http://unitedstage.com/2010/03/08/i-will-know-it-when-i-see-it/ Poetics in Live Performance Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:44:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ http://unitedstage.com/2010/03/08/i-will-know-it-when-i-see-it/#comment-617 David W. Boles Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:17:35 +0000 http://ustage.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/i-will-know-it-when-i-see-it/#comment-617 That's the game -- but you usually don't find out until all the contracts are signed and you're in the middle of rehearsal or in the center of a re-edit. It's too late. You're trapped. There's no way out. You are forced to please a power that has no clue about the work you want and is only interested in creating the work they demand so they can "leave their mark" on you and your work. If you stand up for your work and refuse to make changes or if you only make a change or two -- you are labeled "difficult" and such in order to shift The Blame of The Goat to you. So... you're going to be blamed for any failure anyway -- if there's a success, everyone will claim credit -- so you might as well take the hard side and own every decision made and employed. Only change what you believe in and then do so judiciously because one quick change just to please someone else's aesthetic can adversely affect months of work on a piece of writing. Haste and deadlines have ruined more in-process projects than any other reason. That’s the game — but you usually don’t find out until all the contracts are signed and you’re in the middle of rehearsal or in the center of a re-edit. It’s too late. You’re trapped. There’s no way out. You are forced to please a power that has no clue about the work you want and is only interested in creating the work they demand so they can “leave their mark” on you and your work.
If you stand up for your work and refuse to make changes or if you only make a change or two — you are labeled “difficult” and such in order to shift The Blame of The Goat to you.
So… you’re going to be blamed for any failure anyway — if there’s a success, everyone will claim credit — so you might as well take the hard side and own every decision made and employed.
Only change what you believe in and then do so judiciously because one quick change just to please someone else’s aesthetic can adversely affect months of work on a piece of writing. Haste and deadlines have ruined more in-process projects than any other reason.

]]> http://unitedstage.com/2010/03/08/i-will-know-it-when-i-see-it/#comment-616 Gordon Davidescu Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:35:28 +0000 http://ustage.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/i-will-know-it-when-i-see-it/#comment-616 That is such a terrible thing to hear from someone. It's like trying to play with a Rubik's cube in the dark and hoping for the best. Maybe if I change this and this? No? Okay, how about this? That is such a terrible thing to hear from someone. It’s like trying to play with a Rubik’s cube in the dark and hoping for the best. Maybe if I change this and this? No? Okay, how about this?

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