Why Did I Listen to That Man

I receive and read a weekly email from The Wizard of Ads, which offers many insights into marketing with a consistent look forward to the future and businesses place in it. Roy Williams is the author and I have been following his weekly Monday Morning Memo since I first became aware of his independently published series of books a few years back.

This morning I came across his comments about the changes occurring in the marketplace as we shift from the Baby Boomers to the new generation...

"The Age of The Baby Boomer ended in 2003. The torch has been handed to a new generation with new ideas and values. Sure, we Boomers still hold the power at the top, but the prevailing worldview that drives our nation is completely other than the one we grew up with. Businesses that don't get in step are going to find it increasingly difficult to succeed…

Being a Baby Boomer isn't about when you were born. It's about how you see the world…

Baby Boomers were idealists who worshipped heroes, perfect icons of beauty and success. Today these icons are seen as phony, posed and laughable…

Baby Boomers believed in big dreams, reaching for the stars, personal freedom, "be all that you can be. Today's generation believes in small actions, getting your head out of the clouds, social obligation, ‘do your part.’[My emphasis]

The adoption curve of the new values by the mainstream of society began in 2003 and will be complete by mid-2008 or early 2009. You have plenty of time to get in step with tomorrow. But you need to get started today." Read the full article here.

It's an interesting take on things today...and there are questions we all must answer about our businesses and how we approach and prepare for the trend changing. I'm on it. I hope you are too!

Too Much Exposition

Oy Vey! The last 2 weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. Tightening the music and dances...blocking the entire show in a week and a half...only four pages to go. Of course as I review my notes, I realize they are the most time consuming four pages. Just ahead of the end of Act 1, which has it's own montage demands.

Last night we had some visitors from the Newcomers Club who sat in on part of the rehearsal and got to see us begin the blocking process on a scene we had not yet done. They were quite amused by it all, and speaking with me later said how much they enjoyed being an insider on the process. That is was kinda cool to see a part of the show no one else would get to see. I hadn't thought of it that way initially, but realized it was a great deal of fun for them.

The most amazing part of this for me is the discovery that I have to dig even deeper to show the story...The most challenging has been to keep the essence of "the mob" as we define the characters individually. Keeping the movement tight and not devolving into lines is a constant frustration...I think I will take my education director's advice: The only reason to be in a line onstage is for kickline! - Make 'em do the kickline everytime they form a line." What a great idea! Maybe they'll actually learn how to keep in tight formations without line forming....

When You Gotta Go, You Gotta Go Green!

I've been trying to keep my investigations on track, and thought I'd share a video from DramaBiz Magazine. DramaBiz is the newest industry insider magazine that intends to address the world of theatre, and they have taken a great approach to it by looking at the business of the theatre. They have tackled numerous aspects of the business with a distinct eye toward marketing, though they cover very diverse topics such as renovation, ticketing and in this instance the greening of the theatre in their article titled Goin' Green in Your Theatre.

By all means, I encourage you check it out DramaBiz Magazine!

In this video, Editor-in-Chief Joel Dorr interviews Seema Sueko of Mo'olelo Performing Arts Company on how they started the transition to becoming a more environmentally-conscious theatre company.

What is Urinetown?

Wow...amazing how time gets away from one. Started blocking rehearsals for the show and haven't looked back or taken the time I need to update.

Everything is moving ahead apace. We are starting to build sets and the stage is slowly taking shape. Thanks to Joe Shoup's great ideas and design, we've managed to settle on an approach and style that embodies my own thoughts on Brechtian-Epic theatre. Our dystopian model deconstructs the world of the 1930s to give us a retro-future postmodern essence (how's that for dropping jargon!), simply and creatively. My kind of setting!

We are starting to get into the various characters also...finding a place for the actors to live within this crazy world we are creating.

Nature's Call

Nature's Call
Speaking of Urinetown, have you ever found yourself out in the woods with no place to GO? Find out what some teens learned about nature calling in the woods. They were part of a Listening to the River watershed discovery workshop and produced this radio story about their experience. Click on the Nature's Call link to hear the story.

In The Interest of Fresh Water Conservation

Here's an article that appeared in the New York Times today regarding a ban on diverting water from the Great Lakes. I certainly believe that the fresh water issue is imminent, and the discussion in Congress certainly supports that contention.

Bart Stupak has taken the position that the ban doesn't go far enough leaving loopholes that do not bode well for the future:

(From the NYTimes article by Susan Saulny) “Because these concerns remain unaddressed,” Mr. Stupak said in a statement, “I regret that I have to urge my colleagues to join me in opposing the compact until proper protections are put in place.”

“I see no reason why we must rush this process when our nation’s most precious natural resource is at stake,” said Mr. Stupak, whose district borders three of the lakes, calling the bottled-water exemption a loophole that could be used for large-scale diversion, exactly what the compact seeks to prevent.

Darren Hauck for The New York Times

Sunrise along the shore of Lake Michigan in downtown Milwaukee. Michigan and the other Great Lakes account for 20 percent of the world’s surface fresh water.

Urinetown Tony Award Presentation