What does “produce” mean?
No, I’m not talk about fruits and veggies here. I’m talking about the word that we all throw about like it’s confetti on New Year’s.
“I’m producing a new play” or “I want to produce a musical revival,” etc.
But what does the word mean?
I looked up the definitions of the roots tonight, to see if the dictionary could help me figure out what our job really is.
Let’s start with the second half first.
Duce = a leader . . . or dictator.
And now the first half . . . second.
Pro = the proponent of an issue; the person who upholds the affirmative in a debate
Put them together and you have a leader that is a proponent: a positive vote.
And that’s it, exactly. In fact, I can distill it even more to just two words.
Leader. Positive.
A Producer must lead and must always remain positive . . . otherwise he will turn around and find no one following his lead. There’s no room for the negative in what we do.
This isn’t my deepest of blogs. It’s obtusely simplistic, actually.
But I know that sometimes it’s the simplest reminders that keep me on track. I hope it does the same for you.
(Got a comment? I love ’em, so comment below! Email subscribers, click here, then scroll down, to say what’s on your mind!)
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FUN STUFF
– 72 Days to Godspell! Read the day-by-day account of producing Godspell on Broadway here.
– Enter to win 2 tickets to All New People by Zach Braff Off-Broadway! Click here.
Come on Ken, Produce means one thing = Pay!
Deeper than you give yourself credit for. Leadership is an art and a skill. To be able to see the vision is the art. To communicate the vision in a way that makes people want to commit their best efforts to the project and enjoy the journey is the skill.
To be the proponent of the project, to make each choice with the thought “Is this in the best interest of the show – the product – , in my opinion makes for a wonderful experience for everyone. And isn’t that what it’s all about?
“There’s no room for the negative in what we do.”
That statement is deeper than you realize.
well said.
tim
well said.
tim