No Applause Just Send Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous

No Applause Just Send Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous
By Trav S.D

Vaudeville is dead,....[but] like a phoenix, rising from the ashes, with scores, perhaps, of hundreds, of new variety venues popping up at alternative theaters and nightclubs throughout the nation....its ghost has continued to haunt us thereafter, and has even possessed the souls of the living in order to walk the earth again."

Sounds creepy.
 
This book is actually really great because it tells the story of vaudeville and what we know of vaudeville today, how vaudeville started and how modernism shaped it, how people have interpreted "vaudeville" into what they are doing, or the "it's because of vaudeville that this and this occurred" (such as the negative connotation of the word 'actor') and "this comes from vaudeville" (Circus Amok) and so-and-so got their start in vaudeville (Babe Ruth, Harry Houdini, Buster Keaton, Will Rogers, Oscar Hammerstein, etc) kind of stuff. This is a historical book on vaudeville, but doesn't read like a history book.

"This is why vaudeville will always triumph, for it is merely an expression of people's longing for surprise, invention, joy, laughter, tears, transcendence.  it is the theatrical embodiment of freedom, tolerance, opportunity, diversity, democracy, and optimism.  The Russian literary critic Mikhail Bakhtin called this tendency to break out, to laugh, to enjoy living in one's body 'carnival'; but there is another name for it, a tremendous word: vaudeville. A syllogism lies before us. Vaudeville is the life spirit itself, it is our very humanity.  And this is why vaudeville can never be 'dead'. For the day vaudeville flatlines is the day you can also write the epitaph for the human race" (295).

So, all you people who think vaudeville is dead- TAKE THAT!

This Side of Paradise: F. Scott Fitzgerald

This Side of Paradise is a kind of "Dead Poet's Society" without the Robin Williams aspect. The story follows this group of college boys in whatever endeavors their college paths lead them. This is obviously one of Fitzgerald's earlier works, because the character's are not fully developed and don't have an overall arch- with a beginning, middle and an end. "Fitzgerald’s success started with the publication of his first novel This Side of Paradise in 1920. The novel is written in three distinct parts that explore the romantic and mental maturation of a young Midwesterner named Amory Blaine as he attends Princeton (like Fitzgerald did himself), serves in WW1 and suffers romantic rejection in New York after the war."- Dan@Central

Book Two starts off with The Debutante, a play script, written in the middle of this book. The play also has the same characters, but I am not sure the sequence of whether The Debutante directly follows This Side of Paradise or if there are several years in between. It's difficult to read a novel and then switch to a play with the same characters, because the novel is third person point of view and the play is first. Different writing forms lead the brain to think and picture what is happening differently. The Debutante then switches back to novel form and remains in novel form throughout the rest of the book.

The entire book in interspersed with poetry- a stylistic writing that symbolizes the action or what the characters are feeling in that particular moment. This poetry acts as as the music in a musical- giving the audience another view of the story. "Blending poetry, letters, free verse and traditional narration, Fitzgerald offers a glimpse into the world of Amory Blaine and the “Roaring Twenties” with masterful skill that foreshadows the literary genius that emerged five years later with the publication of The Great Gatsby in 1925."- Dan@Central

The Devil Wears Prada

The Devil Wears Prada- Lauren Weisberger

So if I ever meet Miranda Priestly (not as if I would recognize her on the streets), but I would seriously bitch slap her across the face. A of all there is no reason why that woman deserves all the praise and bowing and B of all- what would you do in Andy's (4" Jimmy Choo) shoes?

This book kept me going. I missed my subway stop a couple of times, because I didn't want to stop reading. I read over my lunch break- forgetting to eat lunch because I kept wanting to read the enduring pain and torture that Miranda Priestly put her indentured servants Andy & Emily through.

I felt every character's pain: Andy's life long pain every time the phone rang, or that scolding bark of "Ahn-dre-ah", Andy's pain in hoping that somehow this will make a difference in her life. Lily's pain of the whole college thing- but not wanting to do the college thing, so she goes drinking and gets herself into a little trouble (I can relate to that). Alex's pain of loosing the person you love to their own work and standing aside watching them grow different and there is nothing you can do about it. Emily's pain of being at Runway longer than Andy, but not having enough courage to quit a job that you hate only because there is some sort of tiny tiny tiny silver lining at the end.

In Andy's shoes- would you stop and give Starbuck's to the homeless that you pass every day on the streets- on Runway's credit card? (I would like to think I would.)

- would you stay in a job that you hate for as long as she did? (I do.)

- would you leave your family and best friend and boyfriend aside because work comes first? (I do that sometimes....- oops.)

- would you have the balls to tell your boss off to her face in the middle of a very important fashion show? (I dont think I would- not to her face.)

- would you be someone fake- just so you fit in with everyone else? (sometimes I do. sometimes I dont.)

- would you read this book again because it makes whatever misery in your life disappear, because nothing compares to having to work at Runway like that every day? (I would.)

Composure of a Sphinx

So just finished reading the JFK book. The author, Robert Dallek, stated that JFK had the "composure of a sphinx"- not really sure what that means- but as I kept reading, it all made sense.

Similar to a sphinx, JFK holds his head high and remains a strong figure to those around him. He was always confident and calm and had an army of followers who believe in him and help him get to where he needs to be. JFK once said, “A reporter is reporting what happens. He is not making it happen. He isn’t participating.” JFK did everything he could to be an instigator of change and participated in that change.

By analyzing the government and noticing ways to change the way things were run, JFK stood on the shoulders of greatness and single-handedly improved the way the US government was running. Sphinxes (not sure if that is the plural- sphinxi??) usually depict the head of a royal family member on a lion. The lion itself is a symbol of greatness and royalty- strength and power. Using that as a structure to depict a member of a royal family is literally putting them on the shoulders of greatness.“The men who create power make an indispensable contribution to the nation’s greatness, but the men who question power make a contribution just as indispensable, especially when that questioning is disinterested, for they determining whether we use the power or power uses us” (203).

JFK is one of those people who see where he would like to be in the future and powers through until he gets there. “At the age of twenty-three, Jack understood that he needed a life-work, just as important, he had considerable confidence that he would succeed. His background and experience had created a belief in himself as someone special, as standing apart from the many other talented, promising young men he had met at home and abroad. His privileged life had opened the way for success, but it was hardly the full measure of what would make for an uncommon life” (68)

JFK's life ended prematurely- he had not finished with what he started. So as a sphinx guards the dead, I leave you with this- “How can there be any possibility in…death?” (154)

-

finished

I just finished reading My Life in France. I was really wonderful, and once again I want to quit my job and cook all day and write cookbooks. And move to France. The book was very vivid and interesting, though it gets a bit choppy at the end, you go from 1973 to 1994 in like 1 chapter, I don't even think they touch on the 80's. But the whole story of the 1960's and writing the first book was amazing, I was enthralled. (a wonderful post from my darling friend in NY. She is the one who inspires me to cook.)

The College Administrator’s Survival Guide

Gunsalus, C. K. The College Administrator’s Survival Guide. Harvard UP, Massachusetts: 2006.

Chapter 1: “Embrace Your Fate”

- “Force yourself to express your goals in a few simple declarative sentences” (13).

- “You’ve raised some good points. I need some time to think about them. Ill get back to you next week” (16).

- “Before assuming, ask” (20).

- “One of the biggest administrative mistakes you can make is to act on only one version of a story that involves multiple players” (26).

- “For you to be able to achieve your other goals, you need them to see you as fair and objective in your treatment of problem situation; you need their trust and respect” (30).

- “May the god of boundaries bless your leadership” (32).

- “It’s a truism that everyone in universities feels powerless: undergraduates are at the mercy of everyone, their teaching assistants…. Feel they are at the bottom of the power curve, assistant professors feel disenfranchised and powerless, associate professors worry about those who can vote on their promotion, full professors must jockey for positions and perks, and department heads know they have very little real power” (22).

- “Academia is filled with insecure overachievers who-no matter how high their obective level of achievement or recognition- fear that they’re not worthy of their success and that at any moment they may be exposed as frauds” (36).

- “Who are the stakeholders, the people who may be affected by any decisions you make? What policies apply to each of his requests? What precedents exist or may be set by your decisions? And how quickly do you have to decide?” (37).

- “Whatever it takes, avoid making any commitment on the spot” (42).

Chapter 2: “Know Your Colleagues”

- “A large majority of the most difficult problems are caused by a small fraction of the people in any environment; you’ll spend far more time dealing with them than you ever imagined or wanted” (45).

- “Collegiality does not mean tolerating any and all conduct in a professional setting” (52).

- “All too often in academia, department heads think they are sending discouraging signals when, in fact, they are sending mixed or even reinforcing signals for behavior that is detrimental” (61).

Chapter 3: “Negotiation”

- “Think about it: you cannot force others to change; in a highly charged situation, the only facto you truly control is your own behavior. And changing your behavior….can have powerful effect on the outcome” (70).

- “Try saying less and negotiating more, and watch what happens” (70)

- “The catch is that you must be comfortable being the authority figure- or at least e able to act as if you’re thoroughly comfortable in the role” (71).

- “The single most powerful way to increase your influence on others in your daily negotiations is to learn to listen more effectively, more intensely, and more genuinely” (72).

- “….becoming more aware of body language- your own and that of others” (74).

- “Because being heard, being understood, is a surprisingly strong and basic human need that is all too rarely met, and shaping your own verbal and nonverbal communication to match another person’s sends a signal that you do hear and understand her” (75).

- “A prepared negotiator is a more effective negotiator” (77).

- “The same is true when a person wants something from you: if you have not thought about that person’s interests, you are not prepared” (78).

- “….’win-win’ situations, in which both parties feel they have gained something from a negotiation and the relationship is preserved” (80).

- “Establishing a human connection at the beginning is very important to positive outcomes” (83).

- “Cultivate likeability. Civility and cordiality are often undervalued in this world, where too many people think the most effective way to achieve their goals is through aggressive conduct” (83).

- “….find out what the other party wants, and most important, to discover the whys” (84).

- “To repeat: identify interests-the other party’s and your own- and note differences between the two that may provide opportunities to create value for both of you” (85).

- “…frame what you say in terms of the interests she has expressed, while being honest about your own interests. Remember that arguments expressed in terms of her interests will be more persuasive to her than ones expressed in terms of your own” (87).

- “Because negotiations tend to anchor on irrelevant information, you must be vigilant” (87).

- “….people are much more satisfied with outcomes when they feel that they have influenced the results- that they have achieved something by negotiating” (88).

- “Do not forget, at the end of your negotiation, to restate, aloud, the deal you believe you’ve made” (90).

- “Whatever you do, don’t gloat as you close the negotiation, even if you feel you’ve won an overwhelming victory” (91).

- “To thrive as a person whose professional role is to work with others, you need strong insights into your own preferences and styles for dealing with conflict” (93).

- “Don’t ask the impossible of yourself… just preserve possibilities” (93).

- “…Don’t let it be about you. Focus on the principles, the problems, and the goals” (94).

- “Think about whether, in winning the battle, you might lose the war” (94).

Chapter 4: “Complaints”

- “Many people will seek your guidance about problems that you didn’t cause and may not be able to fix” (98).

- “Cultivate a reputation for trustworthiness by keeping confidences” (100).

- “Now that I’ve listened carefully to you, I need to find out what the other people involved have to say. I’ll get back to you after I do that” (101).

- “If you find yourself tempted to say ‘That’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard,’ bite your tongue, and don’t speak until you’ve translated your response into something softer and more appropriate to your role: ‘I’m not sure I understand this; will you please explain it again?” (103).

- “When in doubt, leave it out” (104).

- “In the absence of facts, people make them up” (106).

- “Contemporaneous notes are much more useful that subsequent re-creations” (106)

- thank them for coming in to talk to you, remind them that you will get back to them

- “Trust your instincts if you are fearful” (107).

- “In American society, rehabilitation requires taking responsibility, feeling remorse, vowing to reform, and , where possible, offering recompense” (113).

- “think about what a university is trying to achieve from the perspective of its multiple constituencies” (114). Undergraduate students want something different out of the university than graduate students, professors, alumni, parents of students, stakeholders, the community etc.

- “Prepare in advance for your talk… because you will want to keep this first conversation focused on your agenda and not let it be deflected onto other topics

Chapter 5: “Bullies”

- “If you have a firm understanding of what academic freedom is and what it is not, you’ll be better prepared to cope with those who try to distort the concept for their own ends” (124).

- “First, try to identify and describe a pattern in what you observing….Second, sketch out a general strategy…..Finally, it is tremendously helpful to outline the points you wish to communicate and practice how you’ll say them” (127).

- “Some people’s eyes work better than their ears, and you want to be sure [he/she] gets your message” (128).

- “But the key point to hold in mind is that significant positive change can be achieved, given the right mindset, some patience, and persistence” (130).

- “The corrective changes involve moving the boundaries closer to the acceptable range incrementally and gradually. So don’t try to change everything at once: focus on what really matters” (132).

- “Life is pretty short to buy trouble…” (133).

- “It takes more than one person to change an environment” (134).

- “Genuine responses to nastiness are powerful” (134).

- “As a result, staying positive, calm, and clear is central to succeeding in these situations” (135).

- “Be persistant, positive and above all, calm” (140).

- “Everyone in the department will be reassured if you are fair and firm and focused on the issues- and if they see that you will not permit personal attacks” (140)

Chapter 6: “When Not to Improvise”

- “Process and procedure are your friends….Perceptions of power matter…..Focus on conduct, not motive….Less is more in a dispute…Don’t over explain” (147-149).

Chapter 7: “Violations”

- “Graduate students perceive an enormous amount of exploitation or abuse of themselves and their colleagues” (176).

- “…you are not being asked to become the bedroom police” (194).

- “…remember that your job is to keep the greater good of your department and your institution in mind” (196).

- “Not only can policies and procedures be your friend when you are in charge of the process, they can be your friend when you’re the target, too” (202).

- “Prepare well; think through what needs to happen, and in what order” (202).

- “NO stain will attach to your reputation the way it will if you ignore the problem and it mushrooms or your nonresponse is seen as quiet collusion” (209).

- “the idea is for you to stay centered and balanced so you can help everyone navigate a difficult situation in the most constructive way possible. Keep the big picture in mind, and understand that there will probably be some painful moments. Even if you extend yourself to the maximum degree to respect the dignity (and the presumed innocence) of all concerned, there are going to be aspects of these situations that are just plain uncomfortable. Try to see them in context. Persevere. And then, go home and take care of yourself” (211).

Chapter 8: “Centering”

- “When was the last time you heard someone respond to being called stupid by saying ‘Oh, you’re right, thanks?’” (214).

- “… you can be friendly, but not friends” (215).

- “…let actions have their logical (but nonpunitive) consequences” (223).

- “People are more likely to cooperate when they feel they and their work are recognized and valued” (224).

- “The praise has to be plausible, it has to be related to the job… and you have to mean it…..needn’t always be public….Don’t praise what people are… but what they do, or even what they could do if they saw in themselves the potential that you see. Focus on the efforts they make that contribute...” (225).

- “By giving praise and encouragement, you give something rare and valuable, and sometimes even memorable” (225).

- “It’s your job, as an administrator, to provide and environment that beings out the best in people” (225).

Leadership in the Arts

Thomas, Marilyn Taft. Leadership in the Arts. Arthur House, Indiana: 2008.

So here are some memorable quotes from this book:

(ps. I HIGHLYHIGHLYHIGHLYHIGHLY recommend this book for those in this business)

Chapter 1: Working With People in the Arts:

- “Effective leadership begins with a deep understanding and appreciation of the people you must lead” (1)

- “Even some artists in the middle of brilliant careers may need periodic fixes in their self- esteem- perhaps continual reassurance- because deep down, they may not be sure they re good enough” (4)

- “It is the leader’s job to reinforce these strengths, to remind them of their value to the institution they serve, and to make certain the insecurities that hover, overhead, those vultures of self esteem, do not swoop down and smother the creative environment” (5)

- “Working together is a concept every performer should be able to handle” (6)

- “An inability to see themselves as people separate from their roles as artists and master teachers can cause artists to over-personalize absolutely everything” (7)

- “When we step back and consider the reality of the artist, we have yet to realize that in the organizational setting, the administration is the conductor or the director, who really controls the artists ability to gain applause- the person capable of making or breaking their careers.” (7-8)

- “A complex organizational structure is like a bowl of Jell-O; you can’t touch any part of it without setting the whole substance into reactive motion” (8)

- “If you really want people to buy into the mission of the institution, there has to be a sense of fulfillment in helping to make things happen” (15)

- “The goal is to minimize job satisfaction, not to squeeze every ounce of life out of the people on your staff” (16)

- “If you can possibly avoid it, don’t hire staff with serious training in the arts area you lead” (19)

- Work is just like war: “…territorial disputes, battles over essential resources, major cultural differences, power struggles, and just downright aggressiveness.” (21)

- “Bottom line: make it clear to everyone involved that people don’t have to live each other; but they do have to work together- peacefully and productively” (22)

- “The trick is to find the wizard who is willing to work for nothing. Good luck!” (23)

- “One of life’s greatest joys is knowing you have left someone better than you found them” (26)

Chapter 2: Becoming a Leader

- “The effective leader is a master of motivation. (S)he understands to the core how people feel, why they feel as they do, and what it would take to move them beyond their personal needs towards the greater good of the group or the organization. (S)he cares deeply about these individuals, yet understands clearly the relationships of the various parts to the whole” (29)

- “Doing things right is essential.” (30)

- “It is not too soon to start taking notes on problems, issues, and new ideas as they surface in these individual meetings, to be folded in to the organizational strategic plan” (35)

- “When you set out to fix an environment, you need to know what is broken.” (40)

- “Your most important first task is to give them the assurance that you are capable, with their help, of doing that and much more.” (42)

- “You are not the other guy, so don’t try to be” (43).

- “morale suffers most when such cutbacks are handled with callous disregard for the people involved.” (46)

- “morale is a symptom, not a disease; so you need to diagnose the root problem or problems and go to work on them.” (47)

- “Sometimes, the small gestures have enormous significance” (51)

- “You are who you are.” (57)

- “building a new network of personal support is critical to you emotional health.” (59)

- “….after all, everybody judges the leader, even when they have very little data with which to make such a judgment. “ (64)

- “…. the greatest importance is not what data, you share, but how you share it” (65).

Chapter 3: Taking Charge

- “Simply by finding yourself in a number of situations in which your leadership is essential to the very survival of the organization you run” (74).

- “One of the greatest importance is developing a system that shows you respect each individual’s time and self worth.” (81)

- “One rule of thumb is to make sure you spend at least part of every day working on issues requiring strong leadership; don’t let the administrative details of the job completely consume you.” (85)

- “As a leader, you need to develop a highly sensitive antenna for change; you need to be able to see it coming, to smell it, hear it, taste it and feel it.” (95)

- “The toughest things about success is that you’ve got to keep on being a success” – Irving Berlin quoted in Theatre Arts (100)

- “You know , the bigger the risk, the more likely you are to succeed, because huge risks have enormous consequences, you cant afford to fail” (103)

- “Artists’ work is noisy, messy and wonderful. It is the nature of the beast called the arts school to be chaotic. The temptation for the highly organized manager may be to try to keep things under control- to not take one anything more until you get this stuff done” (105).

- “When you have delegated everything there is to delegate, and you still cant keep up with the job, you know there is a problem” (110)

Chapter 4: Handling the Finances

- “As the leader of this arts organization, you cannot let it all come down to a battle between aesthetics and money” (123)

- “Determining the greatest current needs for the long-range health of your arts organization should be the core of your strategic planning process” (126)

Chapter 5: Making Decisions & Implementing Them

- “Doing the right thing is easy. Its determining the right thing to do that is so tough” – Lyndon B. Johnson (rpt 157)

- “Under no circumstances, should you start doing other people’s jobs. Yours is already plenty big enough” (161).

- “Thinking out loud and testing some new ideas on a safe partner may just what you need before running off and doing something really dumb” (167).

- “The needs of your organization are more important that your ego” (172)

- “The ability to say ‘No’, when necessary, is absolutely critical to good-decision making.” (173).

Chapter 6: Communicating

- “If you don’t need [communication and teamwork] to accomplish a goal, don’t waste peoples time. Do it some other way” (195).

- “When you are in charge, it is your responsibility to make sure the meeting is effective, and the people who attend go away feeling good about the time they spent there” (204).

- “Don’t think its OK to use it, if you define it; if you have to define something, you shouldn’t be using it. Speak English” (213).

Chapter 7: Handling Personnel Issues

- “Your goal is to try to look between the lines of their resumes to determine who would go beyond the written job description and really excel in this position” (240).

- “We deal in very subjective definitions of excellence, and the reputation of our institution depends solely on the quality of the art we create- that of our alumni, our artist/faculty, and our students” (250).

- “One of the most difficult aspects of managing people is the personal element involved” (255).

- “You are a target, because you are in charge of a large and complex organization; you potentially bear responsibility for much of what happens within this organization and you can be sued for many of the things that people say or do to others, while working in the environment” (262-263).

Chapter 8: Working within the System & Beyond

- “Anyone can go to work and just get through the day. The real leader is not satisfied with that; (s)he has at least one eye on the future of the arts unit at all time” (271).

Epilogue: Making a Difference in the Future of the Arts

- “Leadership is all about moving past the gate, pushing boundaries out of the way, forging ahead in spite of perceived road blocks- and, oh yes, carrying an organization full of skeptics, hopeful followers, and a few die-hard opponents right along with you” (308)

- “Leadership requires action when you don’t really have to act, speaking up when no one has asked for your opinion” (308).

- “As the leader of an arts unit, you may be expected to know about anything and everything that is going on in the world, pertaining to the arts; since nobody has time to meet this standard, you will just have to do the best you can to stay informed” (313).

- “Even your finest effort is going to feel like a failure, if you don’t accept the impossibility of the task at hand” (319).

- “Learn to live with loose ends; you will have a zillion of these all the time. Some days, you will feel as though you accomplished nothing. Yet, you know you worked your butt off” (320).