I know you guys have been waiting for this post for a while now (considering the show was back in May). I’m sorry I took so long, but it’s finally here! All the things about On the Air the Workshop.
I find it amusing that I labeled this post as “post production” (considering there’s no such thing in theatre), but I didn’t really know what else to call it considering it’s finished! I took some much needed time off from everything (in fact I didn’t go to work for a week after the show), but I wanted to catch everybody up on how it went since I’ve gotten so many questions about it!
First off, that was the most exhausting/stressful thing I’ve EVER done in my entire life. Now you might be thinking, “Cristina, you say that about every time you put on a reading/presentation of your show.”
No. For realz guys. I have never been more exhausted or stressed or just plain TIRED. In fact, it manifested in a RASH on my FACE where I had to go to urgent care and get prednisone to treat it. The doctor was like,
“Are you sure it’s not allergies?”
“I don’t have allergies. I’m telling you it’s from stress.”
“What are you stressed about?”
“I’m starring in and producing the show I wrote with my brother and it goes up in a week and nothing is ready and I’m not ready and all I want is wine and sleep.”
“Ahh, I see. Yeah, that’ll do it.”
(Oh and FYI, the week after the show, it was still there so I went to the doctor AGAIN and it turns out I HAD FREAKING SHINGLES PEOPLE). Apparently I’m not too young to get it and it can be brought on by great periods of stress. So take some Zen classes if you’ve ever had the chicken pox.
Moving on from that debacle.
I just wanted to say that this show would not have gotten up on its feet without the amazing cast and creative team that we were lucky to get. I mean really. They put their all into making it what it was and the bro and I are forever grateful.
The week after we closed, I literally did nothing but stay in my PJ’s, binge Netflix, and have margaritas with chips and guac. I can’t tell you how glorious that was.
A lot of people have asked us, “So, what’s next?? Where do you go from here??” Isn’t that the million dollar question? I think everybody believes that once you make it past one level of development everything else falls into place. To that I just have the following response:
There are so many factors that come into place when developing a new project. Granted, we’ve gotten pretty far with On the Air and yes, we’ve had a few opportunities come our way and things in the works following this production, but there’s no magical formula where if you do one thing, you’ll land on Broadway the next day.
What we did take from this experience were some important ideas in shaping the show for the future. We worked out transitions (something that seems so inconsequential, but can be so important in the pacing and telling of the story), we know where we want to expand production numbers, we have a better idea of costumes, orchestrations, props, set pieces, and the overall pacing and energy our actors need to do this show. I told my parents if I was doing this show 8 times a week, I’d have to live like a monk (not a foreign idea for many Broadway performers). The type of energy and endurance you need to perform a role like that means constant rest, focus, and dedication. Still a long way off, but something to consider, not only with Loretta, but some of the other roles as well.
Like I said, we have an idea of where we want to go with this in the future and we have some possible scenarios that might play out, but doing this, as exhausting as it was, was a critical point in our journey to taking On the Air to the next level. I know I sound like a broken record, but we are so grateful for everybody who has supported us in this journey so far. To those who donated to our Kickstarter, came to see the show, texted, called, sent good vibes, and were there just to hear us vent, we are truly touched and honored that you would do so for us and this little show. And as cliché as it sounds, it’s such a humbling experience.
There were moments throughout this run where I thought, “Wow. We’re all here because the bro and I wrote this.” When you think of it that way, it’s kinda crazy. If you had told me five years ago people would actually agree to follow us on this wacky journey, I would have thought you were crazy (and believe me I still have “pinch me” moments). Whatever the reason, we’re so happy that you have decided to do so and fell in love with Jack and Loretta’s story as much as we did
“The elevator to success is out of order. You’ll have to use the stairs…one step at a time.”
-Joe Girard
