The Schwartz Recipe for Fostering Beloved Community

A Voice for Good's 2018 choir and orchestra, that was focused on building people, not highlighting stars. Paul Schwartz stands 4th from the right in the first row behind the orchestra.

The week before last, I met with Paul Schwartz, a veteran director and producer of musicals, oratorios and choral performances, who has been building Beloved Community through the performing arts for years. Last week, I related the story of the experiences that anchored him in a people-first approach to productions. Today, I’m sharing his list of principles and tips for producing and directing in a way that builds Beloved Community. These are gleaned from our interview, and then clarified and augmented by Paul, who repeatedly emphasizes that he has learned these by trial and error and is deeply indebted to mentors and team members who have practiced patience with him. Here are his principles with tips for application: 

1st Principle: The audition process should bless the lives of everyone who tries out, regardless of whether or not they wind up with a role. 

Tips: 

1. Connect with each individual as a person, instead of just assessing their skills and physical attributes

   1. Take a photo of each auditionee and cast the production with photos in front of you. 

   2. Find something out about what they value. For example, when auditioning singers for a sacred oratorio, Paul asked them to share a favourite scripture. He also had them state on the audition sheet whether they were interested in being just a soloist, a member of the choir, or both. 

   3. Look for potential as well as training. Don’t be afraid to pause the audition and give a little instruction (like: here’s how to sing on the breath) and then see what they can do with it.

   4. Ask whether they are auditioning with a family member or roommate, so you can consider the implications of casting decisions on their travel arrangements and important relationships.

   5. Thank them for coming. 

2. Create realistic expectations

   1. Be clear about the kind of commitment you’re expecting in terms of rehearsal etc and ask about any conflicts. 

   2. Let auditionees know when they can expect to hear back; what process you have, if any, for callbacks; whether you will be able to cast everyone. 

   3. Clarity is especially important for people who are new to the process. Paul remembers a 6th Grade production where the only boy who wasn’t invited to call-backs was the one they’d already decided to offer a key role. But when he wasn’t called back, he assumed that meant he wasn’t in the play. Fortunately, his teacher was dialed in to his needs and able to support him through the misunderstanding. That sort of confusion can be avoided by telling people that you’ll call them back if you need to see anything more. But whether or not you’re invited to callbacks doesn’t have anything to do with whether there’s a role for you.

2nd Principle: Cast intentionally, as a team, with the whole person and your purpose in mind. 

Tips: 

1. Get together a team that has different strengths from your own and communicate openly about what you see. That way, when you get to agreement, you’ll know you’ve got it right. 

2. Consider taking audition notes on a shared spreadsheet or Google Doc that you can all see in real time, so you are all on the same page without having to leave the room to deliberate, or worse, talk in front of the auditionees.

3. Put auditionees' photos on a board together with the roles you need to cast. This will help you focus on the whole person, their skill, potential, attitude and needs.  

4. Listen to your inner knowing and to each other. (Starting with a grounding exercise such as prayer or meditation can help). Sometimes, the casting team gets a sense that somebody needs to be in this production, regardless of their talent level. Trust that. 

5. When you have to make cuts, prioritize the production’s purpose over the individual’s talent. When Paul launched A Voice for Good with a popular oratorio, many more people auditioned than he expected. His team decided this production was about building people, not highlighting stars. So they started by cutting everyone who wasn’t willing to be in the choir if they weren’t cast as a soloist – with one exception, where they missed seeing that note and that person really did need the production in their life. 

6. Consider auditionees’ emotional or relationship needs when casting. These are real considerations if the goal is to ultimately build people and build community. For example, consider the impact of cutting someone who tried out with close friends/family. Be especially sensitive to social dynamics and friendships when casting youth and children, who may question their worth if they are the only one of their peer group that doesn’t get a callback or a significant role. Type-casting based on traditional tropes could be emotionally crushing to a child. 

7. Avoid giving the same actor the lead role, over and over again, year after year. While talent certainly is a consideration for certain roles, consider giving other people a turn, even if they're not “quite as talented”. This both empowers the new actor and fosters growth, a sense of community, and an appreciation for the gifts of others in the actor who previously played the lead. A meaningful, supportive role will help them become part of the whole production community.

8. Communicate casting decisions in a way that helps people process the news, whether it’s welcome or disappointing. Paul loves to call people personally when they are cast, so they can rejoice together without flaunting it in everyone’s faces. He sends an encouraging message to those (if any) who get cut, to reiterate their worth in the face of the disappointing news. He’s worked with a school musical director who emails the cast list out to parents on Friday evening or Saturday, rather than posting it publicly at the school. This gives students a chance to have and process emotions (excitement or disappointment) over the weekend before they see each other again on Monday.

3rd Principle: Prioritize building Beloved Community with your production team

1. A people-first focus starts with your production team and then overflows to your cast.

2. Keep communication open, honest, loving and clear. 

3. Hold regular production meetings especially when you’re all so busy you don’t think you can afford them. The importance of this cannot be overstated! Make sure to include everyone that needs the information. These can even be virtual while half the people are driving in a car if needed, but hold them regularly!

4. Establish clear roles, responsibilities, and stewardships early, including who has ultimate responsibility for what decisions. Do this before there is any disagreement.  For example, the music director might be responsible for musical choices and the director for character choices, but what happens if they have a conflict? Does the director decide or the producer? Once a clear line of authority is established, invite all decision makers to lead with love, seeking feedback, listening to the team, and deferring to the talents and expertise of their helpers as much as possible, even when it may not be the way they would have done it personally.

4th Principle: Lead by example, showing the respect and accountability you want to see in your cast. 

1. Have a simple contract establishing clear expectations that each participant signs, customized to your purpose and priorities. The contract should begin with a statement of the commitments you are making to the participants as members of the production team, and then include the commitments they are making to you. Ensure the phrasing is about commitments to each other as people, not to something nebulous like “the production”.

2. Establish a pattern in the first rehearsal of starting on time (or 10 seconds early). Even if people are walking in late, establishing this pattern early will help them turn things around quickly – they don’t want to be the awkward ones walking in late!

3. Make sure that rehearsal content is well-planned and organized ahead of time. A quick way to lose trust with participants is to be disorganized for rehearsals. 

4. Be understanding (of yourself and others) when things don’t go as planned. Take responsibility yourself and don’t put the blame on others. NEVER shout at someone (unless there is an actual emergency – then shout and call emergency responders)! To be clear - someone missing a cue is not an emergency. 

5. Be sure to end rehearsals on time (or a few minutes early). Show respect for participants by showing respect for their time. Even if you didn’t get to rehearse quite all you had hoped, having a rehearsal go overtime is not worth over-taxing your participants or breaking their trust. Instead, plan ahead (plan a little extra time in the original schedule if you think you will need it), and then stick to your word as much as possible.

6. Be open to receive feedback about things that aren’t working. Listen to the concerns of cast and crew members, validate their experience and help them know they were heard. Do not talk about others in the cast or crew behind their back. Instead, resolve problems between the people involved. Do what you can to make helpful changes.

5th Principle: Build in caring practices for individuals, not just the group

1. Learn people’s names (cast and crew) early and call them by their personal name, not just their character name. If you took photos during auditions, a photo directory can also help the group to learn each other’s names. 

2. If the cast is large, consider creating sub-sections, with leaders who are responsible to keep an eye on individual needs and help the smaller group connect and care for each other. 

3. Take attendance and follow up on absences so the people who could get lost in the crowd know they were missed and they matter. 

6th Principle: Rehearse in a way that builds people and empowers them to give their best

1. Treat all members of the cast with the same respect and no special perks for stars. Don’t just say “all roles are important” – show it!

2. Take time during rehearsals to point out what is working well to everybody.

3. Give feedback about things you’d like them to try differently

   1. Privately

   2. In a way that communicates your confidence in them. 

4. When someone isn’t meeting expectations, check in to communicate support and make sure they’re okay. Ask them about their life outside the production, and really care about it. Help them know that you value them as a person more than the production, believe in them, and understand that they have a life outside of the production. Make accommodations or changes as necessary if they are going through something. Then, review the expectations and express confidence in them.

5. Take time during rehearsal to talk about what you are learning from the production process and content. How does it apply to your lives? Actors who play troubled characters may appreciate help identifying how their portrayal of negative characteristics fits into the bigger picture to underscore a message that builds. The final production will be more meaningful to both the participants and the audience if they really care about the message. 

6. Encourage people to step outside their comfort zone in order to grow, but don’t ask them to violate their personal standards, including in their language and costuming. The production will benefit more from the participants being able to shine and be true to themselves than it will from having the perfect costume or the “historically accurate” word.

7. Seeds of dissent and gossip sewn “under the rug” will quickly destroy a beloved community. Let your cast and crew members know that, when concerns arise, you expect them to bring it up with the people who can actually do something about it, instead of talking behind each other’s backs. Resolving concerns should be done privately with the people involved. 

8. Work hard, but don’t overtax and burn people out (including yourself). Recharging is an important part of doing. A strategic break in rehearsals right before performances begin can sometimes result in a better opening night. 

9. Gather the cast and as many of the crew/orchestra as possible for a grounding and connecting exercise immediately before performances (after warm-ups etc). This could be a quick activity that helps people connect, or a participant/crew member sharing something they’ve learned from being part of the production that applies to their life. Including crew, orchestra etc at such times will also help them feel grounded and a part of the community. 

10. Don’t expect perfection of yourself or them. No-one needs to be perfect. Success is when everyone’s doing their best. 

Paul concludes: “In all of this, treat them as humans, not props, just as you would want to be treated. That doesn’t mean you don’t help people improve, but it does mean you treat them as valuable human beings! Help people understand that their worth as a person or an actor or a participant is not dependent on their actions – their actions have consequences on the production and on others, but their actions or lack thereof don’t change their worth as a person! When people have life circumstances happen (including mental health or other things you may not fully understand the context of), show genuine caring and accommodations as appropriate. Err on the side of loving and showing compassion – having a person occasionally take advantage of you will be worth the unity and community such compassion will build for the production as a whole!

“Remember that people (production team, participants, crew, and audience) are not just a means to an end – they are the means and the end! 😊”

Paul is always delighted to connect with like minds. You can reach him at showmaker0@gmail.com or paulschwartz@ldspma.org.

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