I swam with sharks on Sunday.
And all of us—the sharks, me, those gathered to watch—had a great time.
It was the Off-Broadway Alliance’s first-ever Shark Tank Live.
Three of us got to put on a scene from a work in development and then practice pitching to a panel of very, very, very seasoned producers.
The Sharks we pitched to were Edmund Gaynes, whose many hats include running St. Luke’s and the Actor’s Temple theaters; Barbara Witman, who’s on a couple of shows you may have heard of--Fun Home and Hedwig; and Ken Waismann, who did a little thing called Grease. It was moderated by Hugh Hysell, who knows everybody and does everything.
It was . . .. So. Much. Fun.
My collaborator, Tom Hyndman, and I staged a scene and song from our musical Fictitious—A Completely Unauthorized Musical Parody Definitely Not Based on the Life of Arnold Schwarzenegger (Totally Not Him).
And thanks to Martin Landry, Janice Landry and Jef Canter for bringing the scene to life so well.
Then we pitched the show to the Sharks, and they critiques the show and our pitch.
We learned tons. It wasn’t all pretty . . . we got some pointed advice. But it was supportive, educational, fun and did I mention, fun?
So . . . how did I get there? (Or how can you get there?)
I pitched the show for a chance to get in the Off-Broadway Alliance Mentorship Program (which I did, can’t wait!!!!). And the wonderful Christine Cox (producer of The Amazing Max) asked me to swim.
How did I get to pitch for the mentorship program?
I showed up at the quarterly Off-Broadway Alliance panel discussions.
Are you sensing a pattern?
You want to swim with sharks . . . show up where the sharks are!
I can’t tell you how many of the Off-Broadway panels I attended not knowing one person. Hard? Sure. Worth it? Of course. I always learn something. I always meet someone.
You want a chance to pitch your show? Show up where people who receive pitches go.
OK. That’s it, and that’s enough.
And all of us—the sharks, me, those gathered to watch—had a great time.
It was the Off-Broadway Alliance’s first-ever Shark Tank Live.
Three of us got to put on a scene from a work in development and then practice pitching to a panel of very, very, very seasoned producers.
The Sharks we pitched to were Edmund Gaynes, whose many hats include running St. Luke’s and the Actor’s Temple theaters; Barbara Witman, who’s on a couple of shows you may have heard of--Fun Home and Hedwig; and Ken Waismann, who did a little thing called Grease. It was moderated by Hugh Hysell, who knows everybody and does everything.
It was . . .. So. Much. Fun.
My collaborator, Tom Hyndman, and I staged a scene and song from our musical Fictitious—A Completely Unauthorized Musical Parody Definitely Not Based on the Life of Arnold Schwarzenegger (Totally Not Him).
And thanks to Martin Landry, Janice Landry and Jef Canter for bringing the scene to life so well.
Then we pitched the show to the Sharks, and they critiques the show and our pitch.
We learned tons. It wasn’t all pretty . . . we got some pointed advice. But it was supportive, educational, fun and did I mention, fun?
So . . . how did I get there? (Or how can you get there?)
I pitched the show for a chance to get in the Off-Broadway Alliance Mentorship Program (which I did, can’t wait!!!!). And the wonderful Christine Cox (producer of The Amazing Max) asked me to swim.
How did I get to pitch for the mentorship program?
I showed up at the quarterly Off-Broadway Alliance panel discussions.
Are you sensing a pattern?
You want to swim with sharks . . . show up where the sharks are!
I can’t tell you how many of the Off-Broadway panels I attended not knowing one person. Hard? Sure. Worth it? Of course. I always learn something. I always meet someone.
You want a chance to pitch your show? Show up where people who receive pitches go.
OK. That’s it, and that’s enough.