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6 Lessons Learned About Producing in Non-Traditional Spaces

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The weather is heating up, and so are things here at donna scott productions! As we head into the summer (and our next project !!!), it would be foolish not to take stock of the lessons we’ve learned so far this year. This winter we produced 2 shows in 2 non-traditional venues, and a whole lot of lessons were learned by all 3 of us – below we’ve each listed just a few of them.

The DSP 3: Glynnis, Donna, and Tonya

The DSP 3: Glynnis, Donna, and Tonya

Donna

  • Don’t Go It Alone: This season is the first time I’ve produced with Glynnis and Tonya, and working as part of a team made Carrie Ann’s Kiss and Shiloh Rules more successful than they ever could have been if I had done it by myself. Every decision, challenge, or perceived setback seemed so much less daunting knowing I didn’t have to face it on my own. (It also doesn’t hurt if your co-producers happen to share the same taste in wine as you do.)
  • We’re All In It Together: When I set out to produce theatre in the South End neighborhood, I didn’t realize how much the existing community would embrace us. So many of the individuals and businesses there were excited about bringing theatre to South End and offered to help us. When working on a creative project, it’s easy to get tunnel vision/become fixated on your creative process, but looking around at the place you’re creating art for and including them in that process can benefit everyone.

Tonya

  • Hold Out For Dream Cast – They’re Out There! Casting Carrie Ann’s Kiss and Shiloh Rules was not quick or easy. At times it seemed we would never have a complete cast for either show, but eventually were able to fill each role with the actor who ended up being the perfect fit. On either side of casting, it’s hard to hear the word “No,” but “No” always means that the right person is getting ready to get the opportunity they deserve.
  • Adapt to the Space: When I first started working on Shiloh Rules in CAL, I thought the show would be performed in the round. After a week of rehearsal, I quickly realized that we needed to change the configuration of the stage to a more traditional proscenium set up. This meant changing seats, lighting, entrances/exits, sound, and just about everything! While nobody wants to make that kind of adjustments 3 weeks before opening, I knew that I had to serve the play, performers, and space.

Glynnis

  • Talk Is Cheap – TAKE ACTION! This was first my experience being a producer, and it was so empowering to take action and be a part of making a show happen. In the beginning of my career, I felt so desperate to work and kept waiting for the perfect scenario to present itself. It takes a thousand times more hard work to create your own opportunities, but it’s definitely worth it. Stop talking about what you want to do and DO IT!
  • The Deli Menu at Common Market Is AMAZING Seriously y’all, after months of rehearsing in South End, none of us ever got tired of this place. I’m partial to the Cobb salad myself, but you can’t really go wrong with anything there.

The biggest lesson we’re learning as we continue to produce is that theatre is changing. There’s no blue print or road map for how to produce and create. You have to flexible and realize that any plan you make is going to change. All we can do is take what we’ve learned and run through the open doors together!

Full Speed Ahead!

Summer is for new projects! And, fun podcasts and interviews-

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…..and there are a few floating around in the ether that have been seemingly wanting to gel for sometime now! It’s all very exciting and we’ll announce here soon. And, sheesh, yeah–we’ll be blogging away about them too, cause shared information makes us all wiser, smarter, stronger, and rises all the boats for us here in the arts in the CLT.

In the meantime,  I had a great interview experience with Dr. Nancy Berk, of the fun & fab ‘Whine at 9’ weekly Podcast, whose sassy motto is “There’s nothing wrong with a little whine, especially if it leads to laughter, solutions and strategy.” Love. It.  And, her too,  by the way. This lady’s doing a lot of fun and informational stuff in her own right. Books, tours, speaking engagements-and that’s only the beginning–check her out.

You can hear my  full interview with Dr. Nancy here. We cover a lot of ground in less than 20 minutes, including the continued success of the short film Aphasia and some upcoming theatre projects in the pipeline….

Aphasia chosen as Official Selection of Big Bear Lake International Film Festival in California

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For Immediate Release

For more information or for interviews please contact
Donna Scott, donnascott@hotmail.com

Aphasia chosen as Official Selection of Big Bear Lake International Film Festival in California

Aphasia will screen September 2010

CHARLOTTE, N.C. July 30, 2010 … The short film Aphasia has been chosen as an Official Selection of the Big Bear Lake International Film Festival and will be shown in Big Bear, CA in September 2010.

Aphasia was written by Jim Gloster, a Charlotte, NC director, actor and writer. Gloster wanted to capture the story of his friend, actor Carl McIntyre who suffered a massive stroke in 2005 at just 44 years of age. As a result, McIntyre lives with aphasia, an acquired communication disorder that impairs a person’s ability to process language but does not affect intelligence.

Aphasia is a double dose of reality told in narrative form. Carl stars as himself and portrays his life story in a powerful and nuanced performance. Aphasia uses comedy and pathos to raise awareness about aphasia and provide hope and inspiration to anyone working to overcome obstacles in their lives. The film recounts McIntyre’s first person experience during the stroke, his recovery and his struggle with his inability to communicate.
The film was shot in Charlotte, NC with approximately 100 crew members rotating through the eight day shoot. There are 33 speaking roles and roughly 35 cast extras that were used at different times. Most of them had had worked with Carl previously or knew of him, his career and his story.
“Aphasia was the perfect way for us to use our art to bring something positive and far-reaching out of a tragic situation. And what better example to encourage anyone that has encountered a disability in life than to have Carl actually play himself in the movie? What Carl wanted to do most is act again, and Jim’s script has given him the opportunity to do that, while simultaneously providing a way for him to encourage others to do the same,” said Donna Scott, Executive Producer.
The production team of Jim Gloster, Chuck Bludsworth, Tonya Bludsworth and Donna Scott formed Little Word Films to produce Aphasia, in Charlotte. Little Word Films has partnered with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences http://www.med.unc.edu/ahs/sphs/ on this project.
Aphasia was also chosen as an official selection of the Prince Edward Island International Film Festival in Canada and was screened there in July. To learn more about the Carl McIntyre Aphasia Project, please check out our website and social media pages: http://www.aphasiathemovie.com and fan us as ‘Aphasia the Movie’ on face book.
More than 100,000 Americans develop the disorder annually. Aphasia affects about one million Americans, or 1 in 300 people. It is more common than Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy, however, most people have never heard of aphasia. While the most common cause is stroke, aphasia can also result from head injury, brain tumor or other neurological causes. To learn more, go to: http://www.aphasia.org.

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