The same river twice

A teacher of mine once said of designing "You have not been hired in the theatre until you have been hired back." It may seem like an awkward phrase, but it quite elegantly encapsulates the nature of freelance work. The first time working with someone is a constant negotiation. You must learn to speak their language. In the theatre it is not enough to simply understand a play. You must also understand how someone else understands a play. You must be able to negotiate meaning in the space between your understanding and your collaborators understanding.

I have worked with a lot of people once. Most of them were pleasant enough experiences. Some of the work was decent, some quite good. But it was clear that the language barrier was too much. We just did not "get" one another. I don't mean socially as people, but as artists, we could not come to a real understanding. And without that, one can not truly work.

A designer I know works regularly with the same creative teams. A few directors who utilize similar designers. To look at them interact is to see a highly dysfunctional family. They fight and bicker. They scream and yell. They clearly do not "get" each other as people. But as artists they do. And they create some wonderfully beautiful work. While they may yell and bicker, they do "get" each other at an artistic level.

Everyone speaks their own language and thinks in their own way. Some people I work with can only talk in terms of images, and so we share images back and forth. Some talk in terms of music and we play songs for one another. Some talk through the language of the play and we discuss the meaning of words and syntax. Usually it is some combination of these three with differences in balance of the one and the other. One director I have worked with a few times talks very literally, in terms of what kind of light or scenery or costume he wants. It is a game of translation. I think very abstractly. But the way I think for myself is not conducive to collaboration. So I must translate. Often I translate into pictures or music.

The first time you work with someone is largely a matter of learning how they think. It is a matter of learning how to speak to each other. And you can only find out if you have been successful when the house lights go out and the play begins. Like a first date, you only know after you cum(or go home alone) how the evening will end.

I am very fortunate this year to be working with a number of people with whom I have worked before. It is quite comforting. In a job as uncertain as freelancing in the theatre, one is very grateful for a sense of familiarity. Friends are made quickly in the theatre, and the novel soon becomes the familiar, but still it is very pleasant to have someone in the room with whom you know you can do good work.

Every time you work with someone new, you must relearn how they think. Yet each time you start further along the path and progress to a deeper level of understanding. It is no easy task coming to terms with another human being and learning to accept all their idiosyncrasies and frustrations. That is a large part of the daily work in the theatre, as it is the daily work in life. Ultimately you are working with people. How you deal with them can determine how deep you can go with the work. It is difficult and frustrating. It is also a wonderful adventure.