surrounding yourself with talent

i can't emphasize this enough: to stave off the inevitable feelings of despair, anxiety, and self-consciousness that accompany creating art, surround yourself with brilliant collaborators. when you doubt yourself, their talent is often enough to buoy you through just about anything. plus, they  make you look better. good work begets better work, amirite?

november's production of Makeshift will feature the directing talents of a fabulous young Philly-based director, M. Craig Getting. i didn't know Craig very well (at all) before Isa brought him in on this project, but god knows i trust isa on all matters theatrical, so if he was her top pick, he was mine. i'm still getting to know craig, and honestly, given that I'm here in NYC and the rest of murmuration is down in Philly, probably won't get to "collaborate" with him as intensely as I generally like to on a theatrical project. For that reason alone, this "get" was an act of trust. So imagine my delight when Craig shared this article that he wrote for HowlRound on working with new plays and new playwrights - from his perspective. 

there's something immeasurably special about realizing you're in the same spiritual (because let's face it - working on a show is a spiritual measure) boat with someone. it's rarer than you'd think in the theatrical world, so to find it is truly a treasure.