Miracles Come Easy

I believe in miracles.  That is an odd statement in our modern times.  I can offer zero evidence to support the claim, and honestly, it really comes down to how you define the word – miracle. I would argue that every theatre production is a bit of a miracle.  When you consider everything involved and that the process is repeated over and over again, it is amazing that it all works.  Geoffrey Rush’s character in Shakespeare in Love is the ultimate flag bearer for my definition of miracle as he states “it’s a mystery” when asked how a show comes together in the midst of seeming peril.

Onion Man Productions now finds itself opening a new theatre space in Atlanta.  To account for every twist and turn in the road that has brought Onion Man to this point would take too long for me to narrate.  But, from my point of view as Creator and Artistic Director for Onion Man, “miracle” is the only word that fits.  A journey that started in Atlanta, and has made stops in Jacksonville, Florida up to Chicago for five years, and now back home to Georgia, where we’ve been producing theatre since 2009. And that amazing process continues in our new space.

On Saturday, March 19th at 7 pm, Onion Man will host an Open House and Fundraiser at our new space – 5522 New Peachtree Rd. #111 Chamblee, Georgia 30341.  Although we came into this process in a strong financial position, blessed by a couple of donations, the various requirements of building codes and the need to get architectural drawings, has eaten up a large part of our dollars.  We are still in good shape as we begin construction in the space, but things have gotten a lot tighter.  The landlord still wants his monthly rent as we work to obtain our “certificate of occupancy.”  Although we have funds for construction set aside, there are always surprises. On top of that, we still have to buy lighting equipment and reupholster chairs.  So, I am asking for your help.  We need to raise $15,000.00 by May 31st.  So far we have raised over $1,000, but we need your help to reach our goal!

By donating to Onion Man you will be:

• Helping us complete the construction process and to purchase quality lighting fixtures.
• Creating a theatre space focused on new work, although that is not all we will create.
• Building a theatre space that will benefit many.  Our goal is to make the space available to small theatre companies that need an affordable place to produce shows.  But, to do that we need to maintain cash reserves to subsidize this effort.
• Supporting and cultivating a new theatre space in Atlanta.  The way building codes and zoning works, a space needs to be permitted for a certain use.  Now that Onion Man has put in the effort to create this space, it will be another theatre space available in Atlanta even after Onion Man has moved on to a larger venue (our next goal).
• Establishing a home for theatre artists to learn and grow.  Onion Man has always been and will continue to be a great place for artistic growth!  It is what we do best.  And along with producing our shows we will be offering acting and writing classes and workshops.

So, it is not hard to see how a simple donation can have a broad impact on a community. And at the end of the day this is what it is all about - building a community.  A place for artists to give of themselves and a place where audiences can reflect on the comedy and drama that is life.

And you will be participating in the making of a miracle.  In many ways, miracles do come easy; all it takes is the willingness to participate in one.  So, please join me as I invite you into this miracle.

 DONATE NOW!

The Case for Theatre

Theatre people love theatre.  And that is a wonderful aspect of the world of American theatre.  The people involved and the audiences that love the experience of theatre keep this ancient art form alive.   No, it may not be as ancient as painting, but that is only because if ancient man were performing a play we would have no record of such an event. However, we certainly have paintings left on walls of caves.  So, paintings win. But whenever it was that one human or a group of humans decided to get in front of a group and tell a great story, we had theatre.

And, for me, at a core fundamental level the purpose of theatre has not changed. Theatre at its best is the outward display of the inner journey we as humans must take in life, either willingly or unwillingly.  Now, I know that for many theatre is about such modern conventions as to push a social agenda or to celebrate the congregation of a specific group or to examine the current “issue of the day.” And all of those goals for theatre are fine but it is only when a play, a production, reaches deeper into the true nature of the experience of being human, only then, does the potential of the art of theatre become realized.

It is easy to ask the question of why theatre is even relevant in today’s world of technology.  And, based on the numbers of people that attend theatre, it is at best an outlier on our cultural map. But, thankfully, it somehow still manages to survive. So, what is it about seeing a play that gives theatre a purpose in our modern world?  Here are some thoughts:

Entertainment – The first responsibility is to the audience.  Keep them engaged with the action of the play.  Whether they end up loving or hating the play is left to the audience, but they certainly should not be allowed to drift away from the world of the play that is created on the stage. And that is a tall order that takes great energy and commitment by the artists involved.  But when done well it is time well spent. When done poorly an audience has given time from their existence and gained very little or nothing in the exchange.  Hardly a fair bit of commerce.   So, you could say there is a “respect for your fellow man or woman” aspect that is owed to the audience for the giving of their time and money.  Of course, misguided theatre artists often see it the other way, and believe that the audience owes them something.

Reflection – Theatre provides the opportunity for a community to reflect on the world and on our society. Not everyone enjoys going to therapy to examine the issues within.  And we all struggle in the collective sense to come to terms with a difficult social issue.  But individual or collective mental health requires some opportunity for reflection in order to see a problem with fresh eyes.  It can provide a rich experience to be challenged in a very personal way, but it also provides the chance to “walk in another’s shoes.”
 
Emotional Catharsis – This is often the expected theatre experience.  Audiences are used to seeing a play and are often caught up in the comedy or drama on stage. They become emotionally involved in the experience.  And by becoming emotionally invested, the experience can help release pent up emotions that a person may be carrying and not even conscious of.  And this may prevent this person from unleashing that pent up emotion on others in the community.

Community – We often talk about how important theatre is to our society.  Yet, I don’t see enough theatre companies really engaged in their specific communities. It too often is all about “come see the next show!”  Well, for theatre to create value in a community, it needs to contribute more than just productions.  The talents of theatre artists are many and varied.  Theatre artists have so much to offer a community but it often feels like this is not given enough time, attention or resources.  Often when I hear about one of these terrible shootings carried by someone we have allowed to live on the edges of our community, I think, “What if they had been encouraged at some point to get involved with a local community theatre?” It can be such a great place to help feel not so alone in the world. Theatres always need people to help in some manner. And there are people in our communities that badly need connection.  I think there is an opportunity missed on this point.  Theatre companies and artists often are too consumed with their egos and insecurities, their popularity and the “appearance” of things to be open enough to welcome the troubled in our communities inside the theatre walls.  For too many theatre artists, much like the movies or TV, it is only a world meant for pretty or smart people. But it really should be about helping to build community.

The Universal – Ok, this is my favorite because it gets to the heart of why theatre has managed to survive. And, for me, it is the most compelling idea. When I first saw a production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream many years ago, I took away something important.  And although there were actors on the stage playing their parts and delivering those wonderful words, I walked away from the play with an entirely different experience.  Yes, in part because it was not that great of a production, but even in a strong show I still hear the voice of a playwright working out his own creative process and trying to make sense of the joy, folly and mystery of what it means to both live, love and create. There is so much more at work in that little play than what the audience can experience on the surface.  And that is when you know something is a great work.  It can work for an audience on a fairly straight forward level but also the work has, well, many layers to peel.  Those types of plays will linger in audiences’ minds and potentially impact the course of a person’s journey in life.

Intimacy – Watching an actor truly live a role on stage is far different from the experience of a movie or television.  The real dimension of “being human” is placed right in front of an audience and it becomes very hard to turn away.   And it can be intimate in a truly unique way because an audience is having the moment together.  That is increasingly rare in this modern time as movies are now enjoyed, more and more, in the privacy of homes.  There is something rich in an audience taking in a live play and taking the journey together.  And when done well, there is a reward for all. But this aspect will also always keep some people away from theatre.  Some people don’t want that kind of challenge. It makes them uncomfortable to feel and they certainly don’t want to bond with other people.  So, theatre will never reach some people.  But it can certainly reach far more people than it does at this time.  It is just up to each theatre company, each theatre artist, to be more respectful of the audience, to invest more in the local community, to work hard and dig deeper in his or her work and to never be afraid to ask that next difficult question.

Maybe you have different thoughts.  Feel free to share them in a response on this blog.(You do need a Google account to participate).

James Beck
Managing Artistic Director
Onion Man Productions
www.onionmanproductions.com

Let there be Action . . . a Challenge to Writers

Playwrights grow depending on their willingness to recognize the holes in their work.  On a local level in Atlanta there are many talented writers but they seem to hit a wall when it comes to recognizing the need to be a dramatist and not simply a writer of words.  The key element many writers fail to miss is the need for action.  Many writers simply fall in love with their characters talking and never challenge themselves to evolve more as a writer.  Writers enjoy plays with lots of words and characters talking.  Audiences enjoy a play where something is happening and there are stakes involved for all.

I could state this point in many ways and many, many times and it will still fall on deaf ears.  Writers can be absent minded about their work but see a flaw clearly in another’s work.  I know this to be fact because I’ve had to go through this point of “writing maturity” for myself but have also seen it in every playwright I’ve known and at every level of writing.

I recently saw "Evelyn in Purgatory" by Topher Payne, a very talented playwright and someone that has achieved a lot of success in Atlanta.  The play was basically people stuck in a room talking.  To Director Carolyn Choe’s credit, she found ways to make most of it work.  But there were simply way too many literary references littering the play, and then Act Two opened with the characters reading a screenplay in the play.  We had to listen to characters read a screenplay in a play!!!!!  It was a poor choice by a talented writer.

The lesson is that writers must challenge themselves to get beyond their own habits and work to craft a play. It doesn't matter if you love something or if it strokes your ego, it is not a piece of art until the writer has made hard choices. Just like actors making choices about a character, writers must constantly be pushing themselves to make strong choices.

So what is a strong choice? Well, having characters read a screenplay in the play is not, and reading poems, quoting Shakespeare or spending time analyzing literature also qualify as weak choices where the writer is settling for the easy route.  But a strong choice is to have a character ACTIVELY trying to achieve their goal by trying to gain something from another character(s).  And the writer must find a way to demonstrate this agenda by what the character does, not by what they say.  As my friend Daphne Mintz likes to say, “Action is character.” The simple act of a man or woman putting on his/her clothes can tell me far more about that character than any words on the page.  Obviously physical confrontations on the stage are strong forms of actions but so are smaller acts like deception (stealing, hiding items). How one character may touch another character is a great indicator of how they use their personal power and how a character relates to the set pieces or props (yes, the writer should be thinking of these things). On stage everything should have a relationship to the people and the chosen set pieces and props on the stage.  And they all provide opportunities for action.  A simple stage direction of “CHARLIE bangs his head against the dented front door” tells me he has done this before. Or “LAURIE folds all the chairs in the room and carefully organizes them during this stretch of dialogue.” In this case the writer is providing an opportunity to argue about chair stacking as a means to get to the underlying emotional issue.

As a writer, being direct and writing on point is something that should be used sparingly.  As an audience member, I say, “lie to me” and show me “how you feel” by “what you do” and by “what you avoid saying.” If you can do this, then you are beginning to craft a play and not settle for just being a writer.

And if you don’t believe what I am trying to communicate in this post I will reference an article in Entertainment Weekly from August 30, 2013.  A friend recommended the article and it makes some great points.  It is a quick interview with the writers of “Game of Thrones.”  The article is by Darren Franich.  It quotes writer David Benioff,  “If you have a scene where somebody is telling you a 10 minute story about something that happened to them back in the day . . . I’m not saying it can’t work, but it better be a damn good story because otherwise it’s a guy flapping his lips for 10 minutes on screen.”  Currently there is way too much gum flapping in the world of new plays.  We have some very talented writers in Atlanta, but the time is now for them to challenge themselves and to not settle for words on a page that make them feel good but to craft a play that integrates words, action, character, and set into a whole picture that becomes a work of art.  It is a rare thing.  But it is a very worthwhile goal.

Ahead of the Curve

At Onion Man, we like being ahead of the curve. Why wait for change, create some instead.

In 2009, Onion Man started producing original short plays by local playwrights, putting to work Atlanta actors and directors with the goal being to help build a vibrant, strong new play environment in the Atlanta theater community. Each June, Onion Man has staged original 10-minute plays by local playwrights for two weeks at Lionheart Theatre in Norcross. This year we even added a second collection and produced 13 original new short plays by local writers. Over the five years we’ve produced 55 original short plays, creating opportunities for 47 directors and 145 actors.

Now we look around the Atlanta theatre scene and can see new work blooming all over the place. Of course, we are not claiming credit for this growth in new work, just simply acknowledging the change in the Atlanta theatre landscape. Onion Man has certainly had a positive impact and has led in fostering a creative environment for new plays. And as we sit mid-way through 2013, we are seeing the beginnings of a community taking ownership of its collective creative force.

So then, what is the goal from here? That’s easy. It is time to both broaden the base and deepen the well. We need to see more and more local playwrights getting produced. This community has a large number of talented writers who just need an Artistic Director to say “yes” to producing their plays.

So why should an Artistic Director produce new work by local playwrights?

a) There are some damn good plays in need of production.
b) It is a good business decision. A local writer will help bring audience. Not only the people they know locally but all of us who want to support new work.
c) It will be an affordable production.
d) A local theater company has a responsibility to serve its community. If a company is getting a tax exempt status or taking money from local or state government sources, I would argue they have an ethical responsibility to use those funds to invest in the local artistic community – that includes writers.
e) The company will be building a stronger theatre community. When the plays are locally grown and produced we all share in the bounty.

At Onion Man, it is our belief that a rich environment for new plays in a theatre community is the engine that is needed to create sustainable and dynamic theater. And it is because we have invested in our local talent of writers, actors, and directors that we are building up their artistry and creating unique challenges that come with producing new work.

So, we look for the next five years to be far bolder than the last five in terms of fostering new work by local writers. In just a number of years I expect a good number of Atlanta based playwrights to be having an impact on the national level. Why expect this? Because of the investment we have made in the artistic talent right here in Atlanta.

Lastly, if you are an Artistic Director and would like help finding a new play by a local playwright, email me and I’ll gather some scripts from some very talented writers for you to read.  Just let me know what you are looking for. Email me at james@onionmanproductions.com

So, let’s get to it. See you five years down this road.

JAMES BECK’S ADVENTURES IN MIDDLE SCHOOL

Onion Man Productions is renewing our commitment to give back to our community as we move into 2013. This initiative is part of our Community Garden, which includes a program for mentoring young artists. Recently, OMP Founder James Beck visited a local middle school to work with young playwrights. But in this situation, who was really the teacher, and who was the student?

I was anxious. Maybe it was the experience of walking into a foreign setting to do something that I had not done before that gave me a feeling of unease. Lanier Middle School is part of a modern school complex in Gwinnett County, close to Lake Lanier. I had come to Lanier Middle to help my friend, Joanie McElroy (part of the OMP team), by providing feedback to her drama class. And so at 8:00 AM in the morning, this 47-year-old part onion, part man walked into a middle school to help young people.

I was there early because I really don’t know any other way to arrive at an appointment. They didn’t have middle schools when I was growing up in Dekalb County. We went to seventh grade and then headed to high school in eighth grade.  Middle school seems like a far more sane way to slice the educational experience. So, everything about this experience was new. Yes, I would be helping the students with the plays they were writing, so that was familiar. But I also knew I would have to find a way to communicate so I could actually be helpful.  Therefore, I drew on my faith that I would find my way to the right approach.

Chaos comes quickly in a middle school. Young people approached Joanie, now “Mrs. McElroy,” with questions and the need for copies of their scripts to be made, and she artfully conducted the molecules of middle school to orbit around a space where there was a small stage. There was a lot of energy in the air from the kids for 8:00 AM. I would have been dragging, were it not for the two cups of coffee I had already consumed that morning. So, we dove in. The young playwrights cast their plays with other students and we listened. One student said she needed props for her reading. Had an adult asked the same thing at a workshop, it would have been hard not to hide my disdain. But, here it seemed fun. After all, we had talking reindeers, so how could you not enjoy yourself?

The whole experience flew by. I tried not to give too much feedback and instead I just made a quick strong point or two. My feedback seemed to make sense and register with the students. I could not have been more impressed by these young people. They are all so far advanced compared to the kids of my generation. And I was really struck by the teachers and administrators, who spend their day nurturing, instructing, and providing opportunities for the wild random fluctuations of human spirit contained in those growing bodies. These youngsters walk in the doors daily with the emotions and reality of what they experience at home, both good and bad, and they are in need of so many different things. It is quite a job that the teachers have day in and day out. And it would seem really hard not to care, love, and occasionally, want to pull their hair out. My part in the morning was small. Hopefully something I said helped or added to the molecular middle school mix in a positive way.

You're Always Auditioning

An email arrives in your inbox, one you've been awaiting for weeks.  The subject line reads something vague about casting.  You open it up and find the complete cast list of the show you auditioned for earlier in the month.  Your name is not mentioned.
Why?  You KILLED that audition.  Your reading was spot-on, you had it memorized, and you took direction well.  Everything the director asked you to do you did.  And you have the perfect look for at least three roles in that play.
Was there anything more you could have done to get that part?  Maybe.  It depends if you've really taken this concept to heart: You're Always Auditioning.
Perhaps your behavior, your acting, your look, and everything else were perfect on that day, but any interaction with any theatre person before that may have affected your casting.

I just finished a summer of teaching 2nd-to-5th graders at the Alliance Theatre and was reminded of this simple truth.  On the first day of every camp we'd play a number of games, then go into an audition to cast our show to be performed at the end of the week.  The games were fun and primarily meant as an icebreaker, but the truth was, those games were just as big a part of the audition as the cold readings.  Some kids didn't pay attention to the directions for playing the game.  Some tended to argue or back-talk.  Some showed a mean streak.  Those kids didn't get the meaty roles.  One girl, while waiting to audition, kept talking while others were auditioning.  At one point she knocked over the chair her feet were propped on while another actor was mid-audition.  That girl didn't get much to do on stage.

But it's not just when you're in an audition setting.  Maybe you did something in the last show you were in that rubbed someone the wrong way, and that someone knows casting directors.  Maybe your reputation for being late, or not learning your lines on time, precedes you.  Maybe you were out to dinner with some friends and your waiter recognized you, thought you treated him poorly, and it turns out he's stage managing the show.

It's a lot of pressure to be on your best professional behavior at all times, and maybe that's not a good way to live your life.  Fine.  It's impossible to please everyone anyway.  It's not necessarily fair.  But one bad experience is all it takes for someone to have a negative opinion of you.  And in the theatre world, we all know each other.  You're always auditioning.

Onion Man Productions, A Community Garden for Artists

As we approach the opening of Summer Harvest 2012 on June 14th, Onion Man Productions' Founder James Beck was inspired to write a few words inspired by the concept of the Community Garden and how it fits in with his vision for OMP.

A Community Garden

"A simple piece of land.

Woven, threaded, sewn

arm in arm, hand by hand

a small space, a simple grace, a shared piece of land"

 

I’m not a gardener. I’m not. Nor are many of the people I know and create with in the small world of theatre and with our company, Onion Man Productions. But we now have a home for classes and programs at the Norcross Garden Club. And we are a company that steals part of our name from an odd little bulb known to both make you cry and add flavor to food. And we certainly cultivate, nurture, plant, water, and of course, harvest. We just do it all in the language of metaphor, in crafting emotion and story and in asking pointed questions of life, God, and of ourselves . . . So,yeah, we garden.

I wish I could find a clear way to state this purpose. The why in, "Why we do it?" Like anything in life it is a struggle, a worry, a danger, and a certain challenge - to create anything is to risk. Yet we keep doing it. The only strength I find to answer the questions lies in the simple fact that we are working together, building relationships, finding ownership and in the end, giving of ourselves back to our community. We till the soil, roll it all over again, and start creating yet again.

 

But there has to be some method to gardening in the realm of metaphor and story. Not the "why" but the "how." A long journey has led me to the raw earth and smell of soil. I know to access creativity is never a certain journey but one that must be ridden and not controlled. We must let nature do her work – images rise from the unconscious, truths show themselves in a phrase or in the juxtaposition of one reality against another.

It will leave your head spinning. How to make sense of what comes spilling out of you as a writer, actor, or director? How do you piece it all together in order to present a bouquet of wildflower and fresh vegetables?

 

One method I find myself leaning on more and more is taken from Onion Man’s Joanie McElroy’s directing workshop. You identify the climax, the crucial moment in the play, and you then work your butt off to ensure that every moment in the play leads to and/or comments on the crucial turn in the text. It is an idea I loved so much I find it entering into my own teaching of playwriting and in something as basic as how to lead an organization.

With an organization I think the question then becomes, "What is so crucial to the mission that all else would fall apart without that element? And how can all of the efforts of an organization reflect on and support that critical point?"

 

But what is that for Onion Man? It is the idea of being a community garden that serves the broader landscape of Atlanta theatre artists and our local community as a whole. I want Onion Man to be that place where every theatre artist can come stick their hands in the dirt and play and create. Onion Man is that nice healthy piece of ground where an artist can see the possibilities instead of the limitations of their ego and insecurities. A place to find joy instead of anxiety and fear. Now, I am fully aware that you can never truly get rid of the human acts of self-destruction and the behaviors that limit growth, but we can certainly be diligent in protecting our shared acreage.

A community garden. That is what we are, what we represent, all we care to be.