From Here On Out The Word Is "OUR"

I have the great pleasure of serving as production counsel for a Broadway-bound musical stage adaption of the classic novel BRAVE NEW WORLD. On May 3, the production had its first developmental reading with its new creative team, composer/ lyricist Jonnie Rockwell, bookwriter Ben Andron, director Sheryl Kaller and music director John McDaniel.At the post-mortem meeting after the reading, Sheryl Kaller said something that I thought succinctly and effectively communicated pretty much everything I believe about the art of collaboration. She said, “From this point on, the word is ‘OUR.’” By that, she explained, she meant that for the project to move forward everyone in the room had to agree on a common vision for the future development of the show. No longer could the bookwriter pursue one vision while the composer/ lyricist pursued another; everyone needed to be invested in speaking with a unified voice.One by one, all of the creatives agreed that Sheryl was right, and then they agreed on the direction the project should take. Everyone left the meeting with a renewed commitment both to the show and the collaborative process.For me, professionally, it doesn’t get better than this. There is nothing more inspiring to me than watching creative people come together to create something greater than they could ever achieve individually.