The Creative Process

A line from Shall We Dance? from The King and I, reignited my admiration and awe that someone can take a line from a play, add music and choreography, and create a spectacle that encompasses the heart of the characters, the times, and the story. It borders on miraculous when you think of it, but it's a miracle that is played out thousands of times among thousands of artists and writers all over the world.

I was able to be part of that with plays I wrote and produced. I have notebooks full of sketches, ideas, pictures, and processes that chronicle the magic of the journey from idea to finished product. They are a repository of the steps in the stories that made it to the stage. They detail the snippets that morphed into full-blown concepts that, in turn, were fleshed out with characters and plots and subplots. Those bits inform costumes, sets, music, and dance until they are all combined to make a glittering, dramatic presentation.  

It’s quite astounding when you look at it encapsulated in an old binder and see how it grew. You see that sort of thing on behind-the-scenes shows about Disney or Broadway, but it doesn’t capture the sheer magic of being part of the process. To be involved with talented individuals working together to create something entirely new is pure bliss. That doesn’t mean there’s not hard work and discord along the way, but seeing how much larger the completed whole is than the sum of the parts has been one of the greatest joys in my life. It's worth all the effort and angst.

I am convinced Humans were designed to collaborate, innovate, and create, and are happiest when they do so. Whatever their jobs are.

I got those notebooks out because I am recycling some of the characters and stories into novels and short fiction and it is great fun. I'll share some of those later.