Zen and the Art of Producing Storytelling Shows

Three days before one of the biggest shows I’ve ever produced, one of my performers called with bad news. She’s an up and coming comedian and her agent insisted she be somewhere else Saturday night. Then a day before my show, another performer emailed to say she was very sick and had to pull herself out of the lineup. I had a few options upon hearing this news. I could freak out, and/or resent the hell out of these performers for potentially ruining my big night. I could also let the setback fill me with fears of my own inadequacy. Programs were already printed, social media was filled with their names and images. What would my audience think of ME that I couldn’t put on the show I promoted and promised? The third option was to dig into my mental Rolodex of performers to find replacements and trust that the show would go on in the way that it was meant to. Grateful that I had enough wits and grace to choose option 3, and Saturday night’s storytelling show at Tilles Center was, simply, magical.

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