If you’re going to do something, do it as well as you can or don’t bother. That’s what a teacher once taught us. I don’t know if he ever said those actual words, but that’s the principle he always displayed.
The other day I posted something about a being true to your vision, and today, mine’s being tested.
Combining “being true to your vision” and “doing something as well as you can” can be a good guide. Or so you might think.
I’m waiting for a slot in the Minnesota Fringe Festival. We have an opportunity to do our show in a venue that I don’t think will work to our advantage—or more importantly, may work against us. The space itself isn’t so bad, and I’ve worked on a number of shows there. In fact, some of my best work has been seen there. It’s biggest disadvantage however is its size. And not only is it a small, intimate space, but the stage is rather shallow, it has no height, virtually no off-stage space and poor acoustics. It also has a relatively small seating capacity, which may impact our ability to recoup money.
I could take the space and find a way to make it work and hope that I don’t hate it, or even worse, that it doesn’t end up with “it could’ve been better” written all over it, or….I can hold off and wait for the next slot, and gamble that it’s one of the numerous other stages that I feel would work better. Plus time’s on my side. Or so I hope.
There’s nothing worse than mediocre theatre.
Of course, good work should be able to overcome a secondary element like the venue, right?
The Man In The Yellow Hat Lives Here 