Seven of the Best Show Stopping Steps to Making Your Own Work

Written by Alex Muscaro

11/14/19

No matter if you are a director, producer, actor, playwright, or any other theatre profession, you are, without a doubt, an artist. As easy as going through life playing parts, you are cast in or being a member of a creative team where you are given strict instructions on how to do your job. As artists, we have an inherent desire to create, tell stories, and bring new life into this world.  And that’s because creating your own work can seem like a terrifying and intimidating task. I promise you, being an artist and creating your own work is one of the most rewarding jobs in the world. Here are seven steps meant to help you move in the right direction.

1. Dream it and do it

The first step is saying out loud, “Hey, Universe! I have this crazy idea to create a thing!” It’s verbalizing that dream you’ve always had, but have been too afraid to pursue. You know, that one show you’ve meant to sit down and write or that one concert you’ve wanted to produce. Whatever it may be, if you have a longing deep in your gut to create, then give it its first life by admitting its existence. Identify the dream and breathe because I know how scary it is. I just spent the entire past summer, creating my one-woman cabaret, and it was the absolute frightening thing I have ever done. I have dreamed of producing my one-woman show for years, and I have known deep in my heart exactly what the show would be about. When I finally had the opportunity to make it happen, I jumped into the process and then got the symptoms of cold feet when I was already ankle-deep. And one of the biggest fears I faced stemmed from feeling overwhelmed, thinking I was completely alone in this dream, I was finally making a reality. But then, I realized there was no reason for me to feel this way because I was most definitely NOT alone. And neither are you.

2. Find Your Team

 If you’re creative, you are most likely surrounded by others like you, so include your friends in the dream! Start by sitting down with your mates to figure out what needs to be accomplished. I have several friends with experience in the industry; With all our expertise, we were able to create the show as well as promotional shots, creating virtual posters and editing to make the show flow. While I was primarily producing and writing the show by myself, I was never alone in the process; knowing this, eased a lot of my stress. Find your team, and let go of the overwhelming feeling of needing to do everything yourself.

3. Plan, Plan, Plan

So now that you have your team together, next comes the planning. One idea to make the planning fun is to get together one night and order a bunch of pizzas with a million toppings and stuff your faces. And while you’re feasting bounce ideas off one other. Have one person sitting with a notebook, and have a casual and fun night of brainstorming.  I promise you; it’s nights like this where the best ideas are born! For me to write out and plan my show, it was vital for me to feel like I was in a safe space to figure out if I was going too far with an idea or not far enough. We also made timelines and deadlines for ourselves to keep us on track moving forward, something that is incredibly important when working for yourself. The hardest part of creating your work is holding yourself accountable because no one above you will. All in all, planning is a lot more fun and more productive when it doesn’t feel like planning.

4. (FUN)draising

You’ve got your team, you’ve got your show, you’ve got your timeline, now to talk about the thing you probably don’t have- the money. Creating your work is all fun and games until you realize things cost money, and people will need to be paid. In the planning stages, it is essential to discuss a budget and then figure out how to gather the funds. But don’t let the creativity die in the planning room, let it flow into the fundraising aspect of your show! Fundraising will be much more enjoyable if it feels fun.  Using my one-woman show as an example, I created a budget from my funds, saved my college graduation money, and also put aside funds from every paycheck.  Then, I calculated the projected ticket sales and profits. I wasn’t going to spend more money than what I was going to make. In the end, I ended up breaking even (producer talk for earning back all the money used to make the show happen to begin with). Basically, money is money, and while getting all the money together may seem scary, there is no wrong way to fundraise as long as you are smart with how you’re spending it.

5. Search for Space

Now that you have the who, what, and how it is time to find the where. Where are you going to put up the show? In the planning stages, it’s crucial to figure out what kind of space you need. Do you want a proscenium stage with lots of fancy lights, or can you do it all in your grandma’s basement? Once you’ve decided what sort of space you need, it’s time to go into research mode to find it. It is essential to be flexible; you may not be able to find (or even afford) your ideal space.
When I was looking for a space, I was fortunate to have a contact who was the executive producer for a new cabaret space, which he offered at no expense. So, finding a location was the one thing I did not have to stress. However, I promise, if you stay creative and flexible the space you end up in will be the space that was meant for you.

6.  Pick a Date and Push it

Now that you have the whole team and space selected, it is time to pick a date. When choosing a date you have to keep a few things in mind. First, when is the space available for you? Logistically, you cannot pick a performance date that is not approved by the performance space that would be a hot mess, and you’re too smart to let that happen. Second, how long of a rehearsal process do you need? If your show is simple, easy, and a total free for all, you can probably get away with picking a date relatively soon. But, if your show is a full-fledged piece, then choose a date that allows for rehearsal time. For my show, I was approached with the opportunity the week before I graduated from college, and I had absolutely nothing written or remotely ready. I knew I needed the summer to prepare and create this show, so I selected Labor Day Weekend as my show date. That gave me about three months to get the ball rolling, and I was so happy that I gave myself that much time. Giving myself that much time allowed me to a.) have a life and b.) work my other jobs all while having the time to write, edit, and rehearse. Remember, this is your show- your baby. You have the control here, so don’t feel like you can’t give yourself the time you need. You absolutely can.
And once you have that date selected, GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN! Tell everyone about it. Tell your mom, your dad, your family, your friends, your enemies, that weird substitute teacher that always smells like salami even in your 9:00 am geometry class. Tell everyone about it, and then tell them to tell everyone about it. Go ahead and make fliers for the show and post those on every community board you see. Make a virtual poster, and have your entire team make it their profile pictures on all social media accounts. You are the marketing team, so try to mimic the advertisements that you see on relevant social media feeds. I promise you; it is better to talk about it too much rather than not enough. As for me, I probably should have paid my dad because he ended up being my biggest marketer. I had a pretty decent sized audience, and it was filled with people that he was personally responsible for inviting. So while it may seem a little embarrassing having your parents help you out, let them! Let everyone feel involved in the show, whether they are supporting you in the audience or involved in the show directly.

7. It’s the Day of the Show

Okay, okay, calm down, and breathe. Today is the day! You’ve got this. The nerves you feel are different from the nerves you experience before other opening nights. That’s because today, you are premiering your work- and that’s terrifying. It’s scary because it’s not someone else’s words being heard from that stage and coming out of your mouth, they are yours. And as a result, it feels like you are setting yourself up for the ultimate judgment. When it feels like you are about to explode from the nerves, remember why you did. Be proud of yourself! Allow yourself to feel pride in what you’ve accomplished. I was an absolute train wreck the night before and the day of my show. I was so nervous because I was about to perform my truth, but I had to remind myself that if I cared so much about what other people thought of me, then I never would have wanted to do this show.
I wish I had the words to describe the feeling I felt when I walked off that stage. I had never felt more accomplished in my life, and I was so unbelievably proud that I dared to do that. And now, I have the opportunity to do that show two more times in New York City! Don’t let fear mask joy. Today is the day. Let it be what it will be, and permit yourself to feel the ultimate pride.



Need some advice? We’ve got you covered.

Alexandra Muscaro has been a member of the Performer Stuff team since 2017. Alexandra recently graduated from Marymount Manhattan College where she studied Musical Theatre and Dramaturgy. In addition to being an actress, Alexandra is the Playwriting Consultant for the New York New Works Theatre Festival. She is also a proud member of the Recording Academy. For more information about Alexandra please visit www.alexandramuscaro.com and www.purplependramaturgy.com.
Photo credits:
Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash
Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash
Photo by Josh Appel on Unsplash
Photo by Karen Zhao on Unsplash
Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash
Photo by yulia pantiukhina on Unsplash