Sue's News

Only One Choice

March 19th, 2008

Last night was interesting… I went to a networking event/panel discussion with Director Hal Brooks as one of the guest speakers.

There’s a lot of money to be had in theatre, the problem is that it’s not evenly distributed… It is the complaint of many artists. At one point, Hal decided to take a break from directing and make websites. He got to a point where he was making a six figure salary, but found himself crying in the shower his first day at this last high paying job… He had morphed into someone he no longer recognized.

Looking straight at me, he said, “Decide that this is what you want.”

And though I feel theatre chose me, it is my choice to choose it back. I could go and do a hundred other things, and I’ve already done some of them, but it usually doesn’t take too long for that gnawing feeling to devour me whole… So that I wake up in the middle of the night to go write and I sing my songs in the shower, trying to figure out if they convey what my characters are trying to say…

Hal also said something reminiscent of what Michael Kors told Ricky… Hal said, “There’s always something that’s slipping. You could be very well established and still feel anxiety… There’s this scraping and clawing you have to do.”

And I guess I keep hearing this because I have to, because I was hoping that once I got established I wouldn’t have to worry as much, or that the door would always be open. But the only way I’m going to open the door and keep it open is by opening it myself.

The same holds true for large corporations: When they get too big and flabby, when they don’t put as much effort into R&D or developing new products or services, they get eaten alive by the competition…

So what makes me think that theatre, with PLENTY of competition, is any different?

It’s EXACTLY the same.

And yet, theatre is EXACTLY what I want to be doing with my life.

–Sue

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