I am a Camera

Earlier this week, a tourist was taking a photo of his friend in front of an office building in midtown Manhattan. They were laughing and posing, trying to find the right backdrop to capture their experience here in NYC.

As I was passing by, I offered to take a picture of both of them together.

They thought this was a great idea. They got together, arms around each other, one with a huge smile and one with his “tough guy/this is my world” face. I zoomed in, snapped a few and handed the phone back. They thanked me (“Obligado! Obligado!”) and we went on our ways.

Later in the day, I kept thinking about this interaction, and the simple ways that it made both me and my new tourist friends happy. And then, because I am tunnel visioned, I began to think about how it all related to theatre.

1. The Joy in the Simple…a one on one exchange, effective communication. We didn’t need anything other than “let’s do this”, and those simple results worked wonders. Maybe it isn’t the biggest set, the loudest pre-show music that can have the most lasting impact. Simple, personal moments.
2. Get by with a Little Help from your Friends…collaboration is key. The more smart people you get involved, often the better ideas you get. (yes there a limits here, but you get the point)
3. Make the Offer…We all have a lot going on, especially when a show is in rehearsal or in tech. As a producer especially, being interested in solving problems and making a better outcome for the artists and audiences is vital. Jump in, ask how you can help.
   (One example of this is our adjusted pay structure for playwrights and directors for this coming season, inspired by this article)
4. Different strokes, different folks…one person wanted a big smile, one person wanted the “tough guy”…all of it is good. People get to choose how they participate in your art, and what they bring to the experience is what they bring. Maybe the play you love and pour your heart and soul and every last dollar into isn’t for everyone. That’s ok, you make the work available, selling its virtues and getting people excited about it, and they’ll do that they’ll do. Good or bad, full houses or crickets. That’s the game.
5. Be there together…Enjoy the experience of being in space with other people. We only go around once. Let’s be present.

All of these ideas are being applied to our productions of Romeo and Juliet and Mercutio Loves Romeo Loves Juliet Loves in June/July 2024. We’ve got scheduling meetings going on, art work discussions in all the Zoom rooms, and marketing marketing marketing on the brain. So much good stuff happening.

If you’d like to support these projects, we’d love to have you join our team. You can make a contribution here that brings world-class theatre to life in small, intimate spaces for New York audiences. We create as a means of survival, and a means of contributing to the world. Join this movement.

(Sorry to those who came here looking for an in-depth discussion of John Van Druten’s Broadway play “I am a Camera“.)