Collaboration

Today in our lecture about five professors talked about the work they’re doing on the musical, “It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman!” It was really cool to hear their perspective and to be reminded of how much work goes into putting up a show. We heard from the director, the choreographer, and the lighting, costume, and set designers. There must be even more people involved that we didn't hear from today, like the sound and makeup designers. It was evident that each person has to put in a lot of individual effort, but that it is all very unified and it comes together as a collaborative effort, too. The whole structure makes so much sense to me: that there are several people who are experts in their field who do their specific job but they are all working towards the same vision as the director. Without communication, the show would probably fall apart, or at the best, it wouldn’t make any sense. It would lack cohesion. When I watch plays, I’m aware that it takes a lot of hard work to put it together, and that there are many more brains at work than just the actors that we see, but I often forget about how difficult it must be to create the unity of a finished product. Everyone probably wants their own way, but they have to make the harmony of the play the priority. When they do, the finished product is truly magnificent.