I finally made it to the big stage at the Zoellner Arts Center in a strange, and yet, wonderful way. I was asked by my friend and colleague Bill George to participate in warming up a crowd from the Chamber of Commerce in large seminar dealing with creativity and collaboration in the business community, something that we in the artistic community are aware of and practice. The Baker Center stage, the big one.
Four artists were asked to kick-off the day at 9 am with four separate 12 minute exercises with four separate audience segments. Bill Christine did visual arts, Chloe Cole-Wilson did spoken word, Kimberly Maniscalco did dance with her students and I did songwriting. We then presented our works with the full audience of 300 people on the main stage.
Twelve minutes, especially working with adults is a tall order, but I launched in, taking down words that suggested creativity and collaboration. We got a short list of eight or so pretty quickly and I asked to put them in short, declarative sentences that rhymed. I rode the people, had the lines scribed by a friend, added a loose chord change to see what worked, tweaked a few things and got part one done. 6 minutes.
I had a loose idea for a chorus: Create, Collaborate (and Pass It On). We then did short statements that rhymed with “on” and stuck them into a form. I had a chord progression for that in mind, worked out before the session began. So, when the 12 minutes was up, we had something I liked, as did the my biz folks. Some great back and forth happened, I got to poke a few quiet suits, took suggestions, made decisions and it happened. We created and we collaborated in 12 minutes and came up with something cool.
Attention was drawn to the big stage for the presentations, and Bill was wise to put me last. The dance folks did an improv off of some flash words, but never quite heard them. (There was limited sound support for us.) A very cool movement piece. Bill Christine showed three wonderful pieces of quick art on his overhead projector: a suspended oil piece, pierced metal and then more standard marker piece. All were very cool, and he had 12 minutes to deal with as well. (He did some warm-up pieces while we were setting up, I played Giant and he did some wonderful improv things.) Chloe did a spoken word piece off of a list of flash words. She’s young and just getting into performance, so she did fine, and nice to see her emerge.
I finished with the Tune as we dragged the monster pad of paper up and I started in, acting on instinct, by breaking up the audience into “Create” and “Collaborate” sides and ran that through four or five times. Each side stepped up. Bang. Now I know what I have to work with. I did the four verse lines, muffing the third, but doing it again, and I think I was loud enough and the lines were easy enough that people got the spirit and sense of the song.
I then did the chorus again (with the audience now up and running) adding the quick, one liners that followed, even (especially) a few silly ones. By this point I take center stage with my very acoustic guitar and voice and do the two sides and while I sang the ‘pass it on’ part for four times or so. There! Three hundred business folks on Thursday morning, singing together. I did my job. Bill said (and I value his words like few others), “so commanding, so joyful, so witty!” That’s what I try to do.
I had anxiety dreams the night before, about piecing together a full floor jigsaw puzzle with a lot of people. We did it in the dream, and then I did it for real at 9:20 the next morning. I’ve come to trust my creative instincts, and, along with all stagecraft I’ve developed over the years, I can rise to the occasion. That, and No Fear seem to be the magic I need when I play for an audience.
In hindsight, it would have been nice for the Chamber to find a sponsor for the artists, though. That’s the 900 lb. gorilla in the room that nobody talked about. Next time, I will.
Create, Collaborate and Pass It On.
Dave Fry and Chamber of Commerce, Thursday, April 7th, 9 am
Zoellner Center for the Arts.Chorus:
Create, Collaborate and pass it on.
Create, Collaborate and pass it on.Give me some juice and inspiration,
Share harmony, passion, perspiration,
Bring the beauty, bring the vision,
Shout together with imagination.Create, Collaborate.
Pass it on,
Create, Collaborate.
From dusk to dawn,
Create, Collaborate.
The problem is gone,
Create, Collaborate.
You can’t go wrong,
Create, Collaborate.
Don’t make me yawn,
Create, Collaborate.
Rock on!
Create, Collaborate and pass it on.
Create, Collaborate and pass it on.