How hard could it be to say "no"
Amazing how quickly something sours. Or how one mis-step or mis-cue causes a snowball turned avalanche. Or how quickly all the seemingly little things you wouldn't notice on their own wind up to be one big, daunting problem.
Somehow I found myself in a situation very much like that.
I probably should have said no from the start.
But way back then, everything seemed doable. The script was new, yes, but it seemed like a small production. And it was over three months out. I had a month for priliminary designs. A month for final designs. About seven and a half weeks to execute the design...okay, six after Ross and I took a little vacation. A short tech that started during my second layoff period. And I had an assistant.
So what happened?
Well, first the design got off to a slow start, between my lack of motivation and the director's lack of direction. Okay, fine...I was still leaps and bounds ahead of the scenic designer. And the sound and lighting designers had yet to make an appearance.
Final designs plunked along too...but via email the director seemed overall thrilled with the sketches, less a few concerns...which there often are.
In the meantime the script was tweaked...for the better. The costume count looked the same, but transitions looked smoother...more doable.
And then casting happened...the first little domino of the cascade to follow. The expected cast was about 16. The cast we ended up with was 23. All chorus. At first I thought okay...this is still manageable. The chorus really only has one look, with the addition of a hat here or coat there. The number of characters hadn't changed. Or so I thought.
After a few emails to the director I discovered a few of those doubled as well...three card playing ladies became six. Two gamblers became five. One horse became two. Across the board these seemingly small additions were adding up very quickly.
Again, at this point I wasn't too terribly worried. Budget more than anything clouded my vision. I put off painting the renderings for the next production meeting as I still had seen nothing from the scenic designer and the rest of the team seemed overall content. The show was to be largely pulled and purchased anyway. I didn't want to inadvertently lock the director into something...and thus corner myself into a color commitment I couldn't fulfill. We both needed the flexibility word final didn't quite offer.
Several smaller roles had yet to be cast, but I cast that worry from my mind as once I had a chance to measure everyone I'd know approximately what sizes to hunt for, even if I didn't know exactly what would go to whom.
And there in lay the next little domino that really got the rest tumbling. Monday was the third production meeting at which final (ish for the scenic designer, apparently) designs were due. But prior to the staff meeting was a parent/cast meeting to go over paperwork, expectations and, from what both myself and my assistant thought we had confirmed on TWO previous occasions, get the cast's measurements.
It never happened. No time was given. Or no one was paying attention. The person I thought would stop the discussion to direct them to me had slipped out during the director's talk and parent's questions...and the questions went on. And on. And 8:30 came and went.
The next time the entire cast gathers for us to take measurements is two weeks away. Two weeks of potential costume tracking and building time. And if they weren't kids...if they didn't span from ages 8 to 18 with all the sizes in between...I might have been able to start something. Anything. But no...they vary too much.
Two weeks shot. An anticipated six weeks for fifty six costumes suddenly became four weeks for seventy five.
That, now coupled with an odd development at work...parallel almost. One person held off on making a decision, and as a result I've squandered almost three weeks cleaning, organizing and wasting time waiting for the green light. Only for all of us to find out today the green light was on the entire time...the person we were waiting on just hadn't informed us. So, from bored to behind. And the work will only continue to pile on...the shop is tense. The load will only get more stressful. And the last thing I'll want to do is come home from that and dive into another equally as frustrating situation.
Certainly a 0 to 60 moment in what? A day?
Could I possibly extricate myself from the show already mostly designed? The thought of pulling out tore me apart...but ultimately staying on looked like nothing but misery and threatened to make what was to be a belated honeymoon nothing to be enjoyed...me likely spending the time stressing over what I wasn't accomplishing...or were everything lined up prior to my departure...the soothing effects of a vacation vanishing as soon as I stepped foot in to the tech situation.
I hated calling the artistic director. I needed a way out. Preferably without burning bridges. And we spoke.
So why does it feel like I'm still in?
Tomorrow we'll meet in person, to see what can be salvaged. Hopefully my balls will drop enough for me to stand by my "no" this time.
Somehow I found myself in a situation very much like that.
I probably should have said no from the start.
But way back then, everything seemed doable. The script was new, yes, but it seemed like a small production. And it was over three months out. I had a month for priliminary designs. A month for final designs. About seven and a half weeks to execute the design...okay, six after Ross and I took a little vacation. A short tech that started during my second layoff period. And I had an assistant.
So what happened?
Well, first the design got off to a slow start, between my lack of motivation and the director's lack of direction. Okay, fine...I was still leaps and bounds ahead of the scenic designer. And the sound and lighting designers had yet to make an appearance.
Final designs plunked along too...but via email the director seemed overall thrilled with the sketches, less a few concerns...which there often are.
In the meantime the script was tweaked...for the better. The costume count looked the same, but transitions looked smoother...more doable.
And then casting happened...the first little domino of the cascade to follow. The expected cast was about 16. The cast we ended up with was 23. All chorus. At first I thought okay...this is still manageable. The chorus really only has one look, with the addition of a hat here or coat there. The number of characters hadn't changed. Or so I thought.
After a few emails to the director I discovered a few of those doubled as well...three card playing ladies became six. Two gamblers became five. One horse became two. Across the board these seemingly small additions were adding up very quickly.
Again, at this point I wasn't too terribly worried. Budget more than anything clouded my vision. I put off painting the renderings for the next production meeting as I still had seen nothing from the scenic designer and the rest of the team seemed overall content. The show was to be largely pulled and purchased anyway. I didn't want to inadvertently lock the director into something...and thus corner myself into a color commitment I couldn't fulfill. We both needed the flexibility word final didn't quite offer.
Several smaller roles had yet to be cast, but I cast that worry from my mind as once I had a chance to measure everyone I'd know approximately what sizes to hunt for, even if I didn't know exactly what would go to whom.
And there in lay the next little domino that really got the rest tumbling. Monday was the third production meeting at which final (ish for the scenic designer, apparently) designs were due. But prior to the staff meeting was a parent/cast meeting to go over paperwork, expectations and, from what both myself and my assistant thought we had confirmed on TWO previous occasions, get the cast's measurements.
It never happened. No time was given. Or no one was paying attention. The person I thought would stop the discussion to direct them to me had slipped out during the director's talk and parent's questions...and the questions went on. And on. And 8:30 came and went.
The next time the entire cast gathers for us to take measurements is two weeks away. Two weeks of potential costume tracking and building time. And if they weren't kids...if they didn't span from ages 8 to 18 with all the sizes in between...I might have been able to start something. Anything. But no...they vary too much.
Two weeks shot. An anticipated six weeks for fifty six costumes suddenly became four weeks for seventy five.
That, now coupled with an odd development at work...parallel almost. One person held off on making a decision, and as a result I've squandered almost three weeks cleaning, organizing and wasting time waiting for the green light. Only for all of us to find out today the green light was on the entire time...the person we were waiting on just hadn't informed us. So, from bored to behind. And the work will only continue to pile on...the shop is tense. The load will only get more stressful. And the last thing I'll want to do is come home from that and dive into another equally as frustrating situation.
Certainly a 0 to 60 moment in what? A day?
Could I possibly extricate myself from the show already mostly designed? The thought of pulling out tore me apart...but ultimately staying on looked like nothing but misery and threatened to make what was to be a belated honeymoon nothing to be enjoyed...me likely spending the time stressing over what I wasn't accomplishing...or were everything lined up prior to my departure...the soothing effects of a vacation vanishing as soon as I stepped foot in to the tech situation.
I hated calling the artistic director. I needed a way out. Preferably without burning bridges. And we spoke.
So why does it feel like I'm still in?
Tomorrow we'll meet in person, to see what can be salvaged. Hopefully my balls will drop enough for me to stand by my "no" this time.
posted by Unknown at
8:00 PM
2 Comments:
Good luck. Not an enviable situation.
It sounds like this kind of thing (waiting for green lights, miscommunication) happens a lot in your world. Is there any way you could sort of manage-your-managers - that is, take the initiative, be annoying if necessary, to make sure you get the time/resources/info you need to get your work done?
It sounds like CW too...a department will inform the CDC they need costumes...silk gowns and uniforms...in two weeks...and then we're left scrambling. Our manager was so miffed about the Christmas programs she said that if they don't have the final designs in by Halloween they're not getting it. Hope she sticks to that.
Yeah, not so enviable. But even children's theatres need to learn how to manage their professionals.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home