Get Fresh Input
A few days ago a band director called me to set up a one-hour consultation session. He wants to share his marching band show idea with me and get some input. I love doing this kind of work.
I encourage you to find someone whose opinion you trust, who has some years of experience, and get their feedback on your show ideas. When you and your team are putting your show ideas together, you will inevitably get “into the weeds” with your thinking. It’s very possible you will fail to see a way to improve the idea, bring clarity to your concept, or avoid a mistake.
Avoiding the mistake may be the best benefit of this. I often will read a story of a failed product launch or a new controversial t-shirt at Target that wonder how the process could have allowed it happen. How did no-one along the way say “You know…..?”
I have been involved in hundred and hundreds of shows over my career and have made plenty of mistakes. I’ve also seen simple and smart solutions to show problems. If we set up a time to talk about your show, I may likely say “you know I did a show like this back in 19** and we had this problem” OR “There’s a much simpler way to present that idea.”
This is probably what I say the most: You don’t need to be so literal. You can spend less money and time creating effect by being more abstract, less literal, and let the audience do some of the work and thinking. Judges and audiences like to feel smart, to “fill in the blanks” of the information you share with them. Let their imagination play its part.
Rather than building an entire backdrop of your location, use a few smart set pieces to give us the idea and let us imagine the rest. Rather than having one guard member be Cinderella, (thus setting yourself up to deal with this one special performers the entire show with all the headaches that brings,) have EVERYONE in the guard be Cinderella. Trust me, this is so much simpler.
Whether you contact me for an hour of my time or simply ask a local director or designer for input, take the time to check in with someone who has not been involved up to this point. That fresh pair of eyes and ears will give you input that could transform and improve your season! It could also save you a lot of wasted time and money and headaches. Ask them to be brutally honest and constructive, then take lots of notes. Give yourself time to process their suggestions, then go create your best show yet. Good luck!
Tim Hinton
February 13, 2023
