Get Out of the Sandbox

Congratulations! You’ve decided to silence your inner critic and self-produce your very own play. This is going to be big. This will reflect the whole of your artistic vision. This might even change the theatre. And yet, here you are, calling up the very same directors, actors, and designers you worked with last time, and the time before that. Self-producing your own play or film is scary enough. That’s why we tend to, understandably, lean on the familiar tight network of collaborators we know and trust.

You might think choosing to work with a known quantity is just a savvy way to mitigate unnecessary risk, but the truth is you’re stunting the creative potential of your project right from the outset. In fact, our well-worn habit of hiring the same collaborators over and over may unintentionally reveal the insecurities we have about our actual work. It’s as if we’re saying to the world: “Only a select and predictable few could possibly take my idea and execute it to satisfaction.” What do you think that says about the strength of the idea itself?

Self-producing your own project is an opportunity to take ballsy creative gambles and swing big. Don’t compromise the endeavor from the start by succumbing to the familiar working rhythms you’ve grown to trust. Rather than letting you fly, choosing to work with the same close-knit team keeps you squarely in your comfort zone.

There are a great many ways to flex and stretch a self-produced project to your benefit. But one of the easiest and most effective is inviting other kids to play in your sandbox. Or even better, go over and play in theirs.

A self-produced project is an opportunity to grow your pool of potential collaborators in a meaningful and transformative way. Some of you are having cold sweats and palpitations about the mere prospect of working with someone unknown. Others of you might be brimming with excitement to make connections with new names and faces. The sweet spot is probably somewhere in the middle: Play with others, but do so intentionally and strategically. What could working for this new director do for your future career? Are they well-connected to a group or producer you’ve been wanting to work with for a while? What is it about that coach that can help you sharpen an underdeveloped component of your craft?

This sort of strategic collaboration means making tough decisions about where and how wide you cast your net. Below are two primary criteria to consider thoroughly when making the big leap and leaving your familiar collaboration turf.

• Commercial growth. Let’s start with the superficial: Working with new collaborators means the potential for a whole new audience. When embarking on a self-produced project, be honest about your primary goals. This time, the objective may be lots of eyeballs and plenty of attention. There’s no shame in that, but it may mean choosing to collaborate with a safer director with a deep Rolodex over a more aesthetically daring up-and-comer. This doesn’t mean you’re selling out. In fact, sometimes the most commercially successful artists are the ones with the deepest commitment to their craft. So few of us can afford to rest on our laurels—even the best-selling among us—and you may find yourself surprised by the caliber of your new colleagues’ preparation and performance.
  
  

• Artistic growth. Perhaps your big impetus for self-producing a project is to stretch artistically and define new and daring aesthetic boundaries for your work. Here is yet another reason to drop the usual suspects and go collaborate with someone new. When you’ve had the same set of eyes developing your work, the feedback you receive begins to go limp and lose its edge. New collaborators means exposing yourself to new blind spots and revealing holes in your conception or approach. Don’t let ego get in the way of that priceless opportunity for artistic growth.

Whether it’s for commercial growth or artistic development—or a mix of both—stepping out of your comfort zone will always be a net positive for your project. Take a look at your current sandbox and maybe try out another. I think one of the local kids may have gotten a bit too comfortable and peed in your current one anyway.