Being Vulnerable is Being Brave
I just finished reading the wonderful book Putting It Together: How Stephen Sondheim and I Created Sunday In The Park With George by James Lapine. I found this behind-the-scenes account of the creation of a Broadway musical to be fascinating and inspiring. I bookmarked many pages and plan to record a podcast discussion about the many lessons in this book for all of us in the marching arts.
This show was the first time that Lapine had worked with Sondheim, and he shares the real feelings of insecurity and intimidation that came with such an undertaking. It was also his first time to write and direct a Broadway show, so the pressure was immense.
In the chapter “Playwrights Horizons: June 21, 1983” Lapine writes about the experience of having the first preview of the show for an audience. The creators of the show had put their unfinished work in front of an audience for the first time. He begins by talking about Steven Sondheim, a true legend in the theater world, who was not immune to feeling vulnerable:
Steve was vulnerable and maybe a little insecure, like the rest of us. As we now know, those feeling don’t go away, no matter how old you are or who you are or what your accomplishments have been — you’re putting a piece of yourself out into the world and you wouldn’t be human if you didn’t manifest some vulnerability. Oddly enough, that was also what the show we were writing was about.
I have had the privilege of having many conversations with some of the very best designers in our activity, and they have shared this thought on many occasions. No matter who you are or how much you have accomplished, every single time is a challenge. You are putting something out to be judged by everyone who sees it, and you’re saying “Here is the best I can do, something I have created.” And then the rest of us, who are not equipped to have created it, can stand back and criticize it.
It took me years of conversations before I really realized this and stopped making catty comments to friends about show design. I may not like it, or I may have made a different choice, but I honor the bravery and vulnerability of the act of putting it out there.
This year more than ever we need to keep this in mind. Every student is being vulnerable and brave by stepping on the field and showing you what they can do, what they have accomplished. And, of course, every designer is putting their creative work on the line as well. We can never know what a group has been up against, or where they started and how far they have come. Let’s applaud the brave act of joining the race, of performing and creating for us. It’s truly something to honor.
I recommend you read this book! Putting It Together – James Lapine
Tim Hinton
August 25, 2021
