Greg Cicchino

I just finished directing a reading of Jack Gilhooley’s Playboy. We have the same alma mater and were connected through a fellow Syracusian who had been performing down in Florida where Jack lives. We actually ended up casting her and yet another SU grad that he had seen perform down there as well. It was a neat alignment of the stars. I have to say that I thought the reading was a
great success. Though he made it very clear he was happy with the work, I don’t know how much the playwright agreed with my assessment. It was because we had different expectations and goals for the piece. 

The Work or the Future?

The playwright hoped this to be more of a backer’s audition. He was looking for a theater to pick it up for a workshop. He sent out literally hundreds of invites to literary agents, theater Artistic Directors and other professional connections. Though we had what I considered to be a decent turnout for a first NYC reading (about 25 people for each of the two), very few came. I was very much focused on making sure that the storytelling dots were all connected. As a director I believe my job is that of “custodian of the narrative” and the purpose of the reading, especially one this early on in the process is to give the playwright a very clear picture of how the text tells the story. I give them exactly what they want. From that standpoint it was a great success! It brought a magnifying glass up to the words and it showed very clearly what was really working and what still needed to be tweaked. And there was definitely a common thread amongst all of the feedback.

I’m not saying that either set of expectations was the“right” one. He was looking at the piece from a playwright-come-producer and I was at this point very focused on what was happening in the rehearsal room. As it should be I suppose.  I do think the silver lining to this story is that we will have more time to develop the piece so it will be even stronger before the next reading. Perhaps a
trip to Florida for another reading is in order!

Create Achievable Expectations First!

The difference of opinion between him and I was knew exactly what I wanted to get out of that reading from before I went in for the first rehearsal. I was able to set a few reasonable goals and then take clear steps toward achieving them. Obviously not everything can be perfect in a reading, so keeping the goals in mind helped me prioritize what was important during our limited rehearsal time. Another example, I am a member-at-large with a group called Cry Havoc (visit them here). One of the key questions – the first thing they ask after anyone brings in a piece to workshop – “what are you working on”. And you can’t then say “well this and this and this.” You
focus on one or two things at a time. That way a singular challenge is getting all your creative (or administrative as the case may be) attention. That way in the end, whether you achieve your goal or not, it is very clear what worked and what could have been done a little differently. Even now as we work on developing the next reading, Jack will be able to set new goals and create new tactics to achieve them. 

Create them for EVERYTHING!

Set small achievable goals for every piece you work on. Whether its targeting two agents and inviting them to go, raise an extra hundred dollars for production or challenging yourself creatively on a few key moments of the show. Since there is no such thing as a perfect piece, it makes no sense to try for one. Rather, pick a few things for which you can be really proud, or from
which you can learn a lot. Now what if you can’t think of any goals you want to achieve with a piece? You don’t want to invite an agent to this particular piece, you don’t feel it worth the extra fundraising, there’s nothing in it that challenges you creatively, then maybe it isn’t the piece for you…even if (here comes the blasphemy) it pays. Because if you can’t grow from it as an artist, producer/theater company, chef, whatever, then is it really worth your time? Your time is very valuable. So make it even more so by really focusing your energy on things that you really deem
worthwhile.