Producer's Notebook Second Entry Page 2

Erik Sherman

Complex ideas elegantly expressed

Producer’s Notebook

· 1 play needed two complete sets of furniture – one living room interior and one exterior

· 1 play called for a 15-foot 2x6 that would rest on two platforms and act as a bridge (and for those that don’t know construction, you’d need to support that board every three to four feet to make it strong enough to safely support the weight)

· multiple plays had character lists that were either non-existent, inaccurate (not listing everyone), or incomplete (for example, no ages listed)

· one “simple set” needed kitchen table and chairs, stove, dishwasher, and refrigerator (all yellow)

There are three categories of problems. One is when playwrights are so interested getting a performance and so uninterested in what the theatre seeks that they simply ignore what should rule out their scripts. There is nothing more I could say to them than “Who the hell cares about you?” A terrible attitude, I’m sure, at least from their point of view. But think of this for a moment as business. I am already spending hours making arrangements, corresponding with writers, and reading scripts because I’m responsible for what the Shea Theatre is trying to accomplish. To submit something that clearly doesn’t fit with our request is, through that action, to flip us the bird.

I still tried to be flexible. For example, I wanted to read through the scripts that were “a few pages longer” than our maximum, just to see if they might play within our target time. That flexibility lasted almost half an hour before reality and sense kicked in. From a completely practical and selfish standpoint, I’d have to read everything, whether long or not, and then go through the exceptions a second time carefully to see they actually were short enough in my opinion.

The producer is always— always—the first to get frustrated and the last.

Second Entry

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