Silence of the Heart

I dunno. He was told. He was told that if he approached me with a cocky swagger. If he approached me with a cocky swagger and a know it all attitude. A cocky swagger, a know it all attitude and a penchant for pouting. He was told. He was told that I'd be less than helpful. Less than understanding. I'd probably slay him alive. Too true. Art be damned.

But, on the other hand. If he approached me with some humility. A willingness to learn. An understanding that he wasn't all that and then some. If he approached me and asked for guidance. Well, I'd bend over backwards to help. I'd make sure that his work looked good. That's my passion at play.

What happened? He chose the former. 'I'm the TD of this production,' said he. Ok. Good. I was hopeful. Having a TD for a show is a good thing. But wait. There was more. 'I'm also doing the set design.' Not out of the ordinary. Could be done. 'I'm also doing the lighting design.' My spirits began to flag. 'Here's the production schedule.' Great. He's also the PM.

Hmmm.... I read the schedule over. The times didn't correlate with bookings. This could be a problem. 'Well that's fine, we'll work around your schedule and that of your staff.' Really? Hmmmm... I asked him about the designs, the instrument lists, the wireless mic requirements, special effects, firearms and the like. After being met with a look closer to blank than one reflecting deep thought I then suggested that perhaps he had bitten off more than he could chew. 'I know what I'm doing.' Ok.

After a week of not getting answers to questions I was asking he came to me and said: 'You know, I work 30 hours per week and I've been working on this show and these designs and I'm doing the best that I can. Unlike you I'm not getting paid to do this.' Ya. He went there. My response? 'Well, I work full time dealing with schedules, designs and inexperienced wannabes who want to play theatre with no real understanding of the work/time involved so that I can provide hot meals for my kids at night and I won't get paid any less if your show doesn't open. That being said, I'll need the designs by Sunday or you can use rehearsal blocks and our house plot.' Sheesh.

Hopefully things turn around. I'm optimistic really. He's young and green and has too much heart...but that's all about being young and green.

When I was doing my ethnomusicology stint, I read a wonderful article by a man who was studying drumming in Western Africa. He watched as a group of drummers played. He noticed that some of the drummers were doing incredibly complicated rhythms at fantastic speeds. He then noticed that the drum master was only occasionally hitting the drum. Every now and then a 'thuk' could be heard. The student went to the master and asked why it was that the other drummers were doing things that seemed so much more complicated but that he, the leader, was in control while only hitting the drum with an occasional 'thuk.' The response? The master gestured to the others. 'They over there are young. They have too much heart. They fill the world with sound. They play the sound. It's only when you get older that you have the ability to play the silence.'

This musical probably won't be filled with a whole lot of silence but there is potential for a great deal of heart.

That's ok too.