The Theatre department at The George Washington University is
a pretty special place. With professors who work professionally in the
Washington, DC area and who truly wish to see their students succeed mixed with
a supportive, though critical, group of peers, you have a perfect storm for the
budding young thespian. Add to that the rich community that the on-campus
student Theatre organizations provide, and the ever growing professional
community of DC Theatre and you've put yourself on stage in Theatre heaven. My
greatest achievements in Theatre to date lie within the confines of GWU's
buzzing performance spaces. My time there is something I'm certain I will look
back on with fondness in years to come. But, there is a major problem with
college.
It ends.
College ends
abruptly. Suddenly, you no longer have an adviser to check in with weekly. Gone
are the weekly student performances with your friends. Say so long to the
months you spent putting your thesis together AND the ease of simply texting a
friend (or all your friends) to meet at the local bar for a beer. With the
regal notes of Pomp and Circumstance and a few speeches you find
yourself thrust into the terrifying "real" world. [Just what the
"real" world is is a topic for another post, but let's not get ahead
of ourselves on day one.]
For a large
group of us graduating in these post-recession [mid-recession? No one seems to
know if we're recovering or still in the middle of it] times, we encountered
the number one lie of college quickly: college gets you a job. It's never
explicitly said, but colleges all across America imply it. Step 1: Get a
degree. Step 2: Job. Simple as that. Surprisingly [read inevitably], with my
degree in hand I did not find myself working at a regional theater. Or a
professional theater. Or a semi-professional theater. Where I did find myself
was in a short-term, summer-long, production assistant / venue manager contract
with the Capital Fringe Festival.
[Quick side
note here. If you live in the DC area, I have a tip for you. GO TO FRINGE. The
shows are cheap and decent and you're supporting an organization that supports
artists. There is really no downside there. https://www.capitalfringe.org/]
The job
managed to keep me afloat for the summer months. I spent my time commuting in
and out of Washington from Arlington, VA, connecting with artists through the
Fringe Festival, and constantly seeking a solution to the problem of my
contract's imminent end. I lived with other Theatre artists as I had at GW,
kept in touch with professors and friends in the area, and generally enjoyed
the post-collegiate summer months. Sadly, however, long term employment never
came. Even the possibility of strapping together multiple contracts into a semi-livable
wage didn't work out.
And so, with
tail between my legs [though with a "go get 'em" facade] I made my
retreat to the homeland: Massachusetts. But, there was no way I was headed
back without something to look forward to. So, I gave an old friend a
call. Janet Petitbon is the founder of One Strong Voice Productions and now the
head of Drama at Boston College High School. I worked with Janet a lot in
highschool and a bit during summers in college. The conversation went something
like this:
Me: Hey Janet!
Sooooo I'm moving back up to Massachusetts and I'm looking for Theatre work.
You got anything going on?
Janet: I'm the
head of Drama at BC High now. Want to direct one of the one acts this year?
Me: YES!!!!!!
Moral of the
story: keep in touch with people you work well with. So, now I at least had
something lined up. Granted it starts in December and I haven't got much going
on until then. Still, there is something out there. An egg in the basket, if
you will.
Now I find
myself living with three math majors and working as a commissioning agent /
engineer / CAD operator for a local engineering firm. Going from a community
all focused on being creative and artistic to one where EVERYONE's main concern
is making numbers work the way they're supposed to [sucks to your math degree!
I still believe it's lies and magic!] was a big shock to the system.
Internally, I began to think of myself as an unemployed director.
"But wait
a second, Ed." you're saying. "You have a project lined up soon!
Plus, you have a job with an engineering firm, so you're not entirely
unemployed!"
Well, don't you
put your fancy logic on me is what I have to say to that. As a director, the
best feeling in the world is getting those artistic juices flowing. But, when
you go months without a show of your own those artistic juices turn into
artistic sludge until your arteries are so clogged with art gunk that you're
foaming at the mouth and shouting lines of Brecht at random strangers. It was
with this feeling that I decided to take a recharge trip to New York and DC. I
saw a show at GWU. I saw a show in New York. I picked up a copy of The
Director's Voice at Drama Book Shop. I saw all my friends and had a lovely
time. And I returned home more exhausted than when I'd left.
Then Anne Bogart
punched me in the face. In the very first interview transcribed in The
Director's Voice Anne Bogart, famous director, champion of the Viewpoints
Method, and founder of SITI Company says:
"I don't think there's such a thing as an unemployed
director. It's true that you can be an unemployed actor. But 25% of what a
director does is initiate projects. And if he's not working, he's not a
director. I hate hearing directors say, 'Oh, I'm unemployed.' It's bullshit.
It's not an option. If you want to be unemployed, be an actor."
- Anne Bogart, The Director's Voice; Vol. 2
The fact
of the matter is that she's right. Now the juices are flowing again. I wake up
each day with fresh new ideas of how to get myself out there in the
"real" world. I'm collaborating with friends and colleagues. I'm no
longer an "unemployed director." I'm a creator, creating new ways to
bring my work to the world, even if I have to produce it myself.
See you in the theater,
Ed Churchill
Edited: The original version of this document named Janet Petitbon as Janet O'hare. This was the name I met her with before she married her wonderful husband Ryan Petitbon. The correction has been made.
