One Producer in the City

Awesome person Thursday: Remembering Marina Keegan

Back in July of 2011 I received an email from a young woman who was really excited about a reading of a new play in the Midtown International Theatre Festival. I was struck by the email because out of all of the requests for readings I had been invited to that summer, this email was charming, respectful, and directly to the point. I accepted and she was prompt in letting me know a seat was reserved and had mentioned that she was excited that I was coming. Her words:

"Great! I can't wait to see you there!"

I saw the reading and was really blown away. I was impressed how someone so young could write dialogue so engaging and thought provoking and craft such an amazing story and, as I have had a few times in my producing career, my gut told me that this was a writer I wanted to meet. 

We met in August and I was again so impressed by how well she handled herself during the meeting and I made it a point to introduce her to as many other producers, agents, and resources as I could. 

We stayed in touch via email and she kept me posted on her projects. 

Then over the weekend, one of the producers I had introduced her to, sent me this article. 

I felt like time stopped for a second. It seemed very surreal and then I read about what happened and felt an overwhelming sadness.

Marina Keegan was more than an amazing and talented writer.

She exemplified what an artist should truly be. Her compassion, her empathy, and her insight made those around her more thoughtful and if you read her commencement speech, you'll see that she had such clarity about what it is to be young and scared. The piece has a lesson for all of us regardless of age or background and is arguably the best work of art I have ever laid eyes on. 

I had a writer friend who once used the term "bone-like honesty" and after seeing this essay, I really know what it means now. 

This cheery, happy girl will stay in my memory every time I get an invite from a playwright to see a reading, she'll stay in my memory every time I see an artist do a selfless act, and she'll stay in my memory as someone who really has left a mark not on the surface, but all the way down to the bone. 

I have this Awesome person Thursday column and the idea is that it's devoted to someone awesome as in cool, but honestly, this time I am devoting it to someone who truly inspires awe. 

I'm in awe of how wise beyond her years she was

I'm in awe about how much her essay has made me reflect

I'm in awe of how selfless she was and how many people she helped.

I'm saddened I can't sit down for coffee with her one more time, but I am SO grateful I made the decision to sit down for coffee with her once.

That moment and that experience was a gift and every time I sit down with an aspiring playwright, I know that she'll be looking down on them and wishing them the best. 

I'll miss you terribly Marina, but Thank You for all you've done. 

and thank you for meeting me for coffee. 

Excelsior

i can't think of anyone more Awesome for Awesome Person Thursday

Yesterday we lost someone who inspired more entrepreneurs than any of us can ever imagine. Below are some videos about this genius. In some of my darkest times, I can hear this voice telling me to 

"Stay hungry"

"Stay foolish"

Excelsior,  Mr. Jobs

 

 

 

 

 

Saying farewell to an amazing producer who did the work

Yesterday the Broadway community experienced a very big loss in the passing of Randall Wreghitt. I had the opportunity to meet him on a number of occasions and also see him speak while I was working with TRU. 

Seth Godin talks about the fact that we should ignore the resistance and just "Do the work", this is what Randall did every day of his life. There are many people who have the title of producer, but do not actually produce anything. Randall was an amazing producer who worked very hard to bring the importance of a great story into the Broadway community. The projects he chose were always powerful and engaging and one of my top experiences of all time was seeing Metamorphoses which he produced at Circle in the Square.  As a producer he was prolific and loved by this community.

In addition to being a force in the producing community, he was also one of the nicest and most giving people you could meet. I had seen him speak on many panels about his relationships with his investors and I was always impressed by his generosity as well as his knowledge of building relationships. My only regret is that I didn't get to meet with him one on one rather than in passing as I'm sure there would have been much more to learn.

So farewell dear Randall. Thanks for reminding us all about what producing is really about. 

So in honor of Randall, if you are a producer and you're reading this, make that call to your investors, producing partners, and producing colleagues. Life is a precious gift and the people in our lives are even more precious. 

Don't lose touch.

Excelsior.

 

 

Remembering Patrick

The theatre community and a the blogging community lost a great man. That man was Patrick Lee. Patrick was best known for his contribution to TheaterMania as a critic and for his blog Just Shows to Go You, but he was best known to me as someone who showed an unmatched support and passion for this industry. I remember standing in line in the hot sun outside of one of the Fringe productions and Patrick, who was standing right in front me, just turned around and introduced himself. That's the kind of guy he was. He was so incredibly personable that upon first meeting him, I felt like I had somehow known him already. We had a great conversation about the shows we had seen so far and what we hoped to see. We discussed how we both had blogs and when I arrived home that evening we were already friends on facebook.

For the two years I knew him, he was an incredible supporter of my shows and of the blogging world. Even if he couldn't make it to see something of mine, he would always leave me a facebook message and let me know that he was in full support of the work and he would make it to the next one and sure enough, he kept his word. When the ITBA was formed, Patrick took on the role of coordinating the awards with a fervor and tenacity that was to be admired. I always got update emails about the nominations and about making sure we reposted and re-tweeted info on it. The last time we spoke was at an ITBA meeting as a matter of fact, and we shared our thoughts on some of the wonderful shows we had seen in the Indie Theatre community.

He was a real all star and he exited the stage far too soon. 

If you also knew Patrick, feel free to comment here or on his facebook page.

The tributes to him continue to grow which is a testament to how many people he touched.

So this blog post is for you, Patrick.

Thanks for all of the inspiration.

Excelsior!

We all have a story about today

And everyone of those stories is important.

Last night I was fortunate enough to see Clear Blue Tuesday. This was a movie musical that told a series of stories in an incredibly creative way. It was evident that everyone poured their heart and soul into this incredibly ambitious project and it really paid off. What resulted from all of their work was an intricate narrative that had me thinking about my story, and that, (in my opinion) is what great work does. I would highly suggest checking out the website, trailer etc and if there are more screenings, go. It will remind you of your story and it will take you on a journey you may not expect to go on. It left me thinking about my story which I'll share with all of you. Coincidentally, this also became a monologue in an ethnodrama I did with my students.

    Well. I was still in Rhode Island. I was in my practicum class in college and it went from 8a.m to 11a.m. During that class we were discussing a poem about a man running over a deer in the road and we were arguing with each other over how we present death to youth in a classroom setting and what texts are appropriate to use. It was extraordinarily ironic because as we were talking about the death of this fictional deer, all of these people were dying in the real world and nobody told any one of us.

    No one came into our class room to tell us what was going on. They must have thought the classroom we were in was empty or something. I mean the door was shut, but still it bothers me to think about the fact that we weren’t told what was going on. I walked out of class completely oblivious and was on my way to work when my friend Nicole stopped me and said,

“Hey did you hear about the twin towers?” 

and I had no idea what she was talking about. Then this girl walked by me and without even looking at me she said,

“They’re gone dude”

and just kept walking.

    I got to work and found that everyone was just sitting around watching the television and I was in this haze all day wondering what happened and how it could happen. I remember waking up the next morning to the television which was still showing footage on every channel feeling like I was in this void.

When I eventually came out of the haze, it was obvious that I had to move on and teach.

I had no idea however, that just one year later, I'd be in a classroom with students who had watched this happen from the 5th floor of our school on the lower east side.

We all have a story.

Today, think about yours.

Instead of the traditional Excelsior, today I just say...

Remember your story..