THIS is why he inspires me daily! Remember, he's writing mostly about business...yet he uses the term "art".  

With great power comes great irresponsibility- Seth Godin

It's possible that Peter Parker was uninformed.

Organizations tend to view "responsiblity" as doing the safe, proven and traditional tasks, because to do anything else is too risky. The more successful they become, the less inclined they are to explore the edges.

In fact, organizations with reach and leverage ought to be taking more risks, doing more generous work and creating bolder art. That's the most responsible thing they can do.

Credit

I liked this one a lot. Although I don't like to call things "problems".  Just "Challenges".

And I like it when people in conversations with me bring up a challenge and right away offer a solution that they have thought of.  Students, board members, colleagues, business contacts, customers, husbands, friends.  

If you just leave it as "I have a problem with..." and you don't offer some thoughts on how to work on it....then you are just blowing air at me and being critical. (ps I tend to dig my heels in when someone does that to me by the way....so if you are ever wondering how to get me to do something or alter my course, be positive and offer other ideas if you don't like mine instead of just criticizing my idea. I tend to drive hard when I think I have a good idea but I will listen to other folks who are being positive and trying hard to make something work.)  

If you offer something then you actually do get credit for solving it in my book.  Even if the solution you offered isn't one we went with...you tried...so you get credit too.

For truly important problems- Seth Godin

You know something is important when you're willing to let 

someone else take the credit if that's what it takes to get it 

done.

Youth Board President, Matt Sweeney

Our newly founded Youth Board has met twice (next meeting is this weekend) and last week we invited Matt Sweeney, Youth Board Prez to update our adult Board of Directors regarding the activities of the Youth Board.

He did a great job and sat in on the whole 2 hour meeting, getting to see the workings of a board of directors first hand.  See video below of part of his presentation. He updated us on the singing waiters portion of the CT Humane Society gig (in which he and two other teens sang before our big show for their gala at the tables for "tips" that went to the Humane Society as well).  Many of them went with us to the senior homes and also sang in the gigs for the Bijou and Lockwood Mathews Mansion and Museum.

The teens have also started their own blog www.nptbreakaleg.blogspot.com  in which they review or comment on performing arts shows, both professional and amateur that they have seen.  They submit a picture and video and must include one "interview" of another teen in attendance.  It's all from their "teen" experience.

This month they will also launch their newsletter "Break a Leg" that will highlight all the local schools and the shows that are coming up. If you know anyone who should be on that mailing list (it's great advertising for the schools) let us know at nptyouthboard@gmail.com

The Youth Board is so excited about being a part of the efforts of NPT that Matt wrote this on our Youth Board facebook page (created by them and just for youth board members).


The New Paradigm Theatre Youth Board works side-by-side with the NPT Board of Directors to ensure the longevity and creativity of the New Paradigm Theatre. It is a prime example of the fantastic mentoring program NPT has to offer, and is comprised of enthusiastic teens hoping to spread the knowledge and enthusiasm about the arts they encompass. 

President: Matt Sweeney
Vice-President: Nathan Clift
Secretary: Kelsey Llewellyn
Treasurer: Kevin DurkeeBoard Members: Shaina Arsenault, Shelby Vetare, Shay LaRusso

The Board of Directors also nominated and accept Lisa LaRusso and Lisa Durkee (parents) to be on our adult Advisory Board to help guide this group.

See video and pix of Matt at the board meeting below.

Mistakes?

Brilliant from my favorite marketing genius- Seth Godin

Two kinds of mistakes

There is the mistake of overdoing the defense of the status quo, the error of investing too much time and energy in keep things as they are.

And then there is the mistake made while inventing the future, the error of small experiments gone bad.

We are almost never hurt by the second kind of mistake and yet we persist in making the first kind, again and again.

Sustainability

Continuing last week's entry on being RELENTLESS, I thought SUSTAINABILITY was also a good word to keep in mind.   As an actor, producer, or any type of business that requires "craft" this paragraph is well worth reading.  I get an enewsmagazine called Fear.less.  

This paragraph from their recent edition really worked for me and I hope it will for you too!


"Sustainability over lightning-fast. I started in the online world five years ago and cringed at who I thought I'd have to become - constantly engaged, with roadrunner stamina. I wanted to keep up, but I didn't think I could. In trying to exist here however, I saw I had a combination of presence and quiet that actually worked for my audience. I sustained and did so successfully. I realized I didn't want speed, after all. What I really wanted was sustainability - to set my own pace, live with ease, and lay a solid foundation. This desire outgrew all the rest and I started to see myself as a craftsman, wanting to build with timelessness, quality. Systems became beautiful, not tedious. An architect knows each stone contributes to the masterpiece as much as the final stone laid. His work stands on years of toil. He has respect for the process, for the time it takes to build something magnificent. I architect my life and since I'm building something magnificent, I want to have respect for the process. This is the first time I've ever thought this way."


As a final note from me, it's so tempting to want it yesterday.  I KNOW! I do.  But that is when you use fun cliches like "Rome wasn't built in a day".  In a fast paced-video game-MTV-Reality show world we see ideas presented at a fast pace.  Think about this though, the ideas that started MTV, video games, and some shows, took time to figure out and work through and develop.  

So:  ACTORS- find a way to pay your bills that allows you to continue developing your craft and to stick with it until you are where you want to be with your career.  Don't just give it five years. THEATRES- ask yourselves how you can think in much larger terms about how you will enroll those in the community intimately with your mission. Not just sell tickets to your shows. 

And then develop a long term plan to get there.  Patiently and thoroughly working a bit each day. It's funny.  The Internet seems so fast and it's tempting to think that the process for excellence has sped up as well.  It hasn't. 

Relentless

What do Charlie Wilson, Jerry Weintraub and Abraham Lincoln have in common....other than the fact that I have been listening to or reading about them this weekend?  

Relentlessness.  They all have a relentless nature.  Whether you agree or not with their "missions" (Charlie Wilson's war, Jerry Weintraub's career as a film producer and talent agent, or Lincoln's political career) they all had that quality in common.   

It's more than "drive" or "passion"  There are tons of passionate artists out there who are not successful.  RELENTLESS is more than just the desire and drive to succeed.  It is:
re·lent·less 

adj.

1. Unyielding in severity or strictness; unrelenting: 

2. Steady and persistent; unremitting: 

In my quarterly alumni magazine from Northwestern there is an article about being successful in advertising (ala, Mad Men) and it says " The best creative people are relentless, self-directed, media fluent, collaborative, holistic, trustworthy and have an X factor."

In my own experience the best creative people, or the most successful people you know, inherently have these attributes.  I can teach anyone how to sing.  But I cannot give them that X factor and I cannot give them a relentless nature.  I can show them one at work..but beyond that I cannot do it for them.  I can cajole and badger my students into practicing...but seriously, if I have to do that....it's too late for them. The "Relentlessness" needed for a theatre career has to come from them and not from me. 

In Time Magazine, the article about  Lincoln, the movie, says, "One lesson: It's not about them. Lincoln never confused his mission with himself.  He had the hide of a rhinoceros and a rare ability to set the past aside when turning former enemies into allies." 

Lincoln lost four elections before being elected President.  Relentless. 

I am listening to a Jerry Weintraub audio tape. When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead: Useful Stories from a Persuasive Man. He's balsy.  The story about Elvis alone is worth the time.  His biggest advice to anyone is just never give up.  If you get "no" just pretend like you didn't hear it and keep going back. He called the Colonel every day for three months straight to get him to let him take Elvis out on tour.  Finally it happened.  Relentless.

Just watched the dvd of "Charlie Wilson's War" again.  Basically three people made that war happen.  One with connections in Congress. One with money in the South and one with experience as a spy.  No matter what you think of the actual outcome, what was interesting to me was that they were relentless in their belief that it should happen. 

Steve Jobs, Madona, Einstein, Oprah, J.K. Rowling, Lucille Ball, Fred Astaire, Sidney Poitier, Steven Spielberg, The Beatles, Michael Jordan, Martin Luther King Jr, Beethoven, Any Olympic Athlete. 

With all of the above, it's about their own personal mission. Not just about being famous. They believe in their missions so wholeheartedly and powerfully that they HAVE to see it come true.  They bust through the rejections and the set backs and they keep moving forward. They stay with it as long as it takes and get better and better at what they are doing. And they surround themselves with a couple other people who believe too.  

Relentless.  


(15 People who failed before they became famous)
http://www.businessinsider.com/15-people-who-failed-before-becoming-famous-2012-10?op=1

Lockwood Mathews Mansion show

I just realized that I have not shared the event/show we performed at the Lockwood Mathews Mansion and museum.  Photos below.  It was a lovely place to do a show,  in the rotunda with the large staircase as a backdrop. See photos!

This show was tailored to all the young families and children we knew would attend the mansion's Family Holiday event.  We were a 45 minute portion of their day which included tours of the mansion, tea time, magicians, etc.  The rotunda was set up for about 100 people but they sold out our show and even had to turn people away!  Fred Rose, Jerold Goldstein, David Miaocco and I were joined by Miss South Carolina Ericka Powell and Christina Sciongay (Miss CT American Beauty) who sang "Santa Baby" with me.

Because the Boy's choir was so enthusiastic and we were going to do the Santa Skit with two of the teenage boys anyway, I invited them to be a part of the show. The four mentoring sessions at the Rowayton Elementary school that I did in November/December culminated with 10 little girls being part of the "Letters to Santa" section of the show. They used their public speaking skills and projection that we worked on since they were no mics for this one!  We also had Matt Sweeney (our youth board prez) and Kevin Durkee (our treasurer) help us lead carols at the end of the show. A cast of thousands.

We got a wonderful testimonial for our site from the Executive director of the museum:

Yesterday was huge success. Thank you for all your support, hard work and wonderful performance.  We sold out! The audience was so enthusiastic, it was so great to hear all that cheerfulness. We sold 230 tickets, reaching maximum legal capacity. We could have sold more as more people wanted to attend. You are all multi-talented and incredibly engaging on stage. I loved the Bridgeport Boy's Choir too, a very talented group I was not familiar with and look forward to having here again. The children from the Rowayton school were adorable. You made our Holiday Open House truly memorable.

Warmest wishes for a wonderful Holiday Season,

Susy

Susan Gilgore, PhD

Executive Director

Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum

295 West Avenue

Norwalk, CT 06850