Theater: The Collaboration Station

Meet Jason McCool (and yes, that is his real last name!), local musician, composer, actor, director, and professor. He studied trumpet at Eastman School of Music and later historical musicology at the University of Maryland. Currently, Jason is a Professor of Music at Montgomery College and at the Art Institute if Washington. Recently, he has performed in The Ramayana, Riding the Bull, The Ash Fire, and This Other City. Other than having an absolutely fantastic last name (if only mine were as interesting), Jason McCool is a versatile as well as a talented artist, and, therefore, he was the perfect person to interview about creativity and communication in the entertainment business.

An important question I asked Jason was how people in the theater deal with conflicting ideas of how a character is to be portrayed. Surprisingly, he said there usually isn't an issue. Most directors go into projects with a certain vision, and good directors cast actors who can best manifest that vision (with the least amount of work on the director's side). If there is a conflict, however, the best idea or concept is chosen. One of Jason's theater instructors in New York always said, "There's good, there's better, and then there's the best." It doesn't matter who's idea it was, as long as the idea is the best. Table work (about a week where the directors sit a table with the actors and the script just talking about the characters and the play) is one of the ways the best idea can be found and agreed upon. Theater is, surprisingly, beautifully collaborative. Ultimately, however, the director does have the final say-- it is his or her vision after all! Wouldn't this limit an actor's ability to create his own idea of the character? Yes and no. The director does expect a certain outcome from the actor--let's say crying, but how the actor chooses to get emotionally riled up enough to start crying is his own prerogative. Jason points out that there is so much intrapersonal communication that the director has no clue about and no control over. For instance, in the play, the character may be crying over his deceased brother, but the actor isn't thinking about his dead brother, he's thinking about his dog that he had to put down a couple days ago. Crying is the result the director wanted, and it was done!

Of course actors are not only interacting with directors, but also with fellow actors. Between actors there is a golden rule: NEVER give another actor a note! Criticism and tips are in the director's domain-- only the directors domain. If a critique must be made, then make it seem like it's not a critique. Be as constructive as one can be. In fact, Jason's words of wisdom for amateurs out there is very simply, don't talk. That doesn't mean avoid all conflict because some conflict (constructive conflict) is necessary to produce the best art, but avoid destructive conflict at all costs-- even if it means taking a nonassertive approach. Effectively using ocalics, paravocalics, and gestics, Jason imitated many situations where the atmosphere was completely ruined by diva-actresses.

All of this does not take away from the overall collaborative nature of the theater. In theater, the sum is greater than it's parts. True artists will put away their pride and individual desires of stardom and come together in order to create something beautiful.

My communication could have been better. I was nervous and a little cold (we did our interview outside). I found that it was hard to maintain eye contact and write furiously simultaneously-- I chose to maintain eye-contact, but at the cost of not writing down everything. I, also, felt that my transitions from question to question was a little abrupt. I definitely need to work on improvising and keeping the interview running smoothly!