Judge for So Ya Wanna Be a Broadway Star-PAUL BOGAEV!

I am just blown away by the great folks that agree to judge our SO YA WANNA BE A BWAY STAR competition.  The fact that the participants get to sing for these folks and get feedback is such a great opportunity.

I will feature one judge every couple of days for you to see their credits! Tell everyone you know that you do NOT get to sing for folks like this every day!!! or even every year.  or even every TEN years!

PAUL BOGAEV     (I mean come ON!!!) 

Paul Bogeav is a music director-producer, arranger and composer. He supervised and conducted the music for the Academy Award winning film CHICAGO and was Executive Producer of its GRAMMYAward winning soundtrack. He won his first GRAMMY for arranging, orchestrating, underscore composing, and producing the music for Elton John and Tim Rice's AIDA on Broadway. AIDA also won the TONY Award for Best Score. 

Paul's other Broadway Credits include TARZAN (as Music Producer), SPIDERMAN (musical producer)  BOMBAY DREAMS (Music Supervisor and TONY-nominated Orchestrator), and as Music Director, SUNSET BOULEVARD, LES MISERABLES, CATS, ASPECTS OF LOVE, CHESS, and STARLIGHT EXPRESS. He also wrote and produced songs for a stage production of THE THREE MUSKETEERS which recently ran for four years in Europe . 

His other feature film credits include DREAMGIRLS, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, CONNIE AND CARLA, and the animated DISNEY films, LION KING, TARZAN, MULAN, and THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE. For ABC Television, Mr. Bogaev was Music Director for CINDERELLA, SOUTH PACIFIC, and ANNIE (EMMY AWARD). 

As a Conductor, he directed the music for Francis Coppola's presentation of the silent movie epic NAPOLEON with symphony orchestras all throughout the world. He also conducted Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman in the concert THE MUSIC OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER and Barbra Streisand's recording, HIGHER GROUND. 

Mr. Bogaev has also worked with Phil Collins, Sting, Toni Braxton, Brandy, Whitney Houston, Richard Gere, Whoopi Goldberg, Glenn Close, Hugh Jackman, Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta Jones, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles, Kathy Bates, Drew Barrymore, Liam Neeson, Michael Bolton, Harry Connick, Jr., and most recently recorded the soundtrack for the new movie musical NINE with Daniel Day-Lewis, Sophia Loren, Dame Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Kate Hudson, and Fergie. Mr. Bogaev studied at Cornell University and the Juilliard School . He was born in Philadelphia and educated at The Haverford School where he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2003.

The Silent...auction

I MC'd a Gala for a non profit this past weekend and agreed to help with pumping up the silent auction items periodically as well.  Actually, I agreed to help with the auction and then found out I was also MCing, but was glad to help out another non profit with a great cause.

Beautiful place for the Gala.  GREAT food.  Wonderful jazz entertainment.  Nice crowd.  And.....the silent auction.

Every non profit seems to have one.  Folks donate items that are lined up around the room, or in the hallway so that everyone can browse during the Gala and bid on the items that they want.

This weekend there were fabulous donated trips and experiences.  Big ticket items from a 5 day trip to Tuscany valued at $6000 to a trip to a diamond cutter.  From an African Safari and a party at your home for 25 people.  

These silent auctions used to work so well.  Folks would try to outbid each other because they knew that was what they were at a Gala of a non profit to do.  Raise money for the non profit.

Can I tell you that every Gala I have been to in the last few years complains about their silent auctions not making the money they used to.  Every single one. But they keep doing them. And they keep complaining afterwards.   A Tuscany vacation in a villa for 15 friends going for only around $3000?  Well it was donated so the money is net profit for the NPO, but still.....$3000?

It's not the fault of the Gala goer.  Now when they browse they are looking with different eyes.  They are looking for a bargain.  We all are.  I don't care if you are in Costco or at a Gala. The mentality is the same.  Our minds don't magically change when we walk into a Gala from the rest of our week when we are shopping for the best deals.

In addition we have all those auction sites now on the Internet.  Ebay, QVC, and thousands of other places that we go through the same process of bidding and waiting to see if we are going to get the best "deal". These didn't exist years ago when the Silent Auction idea was created.  Our every day experience has changed but the silent auction experience hasn't.

Yes, you want to have folks with money to invite to your Galas.  But even those folks are being choosey with what they support because they are getting Gala invites every singel week to something else.  "But they should help us because we have a great cause".  Yea, I understand your thinking...but how is that working for you?

My thought is, keep doing the silent auction items. Fine. It brings in a little extra money anyway.  But offer your Gala goers something unique at the Gala.  Something that sets apart your Gala from all the other "dress up and eat and drink well" Galas.  Something that tickles them.  Excites them to put on their fancy duds and come out on an evening where they could be with their families.  It does require creativity and thought and preparation.  It may require  the help of another group or person brainstorming with new people.   I am always happy to brainstorm ideas for free with any non profit that needs my help. Let's figure this out gang, cause the road we are traveling has been paved over and needs a redirect.

Give you Gala goers something that is less typical and maybe they will give you something less than the norm as well.

The people who came before you -seth godin repost with theatre thoughts

Great thoughts by Seth Godin again.  And even though you call yourself the "New Paradigm", you must prove yourself and gain the trust that you are what you claim you are.  A theatre company with an agenda that includes  more than just art.  (Big news here:  Art is not the first investment thought in most business people's minds even in a great economy) 

While we have tons of theatre credits, experience and contacts, when we speak to folks that have invested in theatre before it has to be as business people with a new agenda.  An agenda that makes it more of a business and community-building proposition which in turn makes business sense as a sponsor. 

We have been proving ourselves this year and it's starting to pay off.  We have been delivering high quality performances that allow the guests to "rub elbows with the stars",  helping other non profits through our shows and marketing, mentoring students and forging ahead without an actual space to call home.  All of that is in our mission statement. 

Don't get me wrong, we want a space!  But we can be choosey.  We can date around until the right space choses us.  It might not be the norm, but it's financially responsible and it's a way to find out if the community you want to serve as a "theatre" understands that you want to do more than just produce shows.  

It also gives you time to create a "track record".  

The people who came before you- Seth Godin

Maybe I'm not listening to your pitch because the 100 people who came before you abused my trust, stole my time and disrespected my attention.

Perhaps I'm not buying from you because the last time someone like you earned my trust, he broke my heart.

People are never irrational. They often act on memories and pressures that you're unaware of, though.

Models at Harbor Point

I was experimenting with my Imovie app and created this from that fun event hosted by the Harbor Point community a couple months ago.  Thanks to the Miss CT and CT Fashion Week gals for modeling and having a great time in front of the guests and all those paparazzi! I didn't quite get the music right, but it's fun.  

Hope you can see the videos on your mobiles but if not come on back to www.theatreringleader.blogspot.com to see it. 

Broadway in a Box

So much has been happening that I can hardly keep up but I have to share our new video for our
"Broadway in a Box" concept.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRFu8PlEoK4&feature=plcp

Mark Holleran is on our board and is also http://holleranmedia.com/  and we are thrilled with his work for us on all our videos.

This one will be a game changer for us as Jamibeth has already sent it and a One Sheet on our program to some terrific booking agents in NYC who have taken us on.  

We also have some awesome gigs coming up here in CT.   NINE new gigs to be exact! They just kept pouring in this week and I will share them with you soon.  The one that is coming up fast is Sept 30th at the Hyatt in Greenwich for a great non profit: AT Home in Greenwich: http://www.athomeingreenwich.org/

Broadway performers, Bret Shuford, Fred Rose, Gwendolyn Jones and yours truly will be performing a customized concert for them with the wonderful David Maiocca as our accompanist.

AND!

"So Ya Wanna Be a Broadway Star?" applications are now posted onwww.nptheatre.org and you may go to our site and apply for this year's exciting contest!  

The application fee is only $35 if you register before Oct 1st.  Also tickest for the audience can be purchased now for a reduced rate of $20. 

We are taking Facebook Favorite submissions on our facebook page as well and the winner will be shown at the Contest this year too!  

Booking some great judges and fabulous prizes including your featured role in our NPT Holiday show with the Broadway stars!  

Looking forward to seeing you all at the 2nd Annual SO YA WANNA BE A BROADWAY STAR? Competition!! at the Bijou Theatre in Bridgeport! It's gorgeous! 

Back to School

This week ought to just have a "time out" written in everyone's calendars.  With people getting everyone in their family back to school it's hard to get hold of anyone to do business, schedule meetings, or just get together for coffee.

So instead of fighting it, I decided to use the time to write out my Fall schedule, budgeting my time so that I could get the most done while 1. Driving six hours back and forth each week to the colleges to teach. 2. Teaching at my own studio for 15 hours a week. 3. Moving the theatre forward and scheduling all the mentoring, competitions and shows and meetings. 4. Working with my husband on our Internet Marketing business. 5. Taking my health and wellness back into my hands with a lifestyle coach that will help me with my health and fitness.

I  rewrote my goal statement that I read twice a day, every day to include things like, "I am excited to be living a health lifestyle while we build this exciting chapter of our lives with the theatre, my teaching, our business and our new kitchen!  (Always write your statements in the present tense so your mind believes you are living into it now)

I also want to make good use of my time by listening to books on tape during my ride to Hartford and Danbury three times a week (the six hours of travel), instead of just listening to the radio.  Inspirational CD's like the one below are already on order.  I get some out of the library too.   By listening to positive messages, I will stay positive even though my schedule may be packed.  It's only stressful if I say it is...and I have decided it is gloriously full.  Not stressfully packed.

Seth's book "Linchpin" is the first book on tape that I will be listening to on my drives:

Linchpin argues that it's more essential than ever to become indispensable, and the key to being indispensable is overcoming the fears that hold most people back so that one can unleash his or her greatest art, passion, insight and generosity at work. By the best-selling author of Tribes. 
Argues that the key to becoming indispensable in the workplace is to abandon the fears that might prevent success and instead allow one's art, passion, insight, and generosity to flourish.
There used to be two teams in every workplace: management and labor. Now there's a third team, the linchpins. These people invent, lead (regardless of title), connect others, make things happen, and create order out of chaos. They figure out what to do when there's no rule book. They delight and challenge their customers and peers.  They love their work, pour their best selves into it, and turn each day into a kind of art.    
           
Linchpins are the essential building blocks of great organizations. Like the small piece of hardware that keeps a wheel from falling off its axle, they may not be famous but they're indispensable. And in today's world, they get the best jobs and the most freedom. Have you ever found a shortcut that others missed? Seen a new way to resolve a conflict? Made a connection with someone others couldn't reach? Even once? Then you have what it takes to become indispensable, by overcoming the resistance that holds people back. 
           
As Godin writes, "Every day I meet people who have so much to give but have been bullied enough or frightened enough to hold it back. It's time to stop complying with the system and draw your own map. You have brilliance in you, your contribution is essential, and the art you create is precious. Only you can do it, and you must."

Linchpin : Are You Indispensable?