For those of you just tuning in, I’m in  the middle of a multi-part blog series called Project: Introspection.  Previously, I discussed the importance of working cooperatively.  Read on for the next part in the series.

If working cooperatively is important to the success of a production, then the ability to work independently is vital.  A lot of teamwork is required to get a production from script to stage, but even the most cohesive and dedicated teamwork will fail if there is a lack of individual effort.

Take any place.  Get a great team that works wonderful together.  The sound guy understands exactly what the director wants and makes it happen.  The technical director builds the set to specifications.  Everything is exactly as the director and designers envisioned.  No complications.  The actors show up and follow the director’s instructions.

But wait… the lead actor didn’t spend any time out of rehearsal learning his lines.  Opening night is tomorrow night, and he is still calling for line!

Epic fail.

A few years ago, we did a show that I’ll probably always cherish as one of my favorites.  It was written by one of my professors, who we’ll call Doc.  It was a hilarious comedy about a newlywed couple on their honeymoon, ready to get it on, when a bumbling idiot of a forest ranger (who thinks he’s some sort of secret undercover agent in the battle against evil… me, of course) bursts into the scene and proceeds to bring down pandemonium on this hapless couple.

The show was a little over two hours long.  We had three and a half weeks from the day we got the script to the day we opened.  I was on every single page — my first lead role!  I was determined not to let Doc down.

My fellow leads, Meghan and Tom, were also on every page.  Almost the entire first act (almost an hour and a half) was composed of just the three of us, with a fourth character slipping in at the 1:10 mark.  Then, after a brief intermission, there was another hour’s worth of script to memorize and perform.

There were very few pauses and moments to reflect.  This was a fast-paced script.  Think Gilmore Girls.

Needless to say, there were a lot of lines to learn.

Meghan, Tom and I spent about 8 hours each day in rehearsal, both formal and informal.  We met at 4:30pm and ran lines til 7:00 when the director arrived.  We rehearsed until 9:30 or so, grabbed dinner, and then went to Tom’s house to run lines til midnight or 1am.  During the day, we were on our own. 

I was taking summer classes at the time, so my mornings were tied up with Victorian Literature.  But from lunch until 4:30, I studied my lines.  I worked on it on the way to class, on the way to lunch, while doing my laundry, while taking a shower.  I probably even said lines in my sleep — I don’t know. 

I’d go into the theatre mid-afternoon and walk around and rehearse.  Occasionally, Tom or Meghan would show up and we’d do scenes together.  I know they worked just as hard on their lines as I did on mine.  We had a shitload of lines.

Opening night went almost perfectly — only one slight hiccup when the stage manager goofed and didn’t call a light cue.

Doc was beaming after the show.  He came up and shook my hand, told me it was perfect.  He told Meghan and Tom (and the rest of the cast) the same.  It really was.  I found out later that the show had opened on Doc’s birthday, and I was ecstatic to know that I had given him such a great birthday present.

The show could never have succeeded without Tom, Meghan and I putting in countless hours of preparation, both cooperatively and individually.  We took it upon ourselves to independently learn our lines so that when we met to rehearse together, we would be on the same page — literally!

Every show that I’ve ever been in has been made or broken by the individual contributions of the players.  If the actors don’t practice on their own, the characters fall flat and drop lines, causing confusion and disorientation.  The audience might not know that lines were dropped, but they usually find it harder to suspend their disbelief when the actors break character because of a forgotten line, or there’s a long, awkward pause where there obviously shouldn’t have been one.

The key here is to work independently of the team, as well as with the team.  Directors highly value actors who will work hard independently, show up on time to rehearsal with their lines already memorized, and put in a lot of effort to support the production.  Technical directors will hire designers and techs who put in individual effort at a level that goes above and beyond “just getting it done”.  Individual, independent effort is crucial to a well-oiled, successful production.

Not only do theatres need this skill, but any employer you’ve ever worked with or will work with in the future.  I do web design in my day job, and if I wasn’t able to work independently, I wouldn’t have this job.

So now it’s your turn.  When was there a time when you did some independent work that helped make or break a project?  Was there a time when it failed because you (or someone else) didn’t put forth enough effort as an individual?  Let me know!