out a questionnaire. You may also reserve extra time after a finished project to relax and let it pass by again.

EXAMPLE 4.15 Magician Martin von Barabue48 embraces the standard procedure of staying a couple of extra days in any city before going home after a long production. By packing up slowly and having a few walks around the area, he ensures he does not rush into subsequent assignments without leaving space for the things he previously experienced or learned. Reserving time and head space helps him to bring his projects to a constructive end.

Post-processing doesn’t always have to be a massive mission. Sometimes, it is enough to spend twenty minutes on the plane with a notepad and assimilate thoughts and ideas like the ones in the box below. By reliving crucial moments, we foster the experiences that make us more professional for our next assignment.

POSSIBLE CONSIDERATIONS FOR POST-PROCESSING Describe the job in three words! What surprised you the most? What did you learn? What was the best part? What was the worst part? Which mistakes did you make? Were any future ideas triggered? How can you pursue these future ideas? Which new work areas/skills/capabilities do you want to discover next?

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KEY THINGS TO REMEMBER ●

To save energy and create more head space for collaborating fruitfully, we need to prepare ourselves well and enhance our working conditions through optimal communication.

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Perceiving our own expertise and understanding exactly what to ask for makes us more efficient in any given production or work-related situation.

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Embracing little things like avoiding “no,” shaking hands, or remembering someone’s name helps us to create trust instead of increasing fear. This is essential to guarantee the team’s overall productive contribution.

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By reading other people’s routines we learn to avoid interruptions, synchronize our crafts, and overcome stagnation.

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5 THE CREATIVE EXCHANGE What this Chapter is About This chapter provides concise instructions for any creative exchange. This could be planning a new performance, creating costumes, or composing a soundtrack. In each case, the individual innovative ideas of a group of people need to be aligned. A four-step guide—the “T-I-M-O technique”—is presented. We start with detailed preparation of the Task, the components necessary for the creative process. The second step is to detect the Intention of the collaboration— that is, identifying the right people within the network and understanding their approach to task at hand. In the third phase, we learn to Match the project’s material according to the cultural backgrounds of the collaborating partners and develop a shared language. The last aspect is to Organize the content so that it is readily accessible to everyone involved while maintaining a general direction. The single steps of this technique not only correspond with the content of the previous four chapters, but also help save time, money, and energy while putting on a production and offer a supporting structure for creative freedom.

Freedom through Directions Collaborating means trusting each other on several levels. When different crafts align, we have to rely on our partners and their professional decisions. People’s full potential will only be realized when we give them freedom of expression.

Vast scopes ask for precise instructions.

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Yet, being open to someone else’s approach doesn’t mean working in unguided fashion. Vast scopes ask for precise instructions. These are necessary to ensure that the project runs smoothly or, as costume designer and author Richard LaMotte puts it: “Nobody likes surprises.”1 I do believe a successful collaboration aims to produce surprises, but only pleasant ones!

EXAMPLE 5.1 In 2008, my partner and I decided to work with a new composer. We went to his recording studio and started talking about the plot of our performance, the desired music style, the look, and so on. After two hours we said goodbye, and a week later he presented his first draft. We started rehearsing with the rough outlines while he was fine-tuning the track according to the choreography. After a month, the project was completed. We loved the music and it became one of our highest selling performances of all time. Over the following few years, many people emphasized how well our music fit the show. Some also asked for our composer’s contact details. We happily passed these on and were excited to hear the results. Surprisingly, all those later collaborations turned out to be somewhat disappointing. Every project took longer than both sides expected and the performances still didn’t match the composer’s or the actor’s real qualities. By then the musician had become a close friend of mine, so one day I asked him what had happened during those projects. He told me how grueling it had been to evaluate what exactly the clients wanted— they had only given him vague input and changed their minds continuously. He reached the point where all he wanted was the project to be over and done with. Ironically, the same thing happened again a few years later with a completely different composer as well as other customers that followed my recommendation. I asked the same question and the second musician replied mournfully that all he wanted from his clients was “the capability to express musical wishes in any given way.”2 By this he didn’t mean expressing in bars, scales, and similar things, but rather to explain the desired effect of the music in as much detail as possible.

As this seems to be a common way for people to lose their creative potential— not just composers—we will now prepare for a fruitful collaboration. We will

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learn to build and deliver a customized input to make the most of our time together.

The T-I-M-O Technique For many creative projects, instructions are not compiled with enough thought or skill so that the team is enabled to carry them out productively. Guidelines need to be both mutually perceived and confirmed to bring about a satisfying outcome. When people see that a project’s quality is at risk, they tend to rein in their partners’ freedom instead of improving the quality of instructions. Intensified control indeed reduces risk, but also limits the creative outcome. Throughout this book, I have sought to support incentives that allow unrestrained experimentation without losing the goal. I split the preparatory process for any creative collaboration into four parts (Figure 5.1): 1 Task 2 Intention 3 Match 4 Organize. Each step of this T-I-M-O technique relates to one of the previous chapters. Each section relates to the corresponding aspects that we have previously elaborated upon. We now unite the content from the previous chapters to allow a practical and lively implementation. The first part we need to consider is the actual creative task.

Figure 5.1 The T-I-M-O technique.

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Task To build an excellent base for future actions we need to explore our project in all its details. The more background we can create the better. Every piece of information needs to be captured, no matter how obvious, or insignificant, it may at first appear. This will likely include aspects of style, budget, venue, or theme. See the box below for further possible task-related aspects.

POSSIBLE TASK-RELATED ASPECTS budget audience number of rehearsals length of preparation phase

team theme cultural background

departments deadlines client/producer

artistic direction venue location

stage dimensions

goal

...

Whether we are scribbling in a notebook, using mind maps, index cards, or phone apps, assembling random pieces of data creates a framework for our project. This supports realizing what the bag of experiences has to offer and which components are already available. This kind of preparation is often rushed or even skipped. As a result, many people find it difficult to articulate well with collaborating partners. They lack the basic vocabulary related to the source material for the exchange. Often, people try to clarify their creative content as they go along, which results in deviations from guidelines and misunderstandings. By ensuring comprehensive background research, we can obviate the first weakness in team communication. The time and effort we invest at this stage will easily be compensated when saving hours on re-formulation and troubleshooting later on. This phase is also the right moment to decide on which parts of a project need to be customized and whether we can fall back on an existing repertoire. For example, sometimes new costumes have to be made, whereas in others a warehouse stock is available to fall back on. Some productions demand a new soundtrack, whereas others use an already finished composition, and so on. Both of these ways of acquiring material have their advantages and disadvantages (Table 5.1). Choosing existing options is quick, inexpensive, and predictable. It guarantees a certain quality, but without much flexibility. In contrast,

Table 5.1 Requirements for material Existing

Custom-made

Combination

Advantages

Quick, cheap, established, easy to achieve

Unique, perfectly adapted, innovative

Quick and unique, easy to adjust, clear direction

Disadvantages

Royalties, duplicatable, not adaptable

Lengthy, expensive, uncertain

Not wholly independent, limited creative possibilities

Example: music

Existing tracks

New composition

Re-edit existing tracks and let composer add highlights, beats, guitars, etc.

Example: costumes

Bought off-the-peg

Tailor-made

Buy base and have it re-cut, decorated, etc.

Example: stage set

Components already assembled

Designed and manufactured

Finished pieces, newly decorated, painted, etc.

Example: choreography

Existing movements from previous performances

New, contemporary creations

A circus/variety show with existing acts and new translations

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custom-made materials offer endless opportunities, which can in turn be challenging and costly while providing uniqueness and adaptability. A third option is often adopted but rarely consciously perceived—that is, a combination of the new and that which already exists. For example, a composer adds to a piece of music that has already been released, or items of clothing may be bought off-the-peg ready for a costume designer to modify them. These kinds of hybrid solutions reduce effort expended, guarantee a level of quality, and still offer a customized option. By making conscious decisions on the terms and demands of each part of a specific production, we can determine the overall focus. Whatever framework we decide on, it will decide the general direction for the process as a whole. The available energy, money, and time can be apportioned to the project’s principal features. Throughout the upcoming process, not all of these objectives will be the realm of ourselves alone. In some areas, we will be lacking a specific skill, or another person’s input, to complete the project. This leads us to the second step, “Intention,” where we look to identify our work partners with whom we will agree the way forward.

FURTHER READING FOR WORKING ON OUR TASK Skills and creativity Uniqueness The personal bag of experiences Improving personal creativity Preparatory research Personal requirements The importance of try-out fields

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Intention According to author and business coach Simon Sinek, trust is based on similar values. To achieve a common cause, we need to learn about each other’s beliefs.3 This is the central principle of our second step, in which we seek to align our individual intentions with those of our partners. By doing so, we build trust in carrying out our particular crafts. This precedes finding out what the specific challenge is, as well as who we will be working with and where this union is supposed to lead. To channel the team’s collective input in the desired direction, we need to know what each of the contributing partners is able to offer.

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Figure 5.2 T-I-M-O : Intention.

The first thing we need to do is to take a look at our production’s network and see what segments will be involved in the process. This includes defining all necessary departments and job profiles, as well as deciding who comes into play at which phase of the production. To achieve a complete overview of job assignments, responsibility levels, and avenues of communication, it is helpful to draw a Backstage Network Model as described in Chapter 2. This helps visualize the number of pieces it takes to generate the desired outcome. Additionally, we may also use the questions that follow to orientate ourselves well.

CLARIFYING THE MUTUAL INTENTION ●

Which departments/jobs exist in the network?

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What are their job descriptions?

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How many levels of responsibility are there?

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Where am I?

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Which level of responsibility do I represent?

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Which horizontal or vertical avenues of communication do I have to follow?

Within this structural outline, we may not only spot our own position but also recognize our closest and most essential work partners. The various relationships that are built will depend on two factors: people’s genre as well as their

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responsibility or hierarchical position. To help clarify this, I refer to Robert Viagas, who describes three types of collaborations:4 ●

Partnership collaboration: A marriage-like relationship in which two people from the same department have equal responsibility for a task.

●

Leadership collaboration: A collaboration between people on different levels within the same department.

●

Collegial collaboration: An equal contribution by people with the same level of responsibility, but from different departments.

Based on the Backstage Network Model, a partnership collaboration will occur, for example, between two equally talented choreographers, assuming they share an assignment and work conjointly. Leadership collaborations, in contrast, will include those between a choreographer and director, or the choreographer and dance captain and dancers. Finally, collegial partnerships include those between the choreographer and all partners on an equal level, such as the technical director, the costume designer, and the set designer (Figure 5.3).

Figure 5.3 A choreographer’s collaborations.

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Once we understand the different connections, we can elaborate which tasks are assigned to specific people and who precisely these partners are. What are their particular skills, their experiences, and specialties? What expertise do partners contribute and what cultural aspects does this involve? What is people’s starting point for an exchange and where do they see themselves going? Addressing these questions helps us establish an understanding of people’s various approaches. We might also be able to evaluate what other colleagues expect of us. The more aspects we can determine about the two sides of an exchange, the more apparent it will become how our different fields intersect. We will begin to understand what people want to achieve, what their input is likely to be, and why they come together at all. These considerations help to form a shared intention (Figure 5.4).

Figure 5.4 Mutual intention.

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POSSIBLE CONSIDERATIONS WHEN ANALYZING A PRODUCTION’S SETUP ●

How many people/departments are involved in the production?

●

Who is responsible for which part of the project?

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Which departments are bigger/smaller than others?

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Are bigger/smaller departments more/less important?

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Who is in constant communication with who?

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Who should have more exchanges?

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Which departments/jobs are missing?

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Which department has more/less creative potential?

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What is my position?

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Who/what am I responsible for?

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Who are my vertical and horizontal partners?

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Which other department do I know most/least about?

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Who is easy/hard for me to approach?

FURTHER READING FOR CREATING A MUTUAL INTENTION Hierarchical and egalitarian structures Department line-ups Job profiles The Backstage Network Model Avenues of communication Regional and social cultures Differences and similarities The optimal team Keystones for commitment Reading routines

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Match Many people in the performing arts tend to think predominantly within their own craft mindset and, consequently, implement their own approach. Bringing people’s different ways of thinking, working, and creating to the same stage is likely the most critical step of the T-I-M-O technique. To avoid misunderstandings, we need to think outside our own boundaries, find a way of aligning the various forms of communication, and choose appropriate language for the task at hand. Instead of expressing ourselves in our own words, we should embrace a form of phrasing that is most suitable for our partners. The better we speak someone else’s language, the more effortless our exchanges will be. The first step toward expressing ourselves appropriately is to consciously choose a medium in which to communicate. Are we planning on talking in person, using email, texts, or something else? All of these forms have their strong and weak points. For example, when it comes to building personal relationships, nothing beats face-to-face communication.5 Yet, this is often not possible or simply too time-consuming. Email, on the other hand, has become a reliable and efficient way to send data. Its downside is its frequent overuse, with the average worker receiving 88 emails a day!6 A phone call, as marketing director Aaron Kwittken says, works best for “anything you have to think twice about, anything you think might be sensitive . . . [and] requires your relationship skills.”7 In some circumstances, erecting a bare sign might inform better than a thousand words, while in many backstage cases, intercom networks are essential. Each set of circumstances requires a different treatment. See the box below for more on this.

Figure 5.5 T-I-M-O : Match.

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MEANS OF COMMUNICATION Pros

Cons

Tips

Face-toface

Building a strong human Little time to reflect or to consider responses connection Private and off-record use Requires the right moment of body language Able to read partners’ reactions and adapt

Seek the right moment Concentrate on what is most important Be curious Adapt the use of language Consider body language

Email

Fast and easy Often overused Reaches individuals as Too much information well as groups Info can easily be Facilitates large amounts overseen/forgotten of data Doesn’t ask for but enables prompt responses

Don’t over-communicate Make good use of subject-lines Keep messages clear and brief Politeness is crucial Remember to proofread

Telephone

Personal exchange even Easily interrupted when physically apart Hard to focus in noisy/ disturbing Enables reading of voice surroundings and emotional subtext Hides intuitive gestures or facial reactions

Find the right moment (appointment?) Choose quiet surroundings Pre-think topics that need to be discussed Listen carefully and try to read between the lines Don’t multitask while on the phone

Text

One-directional Doesn’t ask for a prompt answer Noise-free

Time-consuming for a dialogue High potential for misunderstandings Difficult to evaluate adequate language skills

Politeness is crucial Don’t expect immediate response Look out for auto-correct Confirm received information Avoid dialogues

Social media

“Personal” profile Includes multiple options simultaneously (text, phone, email . . .)

A fine line between work and private Require constant internet access

Allow privacy Allow backup means of communication Form work-related groups Consider people’s internet accessibility Use “likes” as simple confirmation

Signs

International language Quick to read Constant reminders Clear and brief

Overuse leads to unawareness Limited in content

Choose a durable material Position wisely Use common symbols Don’t overuse Consider size

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Callboard

Independent of work schedules, departments, and responsibilities Reaches the whole team Recipients decide on the moment No internet/phone connection needed

Radio/ Cues can be given intercom discreetly over long distances Enhances the on-site information flow Enables quick troubleshooting

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Tends to be dry and boring Position well Information can easily be Keep updated overseen Section Avoid personal information Make it fun to read

Stressful when too many people are involved Unpleasant when someone is coughing, swearing, chewing, etc.

Be brief and precise Be extra polite Embrace silence Use individual channels Be available

In stage productions, most of the above forms of communication are used on a regular basis and are a vital part of our work. However, this doesn’t mean we have to limit ourselves to these.

EXAMPLE 5.2 In the early 2000s, we ran a number of shows that included incredibly challenging quick changes. The backstage area was well prepared with tables and precisely set costume pieces to save precious time. One specific change demanded all male performers take off extravagant robot costumes, of which the separate pieces were connected with delicate light wires. During this transition, the host went on stage to bridge the much-needed time by interacting with the audience. As he didn’t perform a fixed routine, he was able to incorporate additional jokes to stretch the interval if necessary. But how could he know when the dancers were ready? We agreed to shoot a puff of smoke on stage once the artists’ change had been completed, which functioned as a discreet sign that the show could continue. Who would have thought that modern communication could revert to giving smoke signals?

There is no one best way of passing on information but a whole palette to choose from and experiment with. Depending on the particular situation, we can

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choose the most appropriate method. The better we understand how to apply the diversity of media to given circumstances and people, the more efficient our exchanges will become.

EXAMPLE 5.3 One summer, we installed a new cruise ship performance. During rehearsals in the classy theatre I gave Kelly, our stage manager, the running order of the show, including visual and musical cues for light changes. She seemed organized and committed, but, somehow, she didn’t manage to get the transitions right. After a few nights of trial and error, I offered her a detailed list of time cues accurate to the second in the playback. The moment I handed over the index I saw the relief in her eyes. She smiled at me and said: “Thank you so much. Numbers don’t lie!” She never got a cue wrong again. The following year, we returned to the same ship with the same performance, so I brought my precise list of timings that I had previously used for Kelly. The new associate looked at the chart and said: “Don’t you have any visual cues for me? I am sorry, but I can’t handle numbers!” Different strokes for different folks.

In educational science, there are a range of theories about people’s individual approaches to acquiring new information. Different learning styles8 indicate how people study the best—for example, they need to hear, see, touch, or discuss information in order to assimilate it effectively. A similar approach to communication was published in 1995, by Gary Chapman, which he called The 5 Love Languages.9 Chapman highlights the various ways people prefer to be addressed. He says that to communicate well within a relationship, we need to identify our partners’ predominant languages and learn to speak them as well. Even if it feels peculiar at first, this method is supposed to be the most reliable way to reach our partners. When choosing the appropriate language for stage-related communication, we should bear in mind that everyone in the performing arts is molded by their background to be receptive to particular inputs. As a result, people are often highly responsive to one type of information that fits their own particular circumstances: a composer is likely to respond well to auditory cues; a light designer to visual cues; a production manager to structures, and so on. This is not a guaranteed means of access, but people’s job profiles give a useful reference to their possible “primary language.”10 Finding out what our collaboration partners are most receptive to helps us to form adequate triggers.

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Another crucial aspect of adapting to someone’s primary language is that our input should never appear to question their expertise. When we express ourselves in another person’s words, we often incorporate technical terminology or jargon used by that person’s department. This may unintentionally result in crossing into their areas of responsibility —for example, telling a composer to make music “more minor” is a specific instruction that ignores his or her artistic professionalism. It interferes with their freedom to choose their preferred way of resolving the situation. If you want to appear open to someone else’s expertise, it would be more constructive to say more melancholic, or more sad, which leaves room for the artist to interpret these feelings—in minor or through other avenues. As the last step of making sure our input triggers the desired associations, we can use several ways of transferring data simultaneously and reconfirming our information from different angles. For example, we can present an image and explain what we see in it, or listen to a specific piece of music while retelling a story. By saying the same thing in various ways we supplement the original input. Not all of these different triggers need to be applied with equal vigor. Optimally, we focus on one specific trigger while reinforcing our message from other sides. These several levels deliver the security of mutual understanding and matched communication. Some valuable types of input are as follows.

Images The use of visual content is continuously reinforced through advertising, television, and social media. Most people are bombarded daily with specific images such as photos, sketches, videos, and artwork. You can use these established media to present associations—even for things that cannot be seen in original form. For example, not many people are able to see a leopard in its natural surroundings, but you can view a video of this wonderful animal demonstrating its physical prowess. The same applies to “a perfect sunset,” “the streets of Philadelphia,” or “monuments in Greece,” which might all be viewed better as images than in real life. Thus, many directors use mood videos to showcase their creative vision.

Sounds Sometimes, images give away too much detail and limit people’s personal imagination. Simply hearing a poem, a piece of music, or birdsong can offer listeners the chance to create their own images, looks, and settings based on

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these sounds. New visions are triggered, which can be used in the creative process. Offering a costume designer “the sounds of New York during rush hour,” for example, may leave him or her with more room for interpretation than showing a video of the same scene. Sounds can also function as a tool to demonstrate other aspects, such as the speed of a song, its after-effects, musical line-up, or style of singing.

Descriptions Using your own words to describe an idea is simultaneously the easiest and toughest trigger of all. On one hand, this trigger is straightforward and readily available. On the other hand, it takes a lot of skill to be precise and accurate. Stage manager and author Laurie Kincman says that if you need five minutes to explain a situation, you are likely to lose your partners along the way.11 To avoid this, descriptions need to be well formulated. An excellent example for precise instructions can be found in many musical scores—besides little notes like “piano” or “forte” (“silent” or “strong”), composers often add mood descriptions like “sehr lebhaft und energisch”12 (“very lively and energetic”) or “con maligna gioia”13 (“with vicious joy”), to guide musicians into the desired musical mood.

Structures Some people love numbers, tables, and accurate figures whereas others hate them. Precise frameworks can destroy creativity, but they also provide guidance and support to some people. Presenting a choreographer with exact numbers of performers, the amount of appearances, and the length of each part, delivers a valuable structure to build upon.

Experiences When partners spend a lot of time together, they naturally build up a repertoire of experiences that can be used for communication at a later point. In sharing a creative vision, one may draw a connection to an earlier event, for example: “Do you remember the day we walked to our hotel and the sun was coming up? I’d love to be able to incorporate that feeling into the scene.” Even unusual activities such as inviting partners to a rock concert, climb a mountain, or go skydiving together, may assist in expressing a creative vision. Adopt whatever you think will get the desired image across best.

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FURTHER READING FOR MATCHING OUR COLLABORATION Regional and social cultures Differences and similarities Language Establish a language, create a culture Positivity Trust and fear Uncommon projects Sense of humor Freedom through directions

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Organize Our last step in preparing for a successful collaboration is to structure the assembled content. Any input needs to be shaped into a practical and applicable form so that all partners can follow the vision without becoming bogged down in unwanted detail. This requires an understanding of when to present certain information. The following Zoom technique is an efficient means of doing so.

Figure 5.6 T-I-M-O : Organize.

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When we view a map of the world, we see individual continents and oceans and their coming together. As soon as we look a little closer, we are able to recognize the separate countries that go to make up Europe, for example. The more we investigate, the more details become recognizable—rivers, mountains, cities, and villages. Zooming in more closely, we might also see individual houses, garden fences, kids playing soccer on a freshly mown lawn. More and more detail becomes visible, detail that was not available to us on first overview. Zooming out again and shifting the perspective from Europe to the United States, for instance, allows us to perceive more details there, and so on. This metaphorical zooming and shifting illustrates a valuable way of treating creative projects. By consciously agreeing on levels and areas, a team can avoid the numerous misunderstandings that often occur when people communicate from different perspectives. If one partner works on a “continent”-level, while another addresses things on a much smaller scale, the two will find it difficult to have a productive exchange. The same happens when people’s focus is shifted onto different aspects of a project. When a choreographer talks about specific movements while a costume designer seeks to clarify types of buttons, both are zooming in to the same extent, but in completely different zones. To produce a constructive dialogue, these people need to align their “zoom” and their “zone.” The most effective way to do so is from big to small, which means starting on a large scale and working toward specific details. This procedure helps everyone to settle on the same “coordinates” of information. If you are leading a meeting, a quick zoom offers everyone the opportunity to focus conjointly, like: “We are here to discuss the project ‘Four Elements.’ Today we will be looking at the ‘water scene,’ and since our costume designer is present today, I would like to elaborate on which fabrics we could use for our character ‘Arielle,’ and specifically how we can solve the fishtail problem.” This will help everyone to achieve a collective focus. During the implementation process, people still provide new input, even when specific details have been mutually agreed upon. Elaborating on particular tasks can change the team’s overall direction. Writer Ali Luke describes how creative goals may alter: “The map you originally drew is no longer going to get you to where you want to go (or, alternatively, you’ve found a new and more attractive destination).”14 These individual inputs can result in entirely different outcomes for the project as a whole. To avoid divergence between team members, we need continually to zoom back and forth together, looking at the various aspects, perceiving where changes might be beneficial. Constant shifting and refocusing keeps us aware of all aspects, avoids stagnation, and makes us flexible for adapting to the team’s development.

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To facilitate the zooming process in a hands-on situation, we need to define our levels and work areas. The material we collected in the first three steps of the T-I-M-O technique now needs to be structured to become operable. For the efficient incorporation of all work details, I recommend creating at least three different “levels” of zoom: 1 Poster: a catchword, image, or designation 2 Overview: sections, milestones, sequences 3 Heart: detailed descriptions, critical data, subtleties. The “Poster” sets a general idea. It is an image, a symbol, or a metaphor that depicts the project’s overall direction. It functions as the representative for all work segments and facets of the production. In some cases, it is suitable to choose a photo or image, in others it might be a catchword, a name, or a prop that represents the general vision. In any case, it will sum up the collaboration and establishes a shared vision within the team. The “Overview” level subdivides a project into several substructures, work steps, or segments. It breaks up the overall mission by creating smaller parts that are easier to tackle. If we are working on a complex performance, this level may define essential scenes or sections. If we are preparing a speech or presentation, it could cite a few fundamental points. For the creation of a prop, it might encompass all the components that will be needed, and so on. Every unit should be provided with a few simple, easily consumable impressions of each piece of the puzzle to help bring the different parts together. The draft in Figure 5.7 shows separate sections to assist a composer in creating the soundtrack for a performance named “Urban Juliet.” The “Heart” includes all specific details of input—colors, props, emotions, highlights, particular movements, fabrics, jokes, special effects; any specific considerations or instructions need to be mentioned here. This information is structured according to the overview’s subdivisions. Each section is full of data presented in our partners’ favorite creative language. Presenting the various aspects of each scene can also be supported by putting the material into an adequate shape. Sometimes a project will demand a glossy folder, whereas other times it will be easier to hand over a simple piece of paper. The packaging of our input is vastly important for how it will be received by our partners. This is an excellent moment to apply creativity—if we are preparing a pirate-show, for example, we could print out the running order on a treasure map or place it in a “bottle post.” Instead of sending out plain music tracks, we could embed the sound in an original video timeline while adding pictures or notes to annotate what we are visualizing at each particular moment. Whatever effort and vigor we invest at this point will have a direct impact on what we get in return.

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Figure 5.7 Urban Juliet.

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Why and When? Collaborating with other people doesn’t always involve creating a complete new performance, segment, or prop. It is often just about finding little compromises or agreements backstage. The T-I-M-O technique accommodates such exchanges. This can happen within seconds during a phone call, a meeting, or a personal discussion. Internalizing the four steps helps us become more productive and efficient in all collaborations, big or small, as the aim is to identify any likely improvements and adapt accordingly. The extent of each phase will vary in relation to the overall issues and demands of the collaboration. Although many original thoughts and ideas will never find their way into a production, they function as an essential part of our overall preparation and development. When we evaluate which information should be incorporated into a particular exchange, I recommend holding two questions in the back of our minds: why and when? First, do we know the reason for any given input? What do we want to express, trigger, or affect? Second, we should consider the right moment to convey the information. At what moment will our partner have enough time, energy, and focus to listen to and evaluate our input? Any collaboration should begin with small, yet well-timed pieces of information that can be built upon or supplemented as we proceed. ●

Why do you make an input? (What is it supposed to exemplify?)

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When do you make an input? (When will it be received best?)

FURTHER READING TO ORGANIZE OUR COLLABORATION Perception of time Positivity Keystones for commitment Presenting ourselves The condition of our materials Avoiding “No” Breaking routines Embrace plateaus

page 61 page 76 page 77 page 91 page 94 page 102 page 106 page 140

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Figure 5.8 T-I-M-O : Summary.

Collaborating with the Audience Everything we have discussed in this book so far has pointed to the collaboration of separate units in staging a production. However, all of these units align to create a product for a reason that we have hardly addressed until now—the audience. In the performing arts, a production cannot be considered complete until it has been presented to its audience. People’s work is supposed to be shared. Whether we sing or dance, do handstands or perform a speech, create costumes, direct, or design lights, all these skills are intimately connected to our personality. By performing our art on stage, we offer a small glimpse into our experiences as we share a bit of ourselves. We can enter into dialogue with the audience by impressing with our skills, reaching out to them emotionally, stimulating them intellectually, or making them laugh or cry. All of these impulses may be produced by a performance and the way it offers to align with the audience. Every stage production is “directed” toward a group of people in order to trigger an exchange. There are many ways to enter into this dialogue, and not all of them are as obvious as a circus-like “Voilà” presentation or a crowd agitator asking for applause. An introverted piece of art can touch the audience just as much through remoteness, as a highbrow concept does through its complexity. People are different, and they look for various ways to be entertained or informed. Some productions cover these diverse approaches by encouraging a dialogue on multiple levels, while other art forms embrace fewer avenues of communication.

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In any collaboration, it is important to understand both how to adapt to an audience and to mold input accordingly.

In any collaboration, it is important to understand both how to adapt to an audience and to mold input accordingly.

Maintaining the audience’s attention is a challenge that can’t be explained in a classroom—it takes real, hands-on experience. Consequently, artists have come up with a wide variety of practical approaches to acquire the skill of connecting effectively with an audience. One of the toughest art forms is street performance— the fact that there is no fee-paying audience or even a stage requires street performers to develop a way of luring random passers-by while creating their own performance space. Those potential audience members need to be captured, so that they stay and watch the show. The moment a personal connection is lost, the audience may potentially have been lost too. These difficult conditions made performers like Robin Williams, Ed Sheeran, or Pierce Brosnan—all of whom started their careers as buskers—perfect their audience skills and adapt them to the types of international stage we see them on today. Besides actively fostering our intuition, we may also use the T-I-M-O technique to prepare ourselves for an unfamiliar audience. The more background information we gather about a particular crowd, the better we can mold our production as to what it is supposed to represent and how it fits with the public’s expectations. This leads to matching our communication and establishing a suitable dialogue. Ultimately, the T-I-M-O technique helps us to address the separate sections of a performance, its climax, and resolution. This enables all partners to share enjoyable moments together.

EXAMPLE 5.4 A rock band receives an unusual booking to perform in an exclusive jazz club. Their preparation according to the T-I-M-O technique might look like this: ●

Task: First, they need to gather all available information about the project— the size of the club, its reputation, the target audience, on which night of the week they are to play, the city or area, local regulations, and the overall line-up on the night.

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●

Intention: Based on this information, the band can start to align their own vision for this gig with that of the audience. It might be that the band wants to play their new, somewhat experimental sets, while the audience still expects them to perform their famous hits. Considering it is a Tuesday night, their guests might also prefer a laid-back performance, while the band’s specific strength is to make people dance and party. Whatever compromise is reached will help mold the artistic content of this particular gig.

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Match: The band might decide to play their hits, but to fit the club’s style rearrange them in line with a jazz feel. They need also to consider what the audience participation might be: is it more likely to include audience members singing along and clapping rather than the more frenzied approach of their teenage fans? The intimate surroundings of this particular venue may involve a bit more storytelling, jokes, and background information in between songs. Maybe the band also lets the audience vote for songs to strengthen the dialogue.

●

Organize: Lastly, the content can be structured. Maybe the evening could begin with a medley followed by an introduction to the band’s members. Then they devote a few moments to a personal talk, leading into an interactive pop section followed by a few gentle ballads. Near the end they can fall back on their established dance songs as a final highlight. This structure encompasses all assembled information toward making this special collaboration fruitful and enjoyable.

KEY THINGS TO REMEMBER ●

The T-I-M-O technique serves as a tool for preparing any kind of collaboration. Creating this type of explicit framework supports every participant’s expertise while ensuring creative freedom.

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Researching the Task helps to find the partners’ shared Intention. Once they understand their common goal, they are able to develop a shared language and Match their ways of expressing creative ideas. Once the assembled content is Organized, everyone can step into a productive dialogue while saving time, money, and energy.

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The T-I-M-O-technique can be used for every collaboration, from large extravagant projects to small daily interactions, as well as for achieving a fruitful exchange with the audience.

6 TOOLS AND TRICKS What this Chapter is About This last chapter is a collection of recommendations I have assembled over years of professional experiences as a performer, director, stage manager, and technician in over 40 countries worldwide. It ranges from the unwritten rules of backstage etiquette to instructions for establishing one’s own brand. In addition, concise book reviews are offered for further education, as well as fun tools like “the Backstage Dictionary.” All of the aspects mentioned above aim to optimize workflows and save energy, which ultimately can be used for a truly professional and creative collaboration.

Ideology Focus on Good Clients In 2012, I had a significant breakthrough in my career. I signed for a production that was going to open a lot more doors to important contacts in the industry. At the opening night, my partner and I decided to try and begin to make some connections. After a few drinks at the party, the team split into two groups and we had to decide whether to stay with the artists or join a group of producers and directors. The former were lovely and welcoming, but not highly promising in terms of new work. The latter seemed reserved but could possibly be gamechanging in terms of our futures. But after a few awkward moments trying to make conversation, we decided against trying to get booked and spent the rest of the party with the other artists—laughing and joking and generally enjoying ourselves. A few days later, a surprising thing happened. Our newly won friends suddenly began to provide us with contacts we could never have imagined. They recommended us to big agencies, booked us for prestigious gigs, and supported us in every future step. Suddenly, new offers of work came flooding in, all of which were incredibly inspiring and enriching. So because we had decided to take the path we did, everything turned out better than we could have ever anticipated. 139

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Too often we try to make promising connections that seem unnatural or inauthentic. But associating with the wrong partners is likely to lead to a poor outcome. In contrast, when we feel at ease with people and are encouraged by them, those are the surroundings in which we are likely to flourish. So, focusing on the right contacts not only allows us to set our full potential free, it can also help us to develop our careers.

Embrace Plateaus In most projects, there are moments when we reach a plateau or enter a phase in which everything stands still, which can be very frustrating. Sometimes, such stagnation sees us run out of money and motivation or even forces us to quit a project. Nonetheless, plateaus are an essential part of any development. These are the moments when things settle, crystallize, and achieve a new meaning. Whether we learn a new skill, work on a particular relationship, or conceive a new aspect of our career, all require time and patience before our next move. Platforms are part of our growth. We need to learn to appreciate standstills and see them as the last hesitant moment before our next big step. In her book about highly creative women, Gail McMeekin says: “It takes courage to follow your fascinations, wherever they may lead. Yet, creativity demands that you trust and stay on the path despite obstacles. The good news is that it’s possible.”1 The next time you reach a plateau, lean back and enjoy wallowing in the middle of progress!

Breaking Out of One’s Comfort Zone? It was a cloudy day in the summer of 2010. I was standing on top of a motorway bridge, way above the traffic, dressed in an Austrian police uniform. On the ground, countless cameras were pointing at me, and I heard a man shout “Aaaand action!” I had to jump head first into a crash-pad of cardboard boxes, which at the time was pretty scary. However, I wanted to challenge myself, gain more experience, and break out of my comfort zone. So I jumped—and landed on the boxes thankfully! It was a one-take shot. The team applauded and called for the next scene to be recorded. In that moment, nobody had noticed that I had completely misjudged the speed of my dive, which meant that I hadn’t rotated far enough. During the landing my knees hit my face, and a huge bump started to develop on my forehead. When I finally got home, I was not only concerned about possible concussion, but also had to admit I might have pushed myself a little too far. I got

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away with a bump, but that particular day made me rethink the concept of breaking out of one’s own comfort zone. While pushing ourselves helps our development, it is easy to get carried away. Most people working in stage productions are used to tickling their boundaries on a regular basis. We are constantly experimenting and most times get a thrill out of it. Our lives are a million miles away from a nine-to-five work routine. When seeking to push ourselves even further, all positive momentum can quickly be lost. Consequently, we should reflect carefully on whether trying to achieve a new goal is simply a challenge, or if we are about to overstep the mark.

Multiple Levels of Competence Working in the performing arts consists of more components than just having a specific craft. By watching someone’s choreography, for example, we indirectly look at the multiple levels of competence that this task demands. It involves time management, budgeting, scheduling, conducting rehearsals, marketing, communication skills, reputation, an established network, and last but not least a good portion of luck to be in the right place at the right time. However, this complexity is often underestimated, even by professionals. It is not uncommon to hear envious colleagues comment: “I could have done that better!” Instead, we need to ask ourselves: “Why did this choreographer do it in the way she did?” There are usually obscure and hidden factors that help determine how a team is put together. While the audience will never have this particular insight (and nor should they!), for people in the industry it is crucial to keep the complete picture in mind without making a judgment too soon. Sometimes, random factors are more important than someone’s specific expertise.

EXAMPLE 6.1 At the end of 2001, I travelled with the “Phoenix Firedancers”2 to Brussels for a New Year’s Eve performance. It was the year of the Euro Launch, so the home of the European Parliament had organized festivities in front of the beautiful Arc de Triomphe. They expected a live audience of 125,000 people, but the real challenge for the organizing team was the global broadcast to 36 countries with an estimated television audience of one billion viewers. You would think that at such an event, every detail would be planned to perfection. Yet, when we arrived two days in advance, the agency could only tell us that we would perform to a live orchestra.

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Everything else was to be arranged and specified later. After 48 hours of coping with the unbearable cold on the stage towers, performing vague choreography to what was hardly audible music, and trying to arrange cues for our special effects with the TV stations, we simply had to jump in the deep end and perform an almost unrehearsed show at midnight. However, it was a huge success. We were toasting the fact that this was likely the first fire show to be performed on such a scale when our agent shared an important fact—he said he knew that this event would not be predictable in any way. Of all the experienced companies at his disposal worldwide, he would only use partners that were able to improvise, deal with unseen circumstances, and still deliver a great outcome. The most critical trait for his team was flexibility. That night, we were in good spirits as we went back to our hotel room and watched ourselves on several TV channels. What an unforgettable experience!

Working with Little Creativity is often based on an impulsive idea. A vision develops in our mind that cries out to be transformed into reality. Such visions can’t always be implemented in full—imagination is one thing, implementation another—it involves trial and error. While some things develop well, others are less feasible. These uncertainties might decide whether a project is a success or failure. Theatre writer James Tredennick says: “The more moving parts something has, the more likely it becomes that one of them will break.”3 Therefore, we need to be careful how much significance we attach to unpredictable elements. To accommodate such unpredictability, we need to be clear about all other aspects of the performance if we are not to run the risk of failure. I have often seen people basing their performances on multiple external factors that they weren’t sure of. Sometimes it ended disastrously, sometimes they were lucky. If we seek to reduce this stress (and risk!), I encourage minimizing unpredictability and working creatively with only a few, very basic aspects. Eliminate all playful distractions and focus on what is most essential. The cherry on top can only ever be added once the cake is made.

Don’t Judge People by Their Professional Level Everyone in the performing arts aims to be the best in their respective field, and we are able to familiarize ourselves with the skills of our colleagues. We are naturally able to observe how “good,” “talented,” “successful,” or “professional” someone is.

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Next to professional assessment, our job also demands good personal interrelations. Getting on well with other people is just as important for our daily work as a professional exchange. Sometimes, it is hard to keep these two things separate. Despite our awe and respect for others’ achievements, a real master doesn’t really have to be a nice person. And conversely, someone whose work we don’t admire can still have a fantastic personality. We should be careful not to mix up professional and personal attributes that might influence our overall view of our colleagues.

Fake Friends When people develop relationships during a production, there is a fine line between being “friends” or “colleagues.” Sometimes, congeniality can be taken advantage of for professional gain—people may pretend to be close to further their career. However, visiting colleagues on prestigious contracts only, flattering them extensively on social media, and referring to a friendship in order to acquire new work can quickly backfire. No matter how well we seem to get on with our colleagues, we need to realize there is a difference between professional connections and true friendship. We should choose our mates wisely and, most importantly, not be a fake friend to others!

The Half-naked Artist In the performing arts, every department’s work is geared toward what ultimately happens on stage. Everyone contributes to what it takes to make a presentation a success. The performers’ job is to carry this image to the audience. If they can shine, it reflects back on all the other team members. However, the “shining star” image is often used to decorate corporate events or private parties—an accessory for bringing excitement into guests’ business or private lives. Performers can only be as good as their supporting team. Under difficult circumstances, it is hard to shine. When a singer’s remarkable voice becomes distorted because of a poor PA system, acrobats are forced to perform on an uneven surface, or dancers are left to perform barefoot in winter, the audience’s awe can quickly turn to pity. The glamour soon evaporates. And if a client cannot provide a favorable work setting, it doesn’t bode well for a productive experience. Thus, it is crucial to consider the entire machinery and to make the most of any situation. In traditional circuses, for example, the “stage” is often covered with sawdust or goat droppings, so performers have naturally developed a way to create a safe space. By using a handstand podium, a couchinette, or performing on a high wire, the audience is forced literally to look up to them. In the same

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way, we need to create the means to support performers in any production, thus empowering them to carry out their primary task—bewildering the audience with their own, as well as the whole team’s, skills.

Rehearsals and Setup The Importance of Try-out Fields In 2017, I flew to New York to visit some old friends. Besides attending Broadway shows with them, at the top of my list was visiting a small stand-up comedy club. My friend Angelo, who seems to know every stage in the city, suggested a few options and we later found ourselves queuing up at a packed bar near Washington Square Park. Having allowed us entry, the doorman told us in no uncertain terms that if he saw our cell phones, we would be ejected immediately. Angelo read my surprised face, and once we sat down, he said to me: “They are so strict about phones because many well-known comedians use these little clubs to try out new material. If we are lucky, we might get to see Chris Rock or another celebrity tonight.” We did not, but this story still highlights one facet of performing that is highly underestimated—no matter how professional and experienced we are, there are some things we can’t practice in the studio. Rehearsing is one thing, performing to a live audience is another. Being on stage introduces many unknown variables that can serve as a distraction or be downright confusing. These include being nervous, a rush of adrenaline, the pressure you might feel, external factors such as the ambient temperature or time of day. When building a close connection with our audience, as in stand-up comedy, we have to experiment with new material. To learn how to place and time jokes accordingly, we need to sense the response of the audience. Maybe our favorite gag falls flat on its face while others are received unexpectedly well. These become references to create and optimize our performance. When working professionally, we need to be sure our material is up to the desired standard. We can trial our performance on any low-key audience—a family get-together, a village festival, a school reunion, or a small bar. Sometimes, these stages involve unusual conditions of their own. For example, performing to a few drunks can be a pretty devastating experience, but it does give us an apparent reference— whether we wowed the audience or not. In this sense, a poorly paid playground can still be worth a lot.

Performances Never Get Canceled When I first started in the performing arts, I operated at a lot of various, mostly amateur or even unprofessional venues. The use of fire, pyrotechnics, and

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laser involved many variables pertaining to the conditions and safety of any presentation, which were difficult to clarify in advance with most of our clients. I would often arrive at a new location and be at a loss at first how to perform under the given circumstances. In the worst circumstances, I hoped the performance would be canceled and I looked for any legitimate reason not to step on stage. My prayers were never heard though: despite sandstorms in Abu Dhabi, high waves in the Baltic, an electrical fire in Moscow, the lack of an audience in Mexico, heavy rain in India, and the unbearable mid-winter cold of Romania, the show went on. One summer, I was even asked to perform a fire show in a holiday resort where smoking was prohibited because of the risk of wildfires! When a problem appears unsurmountable, we tend to look for the easiest escape route. However, questioning whether a show can really go ahead adversely affects everyone’s motivation and workflow. By having doubts and worries, we use up valuable time and energy that could have been devoted to making essential preparations, undertaking adaptations, or being constructive in any other way. Since performances will (almost) always go ahead one way or another, we need to try to do our best in any situation. Cancellations remain a rarity, and as we say: “The show must go on!”

Sit Down Working long hours on site often involves running around organizing things, talking to people, moving props, or otherwise busying ourselves. If you wear a pedometer during rehearsals in a big theatre or convention hall, you will realize that few mountain hikes incorporate the same number of steps we take at work. We tend to recognize this strain only once our legs are ready to collapse under us. By then, all our willpower will be needed just to approach someone for an essential exchange. A simple way of pacing our energy is to sit down regularly and consciously from the outset. This prevents physical and mental fatigue while helping us to maintain our stamina until the end.

Backstage Silence The backstage area can become one’s second living room. We often spend more time there than in our own home. If a performance is not too stressful, we might also have enough time to socialize and enjoy people’s company. This might involve emotional discussions about our favorite soccer teams or having a few laughs in the wings. Even if the audience doesn’t notice it, unnecessary noise is disrespectful to our colleagues who need to focus behind the scenes or

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on stage—it is easy to be unaware we are causing a distraction. We should always keep the volume to a minimum, save our conversations for later, or nip outside for a personal exchange.

Other People’s Props A theatre can feel like a playground for adults. We are surrounded by things that call for closer inspection. However, no matter how tempting it is to investigate, we should never touch anyone else’s equipment without their permission—and I mean never. Slightly repositioning a prop can cause panic and interfering with an illusion can ruin the whole act. And taking aerial props in hand could even cost someone their life. Appreciate people’s equipment and bear in mind that safety comes first.

Access to Water Access to water is important for any production. Sometimes only sodas and coffee are available, or there are no cups or too few bottles of water. Stores are often closed when members of the production are not working, or a venue is so remote there are no stores. And sometimes we simply forget to drink enough water when caught up in our work. All of the above can result in tired legs, problems focusing, heavy eyes, or a general dullness. Hence, we need to focus on drinking enough water, and eliminating anything that might prevent that being the case. This could be achieved by storing extra bottles in the car, buying water filters for use in countries with a poor water supply, using spill-free bottles backstage, even setting a timer to remind us on a regular basis to take a drink of water. This is well worth the effort and will be less of a hassle than anything we may experience once dehydrated.

Pen and Paper Since almost everyone now owns a mobile phone or tablet, they rarely carry pens anymore. There are times when it will be necessary to scribble a few notes, make a quick sketch, capture ideas, or label things, for which we tend to ask others for a pen or pencil. Often, a pen or pencil is not forthcoming. Thus, carrying a pen and notebook may assist not only our own work process, but our colleagues’ needs also. So simple, yet so compelling. Thanks, Kelly and Robin,4 for pointing that out!

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On the Road Fighting Jetlag Fighting jetlag efficiently is essential for both our minds and bodies. However, it is a topic that I believe too little is known about. Most people—including myself— have their own personal theories of how to compensate for long-distance air travel. Unfortunately, very few businesspeople, sportsmen, artists, etc. incorporate them into their contracts or professional schedules. Besides integrating our chosen means of compensating, it is necessary to be in good physical shape. Although this topic has already been covered in Chapter 4, the tips for fighting jetlag below will additionally help you to acclimatize quickly and efficiently to a new time-zone.

EXAMPLE 6.2 In 2010, we flew from Berlin to Shanghai, and then took a shuttle to a venue around 2 hours outside the city. We started rehearsals straight away, had a few hours’ sleep, then performed the demanding show the very next day. After packing up immediately after, we were driven back to Shanghai airport, and as we stepped on the plane we encountered the exact same flight crew that had been on our outbound flight. Their mandatory rest period after such a long-distance journey equalled the time we had to fully concentrate!

TIPS FOR FIGHTING JETLAG 1

Consider yourself already in the new time-zone. As soon as you sit down in the plane, try to switch your personal rhythm to the time of your destination, change your watch instantly, and don’t calculate back anymore!

2

If you left your hometown in the evening, but it is noon at your destination, try to stay up until it is time to sleep in the new country. Even though it might appear convenient to spend a flight sleeping, this will make adaptation later on much more difficult.

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3

If you have multiple connecting flights, designate one of them as your main night-time sleep.

4

Once you arrive in the new time-zone, make sure you stick to regular bedtimes as much as possible.

5

Try to avoid long naps during the day.

6

Darken your hotel room at night and expose yourself to sunlight during the day as much as possible. This will help your body to adapt to the rhythm of the new time-zone.

Noise Reduction Ambient noise has a constant impact on our stress levels, whether it is during setups or waiting backstage, on festivals or while traveling. Because we often cannot escape these sounds, they can manifest as fatigue and nervousness of body and mind. In the early 2000s, I used noise cancellation headphones for the first time to reduce the impact plane travel had on my body. The results were astonishing. A transatlantic flight suddenly was a lot easier to deal with—merely by lowering the noise burden on my hearing. Unfortunately, my particular headphones kept running out of battery life too quickly, broke easily, and were quite unwieldy to carry around. A few years later, I began to use in-ear headphones for their earplug effect. Ever since, I have employed them regularly without music simply to reduce the stress during sound checks, in the car, or on the subway. Lowering unwanted noises helps me to keep a fresh mind for other, more critical moments.

Nearby Accommodation When traveling abroad for work, our accommodation is often booked by our clients. Since hotels or apartments are usually organized according to the budget or logistics of the producers, this might involve having to drive, ride, or walk a long way to work, wait for a taxi, or adapt to specific transfer times. Long periods of rehearsal often allow minimal breaks, making it very difficult to leave the set during intervals. Whether we need to get changed, have to get something we forgot, have a shower, or just find some quiet time to put our feet up before the performance starts, accommodation nearby can help facilitate it. If we have the opportunity to organize a place nearby—even if at our own expense—it will improve the quality of both our life and work.

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The Natural Energy Booster Here is a rather extraordinary method that I learned from my good friend, juggler Sebastian Berger.5 He told me that he uses a full bladder to keep himself awake. He drinks a lot of water before a long night’s drive or even before going to bed when he has to get up early. The pressure involved keeps him animated and attentive. I experimented with many different ways of adopting this trick. I have now come to realize that a full bladder works better for me than caffeine. In addition, it may even help to maintain a positive tension before going on stage.

Crossing the Language Barrier

EXAMPLE 6.3 In 2008, we prepared a spectacle for the public festivities of Abu Dhabi National Day. For the highlight of the performance we planned to incorporate multiple pyrotechnic-effects, as well as state-of-the-art fireworks. The material was ordered long in advance from a local SFX company, and the dangerous goods were delivered by a special truck escorted by local police and army. Before we were allowed to unload our effects, we had to go through several lists, licenses, and agreements, many of which were in Arabic. The uniformed men asked us numerous questions about what exactly we were going to do because the royal family were to take part in the festival. Next to the outdoor stage our agency had prepared a special green room for us and, although our team included highly experienced pyrotechnicians, the special forces policemen appointed one officer to keep a watch on us at all times. Conscientiously, we started to strip the cables, label them, and place the effects into position. The senior officer followed our every move. There was a tense atmosphere in the room that put a strain on everyone. It was also a very hot day, and while we were wearing shorts and flipflops, he was in full uniform and combat boots. We thought it reasonable to at least offer him some water, but he refused with a small gesture. Every few hours, another soldier came to check on his associate. They exchanged a few words, and we were back in silence.

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The evening came and we still wanted to get ahead with our work. We decided to continue our preparations into the night. Our agent brought us food and drinks so we could save time. Again, we asked the officer to join us, but he shook his head. It was only when we started our dessert that he must have realized we were not going to leave this place very soon. After 10 hours without food or water we considered this our chance to break the ice! We sat him down and handed him all the food options we had left. He seemed to know the cuisine much better than us, so we asked for the names of our favorite dishes, and— behold—he uttered his first words to us! The next 48 hours completely changed our relationship. It turned out that he was interested in pyrotechnics so we exchanged our knowledge, improved each other’s techniques, and had many good laughs about misunderstandings—but this whole dialogue was only conducted through non-verbal communication. His English was almost as poor as our Arabic was, so we literally used hands and feet to become friends. After three days in the green room, all fireworks were set up, and we called an early night before the big day of the show. But our soldier seemed to be a little worried. He could only communicate to us that he would come back again tomorrow, which we expected anyway. So, what was his concern? The next morning, we had to present our effects to the police one more time for a final inspection. Surprisingly, our new friend was absent. That’s at least what we initially thought because we just could not recognize him dressed in his traditional, private Thawb. On his free day, he had come to our site with his wife and children, not only to introduce us to his family, but first and foremost to make sure the fire police would not cause any more problems for us. He spoke a few words with them and, without any further ado, the officers signed a paper and we were good for our big performance for the Sheikh. Not only had we turned a soldier into a friend, but we had also gained a valuable local contact who made our life easier with the authorities.

Some stage productions require exploring uncommon ways or methods of collaborating. If we are reaching the limits of verbal communication, we still need to enable a constructive exchange. In order to facilitate this, I offer two simple options that can circumvent drastic language barriers: 1 the Picture Dictionary; and 2 the Backstage Dictionary. The Picture Dictionary uses images as a reference. At one international production, our light designer brought a palette of colors to communicate his

TOOLS AND TRICKS

151

vision to the local technicians. In the same way, we can assemble pictures or symbols to demonstrate our intentions. An internationally understandable, nonverbal dictionary allows us to point or refer to images without the need to speak. We might individually start to collect our most essential images or start with the icons shown in Figure 6.1. A more extensive collection can also be downloaded from www.collaboratingbackstage.com. For the second option, I have assembled approximately 100 of the most relevant phrases and words when working on a stage production. These are translated into five widely used languages to provide a starting point for clear communication (Figure  6.2). By reading out or pointing to the words, we can potentially bridge vast language barriers and complete simple, or even complex, tasks such as: ●

orientating backstage

●

setting up props

●

ensuring safety

●

getting food and drinks

●

agreeing on colors and positions

●

understanding schedules

●

and much more.

This collection can be expanded with additional words or translated to other languages. A free download is available at: www.collaboratingbackstage.com.

152

COLLABORATING BACKSTAGE

Backstage beamer

bobbypins

cable

chair

cherrypicker

coathanger

costume

curtain

electricity

first aid kit

flightcase

hairspray

heater

intercom

internet

ladder

light

lightbulb

make up

Figure 6.1 The Picture Dictionary.

microphone

mirror

TOOLS AND TRICKS

153

molton/fabric

multiplug

paper & pen

plug

rope

sewing machine

smoke machine

sound/monitor

stairs

table

TV/monitor

umbrella

Getting Around hotel

keys

money

(shuttle-)bus

taxi

down

left

right

up

154

COLLABORATING BACKSTAGE

Tools allen key

carabiner

flashlight

hammer

measuring tape

multitool

nails

needle & thread

pins

pliers

screwdriver

screws

stapler

tape

wrench

Figure 6.1 Continued

TOOLS AND TRICKS

155

Well-being beer

champagne

chocolate

coffee

food

fridge

massage/physio

shower

tea

towels

vegetarian food

(drinking) water

(tap) water

wine

156

ENGLISH

GERMAN

FRENCH

SPANISH

RUSSIAN

ARABIC

General

Allgemein

General

General

Общее Obschee

‫ﺟﻨﺮﺍﻟﻮﺍء‬ Jiniral liwa‘

good morning

Guten Morgen

bonjour

buenos dias

Доброе утро Dobroe utro

‫ﺻﺒﺎﺡ ﺍﻟﺨﻴﺮ‬ Sabah Al Khair

goodnight

Gute Nacht

bonne nuit

buenas noches

Спокойной ночи Spokoinoi nochi

‫ﻣﺴﺎء ﺍﻟﺨﻴﺮ‬ Masa al Khair

good afternoon

Guten Tag

bonjour

buenas tardes

Добрый день Dobriy den´

‫ﻁﺎﺏ ﻣﺴﺎﺋﻚ‬ Taba Masaaka

hello

Hallo

salut

hola

Привет Privet

‫ﻣﺮﺣﺒﺎ‬ Marhaban

how are you?

Wie geht’s?

ça va?

cómo estás?

Как дела? Kak dela?

‫ﻛﻴﻒ ﺍﻟﺤﺎﻝ‬ Keyfa Al hal?

goodbye

Auf Wiedersehen

Au revoir

hasta luego

Досвидания Dosvidaniya

‫ﻣﻊ ﺍﻟﺴﻼﻣﺔ‬ Maa Al Salama

bye

Tschüss

salut

adiós

Пока Poka

‫ﺑﺎﻱ‬ Bye

thank you

Danke

Merci

Gracias

Спасибо Spasibo

‫ﺷﻜﺮﺍ‬ Shoukran

you‘re welcome

Bitte

de rien

de nada

Пожалуйста Pogaluista

‫ﺍﻫﻼ ﻭﺳﻬﻼ‬ Ahlan wa Sahlan

please

Bitte

S’il vous plait

por favor

Пожалуйста Pogaluista

‫ﺍﺭﺟﻮﻙ‬ Arjouk

where is . . .?

Wo ist . . .?

ou est . . .?

dónde está . . .?

Где . . .? Gde . . .?

‫ﺍﻳﻦ‬ Ayn?

please help me

Bitte um Hilfe

Aides-moi s’il te plais

Ayúdame por favor

Пожалуйста помогите мне Pogaluista pomogite mne

‫ﺍﺭﺟﻮﻛﺎﻟﻤﺴﺎﻋﺪﺓ‬ Arjoualmouseada

I am sorry

Tut mir leid

je suis désolée

Lo siento

Извините-Izvinite

‫ﺍﻧﺎ ﺁﺳﻒ‬ Ana Asef

excuse me

Entschuldigung

Escusez-moi

Disculpe

Прошу прощения Proshu prosheniya

‫ﺍﻋﺬﺭﻧﻲ‬ Oezorni

yes

ja

oui

si

Да Da

‫ﻧﻌﻢ‬ Naeam

no

nein

non

no

Нет Net

‫ﻻ‬ La

good

gut

bon

bueno

Хорошо Horosho

‫ﺟﻴﺪ‬ Jayyed

bad

schlecht

mal

mal

Плохо Ploho

‫ﺳﻲء‬ Sayyean

157

Figure 6.2 The Backstage Dictionary.

158

ENGLISH

GERMAN

FRENCH

SPANISH

RUSSIAN

ARABIC

General

Allgemein

General

General

Общее Obschee

‫ﺟﻨﺮﺍﻟﻮﺍء‬ Jiniral liwa‘

hour

Stunde

heure

hora

Час Chas

‫ﺳﺎﻋﺔ‬ Saea

minute

Minute

minute

minuto

Минута Minuta

‫ﺩﻗﻴﻘﺔ‬ Dakika

can I borrow . . .?

Darf ich mir . . . ausborgen?

Peux-tu me prêter . . .?

Me puedes prestar . . .?

Могу я взять . . .?. Mogu ya vziat . . .?

‫ﻫﻞ ﺍﺳﺘﻄﻴﻊ ﺍﻻﺳﺘﻌﺎﺭﺓ‬ Hal astatie Alistieara?

Attention!

Achtung!

Attention!

Cuidado!

Внимание Vnimanie

‫ﺍﻧﺘﺒﺎﻩ‬ Intibah!

all‘s good

Alles in Ordnung

Tout est bien

Todo bien

Все хорошо Vse horosho

‫ﻛﻞ ﺷﻲء ﺟﻴﺪ‬ Kol Shey Jayyed

me

ich

moi

yo

Я Ya

‫ﺍﻧﺎ‬ Ana

you

Du

toi

tú

Ты Ti

‫ﺍﻧﺖ‬ Anta (or Anti for female)

well done

gut gemacht

bien fait

bien hecho

Молодец Molodez

‫ﺟﻴﺪ ﺟﺪﺍ‬ Jayyed Jiddan

GERMAN

FRENCH

SPANISH

RUSSIAN

ARABIC

Instructions

Anweisungen

Instructions

Instrucciones

Инструкции Instrukzii

‫ﺗﻌﻠﻴﻤﺎﺕ‬ Taeleemat

more

mehr

plus

más

Больше Bolshe

‫ﺍﻛﺜﺮ‬ Akthar

less

weniger

moins

menos

Меньше Menshe

‫ﺍﻗﻞ‬ Akall

high

hoch

haut

alto

Высота Visota

‫ﻋﺎﻝ‬ ealee

in the center

in der mitte

au milieu

al centro

В центре V zentre

‫ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﻮﺳﻂ‬ Fi al Wasat

low

tief

bas

bajo

Низ Niz

‫ﻣﻨﺨﻔﺾ‬ Monkhafed

left

links

gauche

izquierda

Лево Levo

‫ﻳﺴﺎﺭ‬ Yasar

right

rechts

droîte

derecha

Право Pravo

‫ﻳﻤﻴﻦ‬ Yameen

in the front

vorne

devant

delante

Впереди Vperedi

‫ﻓﻲ ﺍﻻﻣﺎﻡ‬ Fi Al amam

at the back

hinten

derrière

detrás

Сзади Szadi

‫ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﺨﻠﻒ‬ Fi Al Khalf

159

ENGLISH

Figure 6.2 Continued

160

ENGLISH

GERMAN

FRENCH

SPANISH

RUSSIAN

ARABIC

Instructions

Anweisungen

Instructions

Instrucciones

Инструкции Instrukzii

‫ﺗﻌﻠﻴﻤﺎﺕ‬ Taeleemat

on

auf

sur

en

На Na

‫ﻋﻠﻰ‬ ealaa

under

unter

dessous

debajo

Под Pod

‫ﺗﺤﺖ‬ Tahat

straight ahead

Gerade aus

tout droít

todo recto

Прямо Priamo

‫ﺍﻟﻰ ﺍﻻﻣﺎﻡ ﻣﺒﺎﺷﺮﺓ‬ ila al amam moubashara

change

wechseln

change

cambio

Менять Meniat

‫ﺍﻟﺘﻐﻴﻴﺮ‬ Al Taghyeer

ENGLISH

GERMAN

FRENCH

SPANISH

RUSSIAN

ARABIC

Getting around

Zurecht Finden

Trouver votre chemin

Encontrar su camino

Вокруг vokrug

‫ﺍﻟﺘﺠﻮﺍﻝ‬ Al tajawwoul

car

Auto

voiture

coche

Машина´ Mashina

‫ﺳﻴﺎﺭﺓ‬ Sayyara

bus

Bus

bus

bús

Автобус Avtobus

‫ﺣﺎﻓﻠﺔ ﺭﻛﺎﺏ‬ hafilat roukkab

hotel

Hotel

hôtel

hotel

Отель-Гостинница Hotel

‫ﻓﻨﺪﻕ‬ Foundouk

truck

LKW

camion

camión

Грузовик Gruzovik

‫ﺷﺎﺣﻨﺔ‬ Shahinah

water

Wasser

eau

agua

Вода Voda

‫ﻣﺎء‬ Maa

food

Essen

nouriture

comida

Еда Eda

‫ﻁﻌﺎﻡ‬ Taeaam

drinks

Trinken

boissons

bebidas

Напитки Napitki

‫ﻣﺸﺮﻭﺑﺎﺕ‬ Mashroubat

changing room

Garderobe

loge

vestuario

Гримерная Grimernaya

‫ﻏﺮﻓﺔ ﺍﻟﺘﺒﺪﻳﻞ‬ Ghorfat Al Tabdeel

shower

Dusche

douche

ducha

Душ Dush

‫ﺍﺳﺘﺤﻤﺎﻡ‬ Istihmam

bathroom, toilet

Klo

toilette

baño

Туалет-Уборная Tualet-Ubornaya

‫ﺣﻤﺎﻡ‬ hammam

boss

Chef

chef

jefe

Босс Boss

‫ﺭﺋﻴﺲ‬ Raees

Figure 6.2 Continued

161

162

ENGLISH

GERMAN

FRENCH

SPANISH

RUSSIAN

ARABIC

Running orders

Abläufe

Processus

Procesos

Программа-Programma

‫ﺗﺸﻐﻴﻞ ﺍﻻﻭﺍﻣﺮ‬ Tashgheel Al Awamer

bow

Verbeugung

arc

arco

Поклон Poklon

‫ﺍﻧﺤﻨﺎء‬ In-hi-naa’a

final

Finale

final

final

Финал Final

‫ﻧﻬﺎﺋﻲ‬ Ni-ha-ee

beginning

Anfang

debut

inicio

Начало Nachalo

‫ﺍﻟﺒﺪﺍﻳﺔ‬ Al-bee-da-ya

end

Ende

fin

fin

Конец Konetz

‫ﺍﻟﻨﻬﺎﻳﺔ‬ Al-nee-ha-ya

today

heute

aujourd’hui

hoy

Сегодня Segodnya

‫ﺍﻟﻴﻮﻡ‬ Al-yawoum

tomorrow

morgen

demain

mañana

Завтра Zavtra

‫ﻏﺪﺍ‬ Gha-dan

finished

fertig

terminé

terminado

Закончилось Zakonchilos

‫ﺗﻢ ﺍﻻﻧﺘﻬﺎء‬ Tamma-Al-inti-haa’a

ready

bereit

prêt

listo

Готов Gotov

‫ﺟﺎﻫﺰ‬ Jahez

schedule

Zeitplan

le programme

horario

Расписание Raspisanie

‫ﺟﺪﻭﻝ‬ Jadwal

rehearsal

Probe

repetition

ensayo

Репетиция repetitsiya

‫ﺑﺮﻭﻓﺔ‬ Brova

ENGLISH

GERMAN

FRENCH

SPANISH

RUSSIAN

ARABIC

Workplace

Arbeitsplatz

Lieu de travail

Lugar de trabajo

Рабочее местоRabochee mesto

‫ﻣﻜﺎﻥ ﺍﻟﻌﻤﻞ‬ Makan Al eamal

stage

Bühne

scène

scena

Сцена Szena

‫ﺍﻟﻤﺴﺮﺡ‬ Al masrah

stairs

Treppen

escalier

escalera

Лестница Lestniza

‫ﺍﻟﺪﺭﺝ‬ Aldaraj

sound

Ton

son

sonido

Звук Zvuk

‫ﺻﻮﺕ‬ Sawout

light

Licht

lumière

luz

Свет Svet

‫ﺿﻮء‬ Daww

front of house, booth

Regiepult

table de controle

mesa de control

Рубка Rubka

‫ﺍﻟﻜﺸﻚ ﺍﻻﻣﺎﻧﻲ‬ Al kishkou al amamee

stagemarks

Bodenmarkierungen

marques

marcas

Метка Metka

‫ﻋﻼﻣﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﻤﺴﺮﺡ‬ ealamat al masrah

audience

Publikum

publique

público

Зритель Zritel

‫ﺟﻤﻬﻮﺭ‬ Joumhour

Figure 6.2 Continued

163

164

ENGLISH

GERMAN

FRENCH

SPANISH

RUSSIAN

ARABIC

Tools and props

Werkzeug und Gegenstände

Outils et objets

Instrumentos y objetos

Инструменты-РеквизитInstrumenti-Rekvizit

‫ﺍﺩﻭﺍﺕ ﻭﺩﻋﺎﺋﻢ‬ Adawat wa Daeaem

tape

Klebeband

Bande adhesive

cinta

Скотч-Skotch

‫ﺷﺮﻳﻂ ﻻﺻﻖ‬ Shareet Lasek

strap ties

Kabelbinder

collier colson

bridas

Хомут Homut

‫ﺭﻭﺍﺑﻂ‬ Rawabit

screwdriver

Schraubenzieher

tourne vis

destornillador

Отвертка Otvertka

‫ﻣﻔﻚ ﺑﺮﺍﻏﻲ‬ Mafak Baraghi

screws

Schrauben

vis

tornillos

Шурупы Shurupi

‫ﻣﺴﺎﻣﻴﺮ‬ Masameer

hammer

Hammer

marteau

martillo

Молоток Molotok

‫ﺷﺎﻛﻮﺵ‬ Shakoush

nail

Nagel

pointe

clavo

Гвоздь Gvozd

‫ﻣﺴﻤﺎﺭ‬ Mismar

cloth

Stoff

tissue

tela

Материал´ Material

‫ﺛﻴﺎﺏ‬ Koumash

knife

Messer

couteau

cuchillo

Нож-Nog

‫ﺳﻜﻴﻦ‬ Sikkeen

pliers

Zange

pince

alicates

Пассатижи Passatishi

‫ﻛﻤﺎﺷﺔ‬ Kammasha

165

cable, wire

Kabel

câble

cable

Кабель Kabel

‫ﻛﺎﺑﻞ‬ kabil

plug, outlet

Steckdose

prise

enchufe

Розетка´ Rozetka

‫ﻣﻘﺒﺲ ﺗﻮﺻﻴﻞ‬ Makbas Tawseel

electricity

Strom

electricité

electricidad

Электричество Elektrichestvo

‫ﻛﻬﺮﺑﺎء‬ Kahrabaa

extension cable

Verlängerungskabel

ralonge

alargador

Удлинитель Udlinitel

‫ﻭﺻﻠﺔ ﺗﻤﺪﻳﺪ‬ Waslat Tamdeed

multiplug

Mehrfachstecker

multi-prise

enchufe múltiple

Мульти-удлинитель Mulit udlinitel

‫ﻣﻘﺒﺲ ﻣﺘﻨﻮﻉ‬ Makbas Moutanawwee

fog, smoke

Nebel, Rauch

fumée

humo

Дым´ Dim

‫ﺿﺒﺎﺏ‬ Dabab

monitor

Monitor

moniteur

monitor

Монитор Monitor

‫ﺭﺻﺪ‬//‫ﻣﺮﺍﻗﺐ‬ Mouraakeb

music

Musik

musique

música

Музыка Muzika

‫ﻣﻮﺳﻴﻘﻰ‬ Mousiqa

video

Video

video

video

Видео Video

‫ﻓﻴﺪﻳﻮ‬ Video

microphone

Mikrofon

microphone

micrófono

Микрофон Mikrofon

‫ﻣﻴﻜﺮﻭﻓﻮﻥ‬ Microphone

video projector

Video-Projektor

video projecteur

video proyector

Видео прожектор Video proshektor

‫ﺟﻬﺎﺯ ﻋﺮﺽ‬ Jihaz eard

printer

Drucker

imprimante

impresora

Принтер Printer

‫ﺍﻟﺔ ﺍﻟﻄﺒﺎﻋﺔ‬ Alat Tibaea

Figure 6.2 Continued

166

Tools and props

Werkzeug und Gegenstände

Outils et objets

Instrumentos y objetos

Инструменты-РеквизитInstrumenti-Rekvizit

‫ﺍﺩﻭﺍﺕ ﻭﺩﻋﺎﺋﻢ‬ Adawat wa Daeaem

curtain

Vorhang

rideaux

telón

Занавес Zanaves

‫ﺳﺘﺎﺭﺓ‬ Sitara

fire extinguisher

Feuerlöscher

extincteur

extintor

Огнетушитель Ognetushitel´

‫ﻁﻔﺎﻳﺔ ﺍﻟﺤﺮﻳﻖ‬ Taffayat hareeq

key

Schlüssel

clé

llave

Ключ Kluch

‫ﻣﻔﺘﺎﺡ‬ Mouftah

mirror

Spiegel

miroir

espejo

Зеркало Zerkalo

‫ﻣﺮﺁﺓ‬ Mir-aat

earthing

Erdung

terre

tierra

Заземление Zazemlenie

‫ﺍﻟﺘﺎﺭﻳﺾ‬ Altaa-reed

light, lamp

Lampe

lampe

foco

Лампа Lampa

‫ﺿﻮء‬ Dawou

chair

Stuhl

chaise

silla

Стул Stul

‫ﻛﺮﺳﻲ‬ Koursi

motor

Motor

moteur

motor

Мотор Motor

‫ﻣﺤﺮﻙ‬ Mouharrek

flashlight

Taschenlampe

lampe de poche

linterna

Фонарик Fonarik

‫ ﻣﺸﻌﻞ‬/‫ﻣﺼﺒﺎﺡ‬ Mousbah

decoration

Dekoration

decoration

decoración

Декорация-Dekoraziya

‫ﺯﺧﺮﻓﺔ‬ Zakhrafa

ENGLISH

GERMAN

FRENCH

SPANISH

RUSSIAN

ARABIC

Colors and numbers

Farben und Zahlen

Couleurs et numeros

Colores y numeros

Цвета и Числа-Zveta i Chisla

‫ﺍﻟﻮﺍﻥ ﻭﺍﺭﻗﺎﻡ‬ Alwan wa arkam

blue

blau

bleu

azul

Синий Sini´

‫ﺍﺯﺭﻕ‬ Azrak

green

grün

vert

verde

Зеленый´ Zeleni´

‫ﺍﺧﻀﺮ‬ Akhdar

red

rot

rouge

rojo

Красный´ Kasni´

‫ﺍﺣﻤﺮ‬ Ahmar

yellow

gelb

jaune

amarillo

Желтый´ Shelti´

‫ﺍﺻﻔﺮ‬ Asfar

white

weiß

blanc

blanco

Белый´ Beli´

‫ﺍﺑﻴﺾ‬ Abyad

black

schwarz

noir

negro

Черный´ Cherni´

‫ﺍﺳﻮﺩ‬ Aswad

one

eins

un

uno

Один´ Odin

‫ﻭﺍﺣﺪ‬ Wahad

two

zwei

deux

dos

Два Dva

‫ﺍﺛﻨﻴﻦ‬ Ethnayn

three

drei

trois

tres

Три Tri

‫ﺛﻼﺛﺔ‬ Thalatha

167

Figure 6.2 Continued

168

ENGLISH

GERMAN

FRENCH

SPANISH

RUSSIAN

ARABIC

Colors and numbers

Farben und Zahlen

Couleurs et numeros

Colores y numeros

Цвета и Числа-Zveta i Chisla

‫ﺍﻟﻮﺍﻥ ﻭﺍﺭﻗﺎﻡ‬ Alwan wa arkam

four

vier

quatre

cuatro

Четыре Chetire

‫ﺍﺭﺑﻌﺔ‬ Arbaea

five

fünf

cinq

cinco

Пять Piat´

‫ﺧﻤﺴﺔ‬ Khamsa

six

sechs

six

seis

Шесть Shest´

‫ﺳﺘﺔ‬ Sitta

seven

sieben

sept

siete

Семь Sem´

‫ﺳﺒﻌﺔ‬ Sabea

eight

acht

huit

ocho

Восемь Vosem´

‫ﺛﻤﺎﻧﻴﺔ‬ Thamaniya

nine

neun

neuf

nueve

Девять Deviat´

‫ﺗﺴﻌﺔ‬ Tisea

ten

zehn

dix

diez

Десять Desiat´

‫ﻋﺸﺮﺓ‬ eashara

one hundred

hundert

cent

cien

Сто Sto

‫ﻣﺎﺋﺔ‬ miaya

TOOLS AND TRICKS

169

Recommended Reading The Alchemy of Theatre: The Divine Science—Essays on Theatre and the Art of Collaboration, Robert Viagas, Applause Books, 2006 A collection of essays from masters of the various crafts on Broadway. Each chapter provides gripping insight into the specific work of the playwright, composer, director, and so on. The book provides a valuable understanding of practical collaboration in American musical theatre. The Director’s Craft: A Handbook for the Theatre, Katie Mitchell, Routledge, 2009 The director fulfills an instructing role throughout the overall process and, consequently, is also responsible for utilizing the available creative resources. The quality of any collaborating relationship starts here, and Katie Mitchell covers many important aspects. The rehearsal period is exceptionally well analyzed. The Stage Manager’s Toolkit: Templates and Communication Techniques to Guide Your Theatre Production from First Meeting to Final Performance, Laurie Kincman, The Focal Press, 2013 The stage manager can be an important conduit for communication between the various departments. This book offers a wide range of information for facilitating this demanding assignment. A lot of the information presented is also highly relevant for other associated jobs. The practical templates and clear instructions support daily organization in the performing arts. Riding the Waves of Culture: Understanding Diversity in Global Business, Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner, Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2012 This book addresses working in a multicultural business environment. Although the book is mainly about economics with no focus on the performing arts, there are certain facets of the content that you will find useful. Such chapters as “When two worlds collide” and “The group and the individual” cover a number of problems that are experienced daily in stage production. Special Events: Creating and Sustaining a New World for Celebration, 7th edn., Joe Goldblatt, Wiley, 2014 With a good balance of theory and practical experience, this book offers a lot of information needed for organizing special events. This includes aligning the various departments—sound, light, video, SFX , etc.—to which the author dedicates a chapter to each. In its seventh edition, the book also covers newer avenues of communication, including social media. The book provides good coverage of an event’s logistics and setup.

170

COLLABORATING BACKSTAGE

The Stage Lighting Handbook, Francis Reid, Routledge, 2001 This highly detailed handbook addresses every fundamental aspect of the stage lighting craft. The content ranges from the various types of lamps to creating detailed setup plans and programming modern consoles. It even covers the different lighting approaches to the various performing arts, like dance, opera, musicals, and plays. From complete beginner to professional lighting technician, anyone can learn from this book. Costume Design 101: The Business and Art of Creating Costumes for Film and Television, Richard LaMotte, Michael Wiese Productions, 2010 Even though this book is not aimed primarily at stage productions, the parallels with film and television are obvious. Richard LaMotte looks at the creative process, how to develop one’s vision, and other aspects such as keeping on top of the budgetary challenges of a production. This information is applicable to the performing arts in general and to the various departments within this particular genre. Creativity: The Psychology of Discovery and Invention, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Harper Perennial, 1997 The author of Flow has devoted this book to a thorough treatise on the topic of creative processes, their surroundings, and one’s personal approach. It presents a number of philosophical and psychological aspects of creating, which, once perceived, help us also to improve our practical work.

7 SUMMARY Collaboration is the biggest word in the theatre. It is the most important element in theatrical success . . . The theatre is a welding of many arts into one. No one person can be efficient or talented in all of the arts, and if any man could write and produce and direct and act and play the music, shift the scenery, design the costumes and, in short, do everything that could be done on one stage and come up with what was literally a one-man show, he would still need one more thing: an audience. You cannot get away from collaboration.1

The central topic of this book is to enhance active cooperation in stage productions. Our aim should be to link the various departments more efficiently while supporting and encouraging everyone on site. The starting point was people’s skills and creativity in the form of their “bags of experiences.” This collection of creative building blocks can be expanded by adding new components to one’s professional repertoire. A production’s large-scale bag of experiences becomes most accessible when the various elements—its departments and team members—manage to align personally as well as professionally for a shared new vision. The quality of a final performance will always be based on how well all the elements are able to collaborate. This is also intimately connected to a team’s sources of time, money, and energy at work. To manage and maintain these factors, I elaborated on how to orientate and integrate ourselves into the overall network. Understanding the various job profiles supports realizing our own, personal contribution as well as perceiving how individual skills can be combined with other people’s crafts. This is also improved by effective, intercultural communication. Developing awareness for the various regional and social backgrounds of our partners enhances early personal connections. By cultivating a shared language we create our own work culture. Here, curiosity functions not only as a means for creativity but also for productive communication behind the scenes. My personal goal for this book is to develop better access to that often unused creative potential in the performing arts. I seek ways for how people can be more 171

172

COLLABORATING BACKSTAGE

involved and, at the same time, more satisfied with the process of collaborating. Through my research for this book, I gained insight into the astonishing diversity and individuality that stage productions contain. Each interview opened up new worlds that came together to form a single context. However, the various work techniques, skills, and props do not always supplement and complement each other. In many cases, they merely compromise and equalize each other. A lot of uniqueness is lost when collaborations are not marked by the individuality involved. To make the most of any existing creative potential, we need to recognize people’s uniqueness as well as their varying backgrounds and skills. Only by supporting and trusting them in their expertise can we funnel creative input toward a shared, yet innovative goal. When I began incorporating this mindset into my professional work, it inevitably became part of my private life too. It now influences the way I connect with my friends, exchange with my wife, and raise my children. This flexible form of supporting each other is easily transferable to many other areas, genres, and niches including business management and politics. If the world consisted of people actively contributing from their bags of experiences—instead of being forever competitive—significant issues like racism, social discrimination, and political warfare would hardly exist. In this sense, the performing arts can function as a valuable model for aligning multicultural settings to create new and unseen beauty. Within our chosen field of work, improvements are required backstage and in the communication between a creative team and the production office. A lot of artistic potential is lost in this first connection because of poor interrelationships or unclear job assignments. A spark is often extinguished before it can light up the creative process. How to align the performing arts with marketing and sales, for example, could be a topic for a future book. For now, I have focused on the impact of lively collaboration in a stage production, and how to encourage the team to cooperate more fruitfully. Only by working hand in hand can we improve our own—as well as the overall—outcome: a successful performance. As a next step, it is time for us to take this acquired knowledge onto the stage and produce new, astonishing pieces of work. I can’t wait to see them!

Timo Niermann

NOTES

Chapter 1 1

Jobs (1982), “Speech to the Academy of Achievement, June 1982.”

2

Naimann (2014), “What is Creativity?”

3

Csikszentmihalyi (2013), Creativity, 155.

4

Ibid, 8.

5

Hamilton (2015), “Podcast.”

6

Baer (2013), “Why Openness to Experience is the Key to Creativity.”

7

Jobs (1982), “Speech.”

8

Ibid.

9

Ibid.

10 Stomp (n.d.), “Stomp: The show.” 11 http://latin-dictionary.net/search/latin/creare (accessed December 14, 2017). 12 King, Walker, and Broyles (1996), “Creativity and the Five-Factor Model.” 13 Downs, Wright, and Ramsey (2013), The Art of Theatre, 226. 14 Ferriss (2014) “Online Education Will Change the World.” 15 Gladwell (2009), The Outliers. 16 Figure 1.3: “The learning curve” is based on Ebbinghaus (1885), Memory, 42. 17 Kaufman (2013), “The First 20 Hours.” 18 Ibid. 19 Dweck (2014), “The Power of Believing That You Can Improve.” 20 McMeekin, cited in Eby (2010), “Curiosity and Creativity.” 21 Sparringmind.com (n.d.), “How to Enhance Your Creative Thinking.” 22 Smith (2008b), “What Qualities Are Necessary for Being a Good Director?” 23 Tirendi, in Frank (2016), “Who Can This Quote Be Attributed To?” 24 www.mariopricken.com (accessed December 27, 2017). 25 Personal interview with Mario Pricken, May 29, 2015. 26 Csikszentmihalyi (2013), Creativity, 9. 27 Ibid, 10. 28 Good (1999), “Creativity in Communication.” 29 Yates (2010), “MIT Sloan Communication Program Teaching Note.” 173

174

NOTES

Chapter 2 1

Goldblatt (1999), Special Events, 17.

2

Gebhardt (2000), “Feste, Feiern und Events,” 24.

3

Hepp and Vogelgesang (2000), “Kino als Medien-Event,” 239.

4

Knoblauch (2000), “Das strategische Ritual der kollektiven Einsamkeit,” 40.

5

Goldblatt (1999), Special Events, 65.

6

Sigmund (2008), no longer available online: http://www.the-art-of-event.at/ index.php?PageId=1814 (accessed August 19, 2009).

7

WordPress.com (n.d.), “Hierarchy and Egalitarianism.”

8

Greenberg (2012), “Building Organizations that Work.”

9

Zitek (2012), “The Fluency of Social Hierarchy.”

10 Schell (2016), “Hierarchical vs. Egalitarian.” 11 Greenberg (2012), “Building Organizations that Work.” 12 Alyson (2017), “Studio Engineer Job Description & Qualifications.” 13 Study.com (n.d.), “Theatrical Sound Engineer.” 14 allaboutcareers.com (n.d.), “Live Sound Technician.” 15 For example, American Association of Community Theatre, https://www.aact.org/ theatre-people (accessed December 15, 2017). 16 www.phoenixfiredancers.com (accessed December 31, 2017). 17 Sinek (2013), “Why Leaders Eat Last.” 18 Ibid. 19 Ibid.

Chapter 3 1

Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner (2012), Riding the Waves of Culture, 305.

2

Ibid., 304.

3

Information received in a private email by principal performer Ardee Dionisio (August 23, 2015).

4

Information received in a private email by principal performer Jakob Feyferlik (July 18, 2015).

5

Csikszentmihalyi (2013), Creativity, 127.

6

Durant (1991), The Story of Philosophy, 76.

7

The Sound of Music, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/the-sound-ofmusic-8195 (accessed December 15, 2017).

8

The House of Dancing Water, www.thehouseofdancingwater.com (accessed November 22, 2017)

9

Dragone (2010), “Show Naming Announcement—The House of Dancing Water.”

10 Swallow (2012), “What is Cross Cultural Communication.”

NOTES

175

11 Stone, Patton, and Heen (2013), Difficult Conversations, 2. Summary available online: http://www.fscanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/DifficultConversations-Summary.pdf (accessed December 15, 2017). 12 Swallow (2009), “Introduction.” 13 Lysgaard (1955), “Adjustment in a Foreign Society,” 45–51. 14 Ibid. 15 Expatstosingapore.com (n.d.), “Orientation & Integration Programmes.” 16 Hofstede, Hofstede, and Minkov (1991), Cultures and Organizations, 8. 17 Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner (2012), Riding the Waves of Culture, 8. 18 Ibid., 29. 19 Figure 3.2: The Onion of Culture is based on Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner (2012), 29, originally presented by Hofstede, Hofstede, and Minkov (1991), 8. 20 Ibid. 21 Ibid., 32. 22 Ibid., 33. 23 Ibid., 34. 24 Hall and Hall (1990), Understanding Cultural Differences, 13. 25 Ibid., 14. 26 Ibid., 13. 27 Ibid., 16. 28 Emeakaroha (2002), “African Cultural Values.” 29 Brenzinger (2005), “Sprachenvielfalt auf dem afrikanischen Kontinent.” 30 Regier, Carstensen, and Kemp (2016), “Languages Support Efficient Communication about the Environment.” 31 Bojanowski (2016), “Warum Deutsche so viele Wörter für Schnee kennen.” 32 Swallow (2009), “Deborah Swallow Speaking at Gala Awards Dinner.” 33 Mitchell (2009), The Director’s Craft, 125. 34 Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner (2012), Riding the Waves of Culture, 348–9. 35 Claudio (2017), “How to Translate the Feeling into Sound.”

Chapter 4 1

Muir (2013), “Genetics and the Behaviour of Chickens,” 1–30.

2

Tamm (2015), “Cultivating Collaboration.”

3

Ibid.

4

Muir and Wilson (2016), “When the Strong Outbreed the Weak.”

5

Csikszentmihalyi (2013), Creativity, 8.

6

appirio.com (n.d.), “The Value of Being Part of a Team.”

176

7

NOTES

Port (2014): “Play with People Who Have Your Back,” 23.

8

Mitchell (2009), The Director’s Craft, 119.

9

Watzlawick, Beavin, and Jackson (1969), Pragmatics of Human Communication, 53.

10 Hruschka (2016), Theater machen, 47. 11 Mitchell (2009), The Director’s Craft, 121. 12 Tino Schätzler, personal interview, January 12, 2016. 13 Ibid. 14 www.brendacochrane.com (accessed December 31, 2017). 15 Tim Miller, personal interview, August 17, 2014. 16 Claire Vinkesteijn, personal interview, July 21, 2015. 17 Edwards (2014), “Master Your People Skills.” 18 Stefan Kubalek, www.kustex.com (accessed December 27, 2017). 19 Tim Miller, personal interview, August 17, 2014. 20 Carmody and Lewis (2006), “Brain Activation When Hearing One’s Own and Others’ Names,” 153–8. 21 www.eddycarello.ch (accessed December 31, 2017). 22 Martin (2014), “9 Easy Ways to Remember Anyone’s Name.” 23 Mehrabian and Wiener (1967), “Decoding of Inconsistent Communications,” 109–14. 24 Thompson (2012), “Is Nonverbal Communication a Numbers Game?” 25 Hume (2015), “From the Handshake to the High Five.” 26 Edwards (2014), “Master Your People Skills,” Episode 17. 27 Dubois (2010), “How to Build a Corporate Culture of Trust.” 28 Peterson (2013), “Building a High-Trust Culture #1.” 29 Dubois (2010), “How to Build a Corporate Culture of Trust.” 30 Ibid. 31 Fosse (n.d.), “Bob Fosse Interview & Profile with David Sheehan.” 32 Sinek (2013), “Why Leaders Eat Last.” 33 Mitchell (2009), The Director’s Craft, 133. 34 Brach (2015), “Inviting Mara for Tea.” 35 Edberg (2008), “Ernest Hemingway’s Top 9 Words of Wisdom.” 36 Johnstone (2015), Improvisation and the Theatre, 97. 37 Ibid., 95. 38 Ibid., 101. 39 Smith (2008), “How Has Your Acting Career Influenced Your Directing?” 40 Edwards (2014), “Master Your People Skills,” Episode 7. 41 Barker (2017), “The Science of Laughter.” 42 Evans (2017), “Laugh Your Way to Creativity.” 43 Schnotz (n.d.), “The Similarities Between Tragedy & Comedy.”

NOTES

44 Stillman Theatre, http://www.stillman.info (accessed December 15, 2017). 45 http://www.collins-brothers.net/ (accessed December 15, 2017). 46 Smit (2015), “Humor and Culture in International Business.” 47 Freundeskreis (1997), “ANNA .” 48 www.ideealist.net (accessed December 31, 2017).

Chapter 5 1

LaMotte (2010), Costume Design 101, 111.

2

Ferdinand Aufner, private correspondence, August 6, 2015.

3

Sinek (2013), “Why Leaders Eat Last.”

4

Viagas (2006), The Alchemy of Theatre, 2.

5

Brust (2014), “Picking a Mode.”

6

Burke (2016), “How Many Emails Do People Get Every Day?”

7

Aaron Kwittken, cited in Brust (2014), “Picking a Mode.”

8

Pashler, McDaniel, Rohrer, and Bjork ((2009), “Learning Styles.”

9

Chapman (2015), The 5 Love Languages.

10 Ibid. 11 Kincman (2013), The Stage Managers Toolkit, 2. 12 Wüsthoff (n.d.), “Der fröhliche Radfahrer.” 13 Stravinsky (1919), “The Firebird,” Piano Transcript, Bar 110. 14 Luke (2012), “Why Stepping Back to See the Big Picture Is So Important.”

Chapter 6 1

McMeekin (2000), The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women, 37.

2

www.phoenixfiredancers.com (accessed January 9, 2018).

3

Tredennick (2017), “When It Comes to Theatre Tech, Less Is More.”

4

Kelly Rice and Robin Witt, private survey, August 2016.

5

Sebastian Berger, www.fenfire.at (accessed December 16, 2017).

Chapter 7 1

Oscar Hammerstein II , in Viagas (2006), The Alchemy of Theatre, 0.

177

178

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INDEX

Page entries followed by “f” denote figures. 10,000 hour rule 12f 20 hour rule 13f 3C model 98 5 factor model see Big Five access 15, 20, 35, 46, 70, 92, 128 acrobatics 7, 66, 102 actor 24, 76, 103f actor’s view 66 adaptation 8f, 19, 26, 34, 70, 74, 94, 103f, 110, 129, 132, 135 adjustment 8, 26, 45, 48, 56, 70, 98 aestethics 29 air 81 align align cultures 47, 69f align team members 15, 20, 52, 55, 74, 104, 106, 115, 120, 125 artifacts and products 58 assistant 31 backstage 89, 90 wardrobe 45, 60, 89, 92 audience 24, 25, 49 adapting sense of humor 110f collaboration with the audience 127, 136–138 preparing for an audience 33, 87, 143, 144 reception of a performance 50, 53f, 141 avoiding no 102 backstage 5, 24, 31, 52, 90, 93, 103, 107, 127, 135, 145, 148 backstage network model 36–40 bag of experiences 10, 12f, 19, 52, 85, 118 a personal bag 9 a production’s bag 15, 171

ballet 7, 11 Barker, Lynne 109 barriers culture barriers 47 language barriers 98, 150f learning barriers 14f basic assumptions 59f beliefs 70, 120 Big Five 12 blacklight 66 blocking cooperation 103 body language 98, 126 Bojanowski, Axel 65 bonding 50, 109 bookings 78, 137 Brach, Tara 101 break routines 106f Brenzinger, Matthias 64 broadway 51 Buddha 101 budget 27, 118, 141, 148 building blocks 11–14, 19f, 31, 85, 171 business 19, 62, 85, 99f, 120, 143 buskers 24, 50f, 137 cancellation 103 capability trust 100 Carey, Mariah 68 carpenter 8, 17, 94 cast 8, 21, 49, 63, 69, 108 caste 29 chain chain of command 33 chain of trust 33 information chain 41 Chapman, Gary 128 chinese whispers 41 185

186

choreographer 28, 42, 11, 122, 130, 132, 141 choreography 12, 100, 116, 141 circle of safety 101 circumstances 7 adapting to circumstances 9, 19, 51, 67, 74, 125 evaluating circumstances 41, 83, 104, 128, 143 improving circumstances 104 circus 2, 23, 25, 32, 51, 84, 136, 143 classical 2, 11, 26, 30 Claudio, Rachel 70 client 33, 36, 47, 63, 79, 83, 89, 99, 143, 148 clusters 98 collegial collaboration 122 comedy 25, 109–11, 144 comfort zone 14, 103, 140f communication 48, 56, 74, 76, 92, 105, 125, 128 communication and creativity 19f communication avenues 27, 41–45, 121, 126, 136 communication problems 34 non-verbal communication 98, 99, 150 shortcut communication 45 communicational trust 100f community 48f, 52, 59, 74 competence cultural competence 48 professional competence 104, 141 composer 26, 70, 107, 116, 120, 128–130, 133 compromise 8, 33, 75, 80, 89, 103, 135, 138, 172 condition 7, 87, 88 condition of material 94 working conditions 27, 77f, 80, 83, 85, 88, 91, 104, 137, 144 confirmations 108, 126 congruence 98 connection connection with the audience 33, 137, 144 making quick connections 84, 94, 99 personal connection 14, 49f, 70, 91, 96, 171

INDEX

professional connection 29, 31, 77, 123, 139, 143 content 74, 85, 98, 117, 131, 138 addressing content 110, 129 generating content 83, 118 context 66, 69 context in body language 98 contractual trust 100 contribution 15f, 28, 34, 85, 93, 101, 107, 122f, 143 copyright 10 costumes 8, 19, 21, 24, 25, 29, 34, 36, 39, 43, 81, 86, 94, 108, 116, 118–120, 130, 132 creation 5, 29, 35, 54, 77, 133 creativity 5–21, 28, 46, 54f, 74, 76, 104, 107, 110, 130, 140, 142 crossover of genres 11 crowd agitator 136 cruise ships 51, 57, 86, 128 Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly 7, 19, 51, 74 cue 31, 94, 105, 127, 128, 142 culture creating a culture 50, 68, 70 cultural circles 20, 27 cultural facets 15, 71 cultural themes 53 culture gap 57 culture shocks 55–7, 70 Onion of Culture 58–60 perception of culture 47f, 53, 60 regional cultures 51f, 65, 69 social cultures 51f, 65, 69 subcultures 53 variety of cultures 48, 51, 111 work culture 19, 33, 36, 70 custom-made 119 daily routines 23, 61, 87, 107 dance 2, 7, 11f, 17, 26, 28, 34, 36, 43, 51, 65, 87, 94, 100, 111, 136, 143 dance captain 43, 92, 122 data 98, 118, 125, 129, 133 departments 7, 15, 17, 28–36, 41, 65, 68, 74, 92, 94, 109, 121, 122, 129 descriptions 97, 130, 133 job description 31, 94 designer 5, 8, 17, 25, 33, 45, 48, 51, 65

INDEX

costume designer 8, 21, 34, 42, 86, 108, 116, 120, 122, 130, 132 fashion designer 25 light designer 7, 26, 84, 105, 109, 128, 150 set designer 26, 34, 122 dialogue 77, 94, 97, 105 creative dialogue 21, 68f, 132 dialogue with the audience 136f intercultural dialogue 15, 54, 57, 60 non-verbal dialogue 98, 150 dictionary 150–68 differences cultural differences 55, 57, 64, 68 department-related differences 34, 66 differences and similarities 52, 60f personal differences 28 dinner with friends 17, 18 dionysia 23 direction 18, 29, 34, 85, 108, 120, 133 artistic direction 7, 118, 132 directions 34, 84, 92, 115 stage directions 66 director 5, 8, 12, 21, 28, 33–42, 53, 66, 84, 100, 122, 129 divergence 15, 30, 85, 132 diversity 2, 15, 19, 27, 46, 47, 50, 52, 55, 66, 74, 128 Dragone, Franco 54 dramaturgy 68 Dubois, Lou 99f dynamics 73, 91, 105, 106 Edwards, Vanessa van 99 egalitarian 27–9, 34, 70 email 84, 125f Emeakaroha, Emeka 63 empathy 75 energy 19f, 33, 57, 74, 75–7, 80, 83, 100, 106, 108, 120, 135, 145 ensemble 108 environment 33, 41, 49, 51, 59, 60, 73, 74, 98, 101, 109 equality 28f escape 23, 145 establishing a language 68 evaluating contracts 77, 82 Evans, David 109

187

events business, corporate, political or other special events 24–6, 82, 107, 143 personal life events 49 excitement 57, 107, 143 executives 5, 36 expectations 30, 53, 61, 108, 137 experiences 25, 30, 48–50, 104, 108, 111f bag of experiences 9–21, 52, 85, 118 experiences as a creative trigger 28, 130 expert 13, 17, 19, 20 expertise 7, 13, 15, 21, 34, 55, 106, 113, 123, 129, 141, 172 face-to-face 125 fake friends 143 false friends 66 family 28, 49f, fashion 23, 25, 85, fear 14, 33, 65, 70, 76, 99–104, 110 Ferris, Tim 12 filter 16, 18, 32, 35, 45, 78, 109, 146 firedance 32, 41 flexibility 14, 19, 75, 100, 107, 108, 118, 142 Fosse, Bob 101 freedom 33, 34, 77, 115, 117, 129 Freundeskreis 111 friends 18, 44, 46, 49, 51, 52, 75, 78, 139, 143, 172 gala 25f, 107 gateway cultural gateway 65, 70 gateway to other departments 32 generalizing 48 geographical area 53, 66 Gladwell, Malcolm 12 glamour 51, 143 global 51, 110, 141 Goldblatt, Joe 23 Good, Sharon 19 gossip 75 Greek 12, 23, 110f Greenberg, Susan 28f green zone chicken 73 greeting 19, 75, 96 growth 140 growth mindset 14

188

Hall, Edward T. 61 Hampden-Turner, Charles 47, 58–60 handshake 19f, 99 headphones 148 Heen, Sheila 55 hidden 84, 92, 141 hierarchical 27–9, 34, 70 hip-hop 11 Hlawacz, Teresa 10 Hofstede, Geert 58 horizontal exchange 41–5, 121, 124 hotel 51, 79, 81, 102, 107, 142, 148 House of Dancing Water 54 House Right 66 Hruschka, Ole 76 Hume, Robert 99 humor 109–111 ideology 139 image 12, 24, 53, 66, 84, 94, 150 creating images 5, 7, 8, 50, 51, 94, 143 images as a creative trigger 129, 133 implementation 6, 29, 33, 35, 117, 132, 142 improvement improving communication 19f, 99 improving conditions 73, 77, 135 improving team creativity 16f, 102, 117 personal improvement 12–14, 82 professional improvement 26f, 68, 86 improvising 82, 103, 142 information background information 70, 84, 118, 137 exchange of information 42, 76, 98, 101, 105, 127, 135 information advantage 82–5 information chain 32, 41, 43 misinformation 41, 43, 82 organizing information 29, 83, 96, 131 innovation 5–12, 20, 68 instructions 17, 32, 34, 42, 103, 115–17, 129f, 133 intelligent lights 26 intention 13, 76, 98, 105, 110, 117, 120–4, 151 intercom 89, 125, 127 intercultural 15, 47f, 57, 60, 62, 171

INDEX

intermission 107 international 47, 49, 52, 57, 62, 69, 93, 95, 98, 137, 150 interpretation 41, 53, 130 invest 77, 92, 94, 118, 133 investigate 84, 132, 146 jetlag 147 job definition 30f, 82, 94, 107 job offer 78 job profiles 5, 7–9, 30, 36, 41, 79, 85, 128 Jobs, Steve 10 judge 94, 99, 140, 142 Kaufmann, Josh 13f keystones for commitment 77 Kincman, Laurie 130 LaMotte, Richard 116 language 15, 21, 28, 30, 50–2, 64–71, 111, 125, 128f, 133, 149 laughter 24, 109f leadership 32, 90, 91, 122 learning 13–15, 17, 70, 96 learning curve 13 learning styles 128 lifestyle 53, 78f light 29, 66, 81, 103, 128 light design 26, 84, 105, 109, 128, 136, 150 listen 20f, 54, 104f, 129, 135 location 8, 18, 68, 80, 83–5, 92, 100, 107, 145 love languages 128 Luke, Ali 132 Lysgaard, Sverre 56 Martin, Emmie 96 match 47, 60, 68, 117, 125–31 material condition of material 86, 94f, 133 creative material 6, 31, 87, 115, 118, 133 custom-made material 120 new material 118, 144 promotional material 99 MCD (Mid Contract Depression) 57 McMeekin, Gail 140

INDEX

melting pot 50 migration 48 misinformation 82 misunderstandings 31, 41, 43, 47, 55, 84, 93, 101, 118, 125, 132, 150 Mitchell, Katie 67, 74, 76, 101 money 20, 25, 33, 78, 91, 120, 140 monochronic time 61–4 moving heads 26 Muir, William 73 multiculturalism 51, 62, 110, 111 music 15, 85, 93, 107, 116, 129f, 133 musical cues 128 musical director 42, 116, musical theatre 26, 39, 54 musician 7, 28, 39, 65, 86, 95, 120, 130 Naimann, Linda 6 name tag 93 names 84, 92, 95–7, 150 Necka, Edward 10 next morning 17f, 35 niche 11, 25, 47, 52, 107, 110 noise reduction 148 norms 36, 48, 59f, 70 novelty 6f obstacles 14, 140 office 17f, 111, 172 Onion of Culture 58–60, 65, 70 opera 23, 25f, 30, 66 operation 26, 29, 29f, 36, 85, 86, 104, 144 orchestra 60, 141 organize 12, 29, 36, 63, 74, 131–5, 145 organize our toolbox 87 overview 41, 121, 132f package 99, 133 painter’s view 66 pancake master 6 partnership 122 pattern 98, 105 cultural patterns 56 work patterns 6–9, 105, 107 Patton, Bruce 55 pen and paper 146

189

perception 66 cultural perception 48, 53 perception of time 61–4, 70 performance developing a performance 5, 7, 15, 25, 29, 128, 133 final performance 108 peak performance 19, 74, 87 performance area 66, 102 sections of a performance 116, 133, 137 street performance 27, 137 theme performance 53, 85 types of performances 9, 27, 30, 66 unique performances 6, 9, 11f, 23–5 personal requirements 88–91 perspectives 5, 53f, 132 Peterson, Joel 100 phone call 84, 125, 135 physical shape 31, 74, 79–82, 87, 100, 147 picture dictionary 152 plane 80, 82, 112, 147, 148 plateaus 140 polychronic time 61–4 Port, Michael 74 positivity 76f poster 133 post-processing 111 potential creative potential 5, 6, 12, 15–17, 20, 27, 35, 116 full potential 20, 75, 107, 115, 140 personal potential 50, 86 potential danger 101 power 27f, 34, 76 preparation 77, 82, 84, 118, 135, 150 pressure 33, 74, 76, 84, 87, 91, 109, 144, 149 prevent preventing fatigue 74, 145f preventing mistakes and misunderstandings 93, 103 Pricken, Mario 17f, 35 privacy 126 private intermission 107 product 6f, 12, 47 productivity 5, 19, 50, 68, 73, 117, 132, 135, 143

190

professionalism 27, 63, 66, 81, 86f, 129 promotional material 99 props 15, 26, 31, 66, 88, 89, 94, 133, 135, 145, 146, 151 punchline Introduction 93 punctuality 63f pyrotechnics 100, 144, 149f quality handshake quality 99 quality of exchange 68, 103 quality of instructions 117 quality of work 47, 95, 107, 148 quality on stage 33 quality requirements 89–91, 118 racism 48 radio 127 reading routines 104, 106 recovery (U-curve) 56 red zone chicken 73 regional cultures 51f, 53, 58, 65, 69 rehearsals 9, 25, 26, 31, 63, 68, 76, 77, 80, 86, 87, 90, 91, 95, 96, 106, 128, 141, 145, 148 relationships 19, 29, 33, 48–50, 74, 77, 83, 91, 96, 99, 101, 109, 121f, 125, 128, 143, 150 reliability 33, 75, 99f, 102 repertoire 7, 10, 12, 14, 15, 19f, 25, 46, 85, 104, 118, 130 research 82f, 85, 118 reserves 87, 91, 112 resources 55, 91 energy resources 74 material resources 27 time resources 31 responsibilities 26, 28, 29–33, 43, 122, 129 responsibility levels 34–42, 121 responsibility pyramid 33f rigging 31, 100 rivalry 104 roots of action 57 routines breaking routines 106 daily routine 23, 57, 59, 87, 141 preparatory routine 82, 87

INDEX

reading routines 104–6 work routine 7f, 15, 75, 85, 107, 127 saving time 93, 118, 127, 138 scenery 15, 18, 24, 34, 39, 108 scenes 7, 9, 105, 130, 132, 133, 145 script 8, 25, 89, 95 sense of humor 15, 30, 48, 65, 109–11 setup setup of a production 26f, 124 setup time 26, 148 sheet music 130 sheikh 150 shortcut 45, 71, 74 signs 111, 125 non-verbal signs 98, 99, 127 signs of appreciation 75, 105 sign up 77, 79, 100, 139 silence 127, 145, 148, 149 similarities 36, 48, 52, 55, 60, 69 Sinek, Simon 33, 101, 120 Smit, Chris 111 Smith, Jada Pinkett 16, 104 social cultures 51f, 53, 58, 65, 69 social media 99, 126, 129, 143 Sound of Music, The 54 sound 29, 133, 148 sound image 8 sound technician/engineer 8, 31, 81, 92 sounds as a creative trigger 129 soundtrack 118, 133 special effects (SFX ) 15, 24, 25, 29, 32, 133, 142, 149 special events 24–6 stage directions 66 stagehand 9, 28, 60, 81 stage manager 5, 8, 30, 89, 94, 128 stereotypes 48, 60, 68, 70 stock 118 Stone, Douglas 55 street performance 27, 137 stress 74, 76–8, 80f, 91, 100, 109, 142, 148 structure content structure 131–5 cultural structures 51, 61 productions’ structure 26f, 34, 41 social structures 27–9

INDEX

structures as a creative trigger 130 structuring a collaboration 82, 115 styles 85, 118 learning styles 128 style of music 108, 116, 130 styles of dance 11 subcultures 53 supplement 55, 104, 129, 135 support a supporting structure 43, 82, 115, 130 backstage support 31, 87, 89 supporting creativity 19, 20, 54, 101, 103f supporting each other 33, 70, 74, 76, 139 supportive atmosphere 93, 96, 101, 104, 143 supportive attitude 16, 75 surprises 41, 60, 108–11, 116 surroundings 10, 71, 76, 138, 140 new surroundings 26, 56, 64 survival needs 88f Swallow, Deborah 56, 65 sweet bonuses 90 Tamm, Jim 73 target creating a target-line 17f target audience 53f, 137 task 10, 29–36, 88, 100, 106–9, 118–120, 137, 141, 144 team leader 32f, 34, 36, 41–5, 83, 90 team spirit 33, 75 technical director 28, 86, 92, 122 technician 2, 5, 8, 17, 25, 26, 29, 45, 51, 52, 60, 65, 69, 81, 92, 93, 100, 109, 149, 151 technology 15, 29, 36 theme nights 69f timeline of motivation 78f timing 111, 128, 135 TIMO technique 117 Tirendi, Richard 17 toolbox 10, 77, 87, 94 tools 10, 19, 26, 94, 95, 154 tradition 6, 7, 14, 24, 52, 69f, 99, 108 traditional circuses 51, 143 traditional lights 26

191

traditional theatres 26 work traditions 36, 66 training 82, 87 transitions 9, 91, 127, 128 Tredennick, James 142 trial and error 128, 142 tricks 6, 7, 139 Trompenaars, Fons 47, 58–60 troubleshooting 83, 113, 127 trust 14, 33, 45, 74, 75, 99–102, 115, 120, 140 try-out fields 144 types of types of collaborations 122 types of fog 65 types of input 129 types of performances 9 types of snow 64f U-curve 56 uncommon projects 107 unique unique backgrounds 15, 60 unique network 36 unique potential 15, 50 unique projects 107 uniqueness 7, 11f, 23–7, 120 unusual, the 50, 60 values 14, 48, 50, 51, 59f, 68, 70, 120 venue 18, 26, 27, 85, 118, 138, 144, 146 vertical exchange 42 vision creative vision 7, 35, 103, 129f, 138, 142, 151 general vision 131–3 visionary 7, 35 vocal captain 42 wardrobe 15, 45, 60, 89, 92 warm-up 87, 89 water 146 weddings 25 work areas 5, 29, 112, 133 work culture 33, 36, 68–71 workflow 20, 74, 85, 87, 104, 106, 145 zoom technique 131–3

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196