I was sitting down to write the recap blog of the weekend's travels and the spectacle that is the Ho Chunk Indian Nation's annual General Council meeting, but that is pretty dull and I've had this sitting in my 'drafts' for a long while, so that's what you get.
As Festival time marches on conversations always turn, because generally it's full of people that want the show to be the best it can and bust ass to try and make it happen, to how "we" can "help the show" - usually in relation to what performers can do to mitigate the micromanaging of the owner in some areas and total neglect in others.
Well, the simple answer is that we CAN do a lot but none of it will help the show, it will just amount in an exchange of management trying to run entertainment and entertainers trying to inject in management - the only problem with is that performers have to listen to management and not the other way around, so engaging in that practice adds up to nothing more than cast members that already give too much being used for even more, solving problems for and giving input to someone that wasn't interested in their opinions in the first place and certainly isn't going to start listening because someone decides to solve his problems for free.
And it DOESN'T help.
In fact, that is the problem.
So the less simple answer is that we SHOULDN'T do anything.
Framing the conversation in terms of 'how can we get together, online or otherwise, to have conversations on how to improve the show' is simply one that puts the job of improving the show on the wrong people. Our job is to perform, if management wants ideas on how to improve the show they should hire people for them, not ask people to produce more creative output for free.
And it's not about how much people get paid - anyone that doesn't like the deal they got shouldn't have taken it. That's your problem.
I'm saying it is managements job to manage and the performer's job to perform.
That is, at its core, how the management operates - they neglect because they know our people love the show so much that they will step in and "save things" and they need to be allowed to freefall if that is ever going to change.
That's the ugly truth of it.
Sure, as a performer I want things to be different and I have found terms that I will accept to come out and perform and get what I love out of the experience - but those aren't by any means the ideal terms for doing the show.
Having worked in the office almost a half-dozen times in several positions I can tell you I've heard all the arguements and I've seen the problems firsthand. I've listened to people justify coming in (myself included) and doing a thankless job, or well beyond what their job called for and take shit pay because
**GASP**
"What would happen if contracts didn't get done??!!"
repeat after me: That's NOT your fucking problem.
What would happen if the show didn't have any contracted entertainers come opening day??
They would lose a FORTUNE when the audience showed up and there was no entertainment and would have to see to the problem next time instead of counting on some well-intentioned person to jump in and take the wheel.
That is, of course, if there weren't SO many entertainers that would just show up anyway and work for free. This again, is the core of the problem. People say all the time that they do these things because they hate seeing the show they love fall apart and I am saying that is exactly why it's happening. I wouldn't be shocked if buildings were left to crumble because ownership knows there are people out there that would donate materials and show up and rebulld them for free
and there are
Am I calling for some kind of "white mutiny" where we all half-ass through our day and follow the directives we're given and pull bullshit moves of ONLY doing what is outlined specifically in our contracts and put on a crap show? Not at all. Never.
Anyone that does that is begging to be handed a 50 page contract that dictates their every move next year if they get one at all.
Am I suggesting that we stop looking out for each other, stop taking care of each other during show since that isn't in our contracts and that we don't think past the specific boundaries of what is "our job" - not for a second and to suggest that (which has already happened) is absurd to the point of being insulting.
What I am saying is before you sign up to "help fix things" you should check your contract or your pay stub and see if that's your job. I doubt that it is since there doesn't seem to be anyone with that job. While you're there, make note of what it does say is your job and then do THAT and do your part in putting up the show. And do it really really well.
Maybe we can teach management by example.
If nobody steps in to do their job for them eventually they will have to - maybe when they're busy doing that t(he)y will be too busy to keep a thumb on people already doing their jobs and doing a kick ass job at it
That would be a great show.
2 comments:
Now if we were unionized. . . . . . .
we'd have nothing to talk about on Labor Day.
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