Attitude, September 2009 article for Classical Singer Magazine

at·ti·tude \ˈa-tə-ˌtüd, -ˌtyüd\ Function: noun …4a: a mental position with regard to a fact or state (a helpful attitude) b: a feeling or emotion toward a fact or state … 6: an organismic state of readiness to respond in a characteristic way to a stimulus (as an object, concept, or situation) 7 a: a negative or hostile state of mind b: a cool, cocky, defiant, or arrogant manner (source: www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/attitude)

Assuming exceptional skill as a singing actor, what attitudes can help begin and sustain a career? When CSM asked me to write on the subject, my first thought was that I was overly prepared for it having spent most all of my adult life in the theater, observing the wide variety of my colleagues’ good, bad and sometimes bizarre attitudes, and often struggling with my own. But I posed the question to dozens of my colleagues hoping to include as many viewpoints as possible.

From those replies, I think my friend and colleague David Maze put it best:

“My short response would be to mention what Confucius, Hillel, Jesus and virtually every other philosopher taught: Treat others as you would want to be treated.”

What follows simply expands on that response.

The attitude I believe should be the foundation of all work in the theater is one of service. Service to the great works and characters we’re charged with bringing to life. Service to our audiences and community by telling the story of our character in the most compelling way we can so they may be moved, inspired and, yes, entertained. And service to our colleagues.

The most inspiring and successful attitude I’ve experienced in many of my colleagues, and one I’ve striven for in my own career (with varying degrees of success), is to approach the work as though it was all done to make the production more fulfilling for our colleagues as well as our audience. We over-prepare our music and thoroughly research our roles so all our colleagues can hit the ground running in productions which are always pressed for time. We have up-to-date and honest measurement sheets so the costume staff has fewer alterations to do. We research and learn something about the company and its city to be informed at donor gatherings and fundraising events.

We must understand that our collaborative partners are not just other singers, our conductors and directors but also the stage managers, costumers, make-up artists, management, box office staff, board members, apprentice artists, chorus and orchestra members. All of these people are as important to the production as we are, and take their work as seriously (sometimes more so) than we do. Learn their names. Be familiar with their jobs enough to show appreciation for their talents often.

Oh, and let them do their jobs. I have never had a make up artist tell me how to sing and, although I’ve done my own make up many times, I assume my make up artist is in contact with the director and, together, they are working on a specific look. I assume they know their craft as well as I know mine, unless they absolutely prove me wrong (which has been exceedingly rare).

The concept that singers are not the only artists in the theatre with my passion for the work was driven home some years ago when I was singing frequently with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. A stagehand named Corky was in charge of raising and lowering the main curtain, among many other things. Corky’s obsession for timing the movements of ‘The Grand Rag’ precisely with the music equaled any other artist’s commitment I had ever known. I would come to stage early just to watch his work.

Open your mind and eyes. The many dedicated artists around you will astonish and inspire you. Compliment them and thank them sincerely, and regularly. They typically work far longer hours than we do, are often paid less and get a much smaller share of the limelight than we do.

We also have to understand that, at any moment in a production, our colleagues may have more on their plates than we do. Stage management may be under pressures we can’t imagine. (And, by the way, the best ones will likely never show us that stress expressly so it won’t negatively impact our work as singers.) Conductors may be trying to deal with unresponsive orchestras, or the orchestra may be struggling with a conductor who makes their job more challenging than it is already. Be kind. Be generous. Be gracious.

We also don’t know what our colleagues are dealing with, personally. (Although there have been times when I wished I hadn’t know every detail of a colleague’s personal life…) Life events such as the death of family members or loved ones, the endings of relationships or personal health challenges have absolutely no consideration for what we do in the theatre. Be kind. Be generous. Be gracious.

A year or so ago a singer came to me, frustrated by cast members in a production who were being malicious to their colleagues. I remembered either reading a Richard Miller article, or hearing him speak on the grace we show, or withhold, from our colleagues. I wrote and asked where I had come across the idea and here was Richard’s response:

“I did indeed write an article that I called "The Three Graces." If not, then I mention it so frequently in masterclass teaching that I feel I did so. However, neither Mary or I have been able to find it in any source I have published. It might have been in one of the old NATS Bulletin issues from the 80s. Anyway, here is what I have always suggested:

All major religions make reference to a divine grace. In my Christian tradition it is the Grace of God that is extended to all, so much discussed by St. Paul, St. Augustine and Martin Luther among others (I am neither Roman Catholic or Lutheran). Man either accepts God's grace or refuses to do so. The second kind of grace is Human Grace, which we extend to each other, but not when relationships, friendships, marriages, peoples and races withdraw their grace from each other.
The third is Animal Grace, which is what makes a puppy able to wiggle its tail, a child crawl and take first steps, adults to walk without giving thought to the action, etc.

… Perhaps what you had in mind is the human grace that good performers extend to each other on stage (and off!). There is nothing worse than singing a duet with an unsympathetic colleague. That is a withdrawal of human grace. The wise performer extends grace to his colleagues on stage (and off stage!). There is little worse than singing a duet with someone who does not match his/her grace with yours.”
(Richard Miller, from his April 8, 2008 email to the author)

I would expand on that by pointing out that if we get in the habit of ‘withdrawing grace’ from our colleagues, of constantly focusing on what we perceive as wrong with their behavior, their singing or whatever it may be, there is likely to be a significant part of ourselves that assumes (perhaps subconsciously) others harbor similar thoughts about us and our work. Additionally, the energy and time we waste on what is not within our volitional control is typically just that, wasted.

When I asked my friends and colleagues to share their thoughts on attitudes several recurring themes developed. Those themes often included the same descriptive words:

Prepared, gratitude, open-minded, flexibility, fearless, confidence without arrogance, complimentary without being obsequious, curious, kind, helpful, attentive, focused, calm, friendly, patient, positive, enthusiastic, and non- defensive.

As I read my colleagues’ replies, it looked like many were describing a combination of Gandhi and Mother Teresa. All this amid our own very real pressures and personal challenges, often while we’re in the middle of a performer’s adrenal rush, and while living in what is often one of the loneliest and most insecure businesses known to man.

I don’t believe I’ve ever attained or maintained this sort of ‘saintliness’ in any production. I do think I’ve tried, but I recall failing miserably many times. There was the time I completely lost my temper with the business manager of a company over what I was mistakenly interpreting as a paycheck discrepancy. I regretted it shortly thereafter but so you know, that is one of two companies in my career that with whom I have not had return engagements.

We are, as everyone in the production is, human; prone to good days and bad, successes and failures. Being human, our goal cannot be perfection but excellence. Perfection is unattainable, consistent excellence is attainable; even in our attitudes.

Does this mean singers need always to be nice, to keep our opinions to ourselves and never express anger? Absolutely not. There will always be differences of opinion in any creative process. If no two people have the same interpretation of the color blue, how can we expect the director to see Mimi exactly as we do? And why should it matter? Mimi is a fictional character in an opera whose libretto was brilliantly patched together from a fictional novella. Certainly there is some wiggle room in our creative imaginations for other interpretations than our own. Keeping an open mind just might allow us to learn something, helping us grow as artists and people.

When you experience serious differences with your colleagues, make time to talk through those differences in private. I have rarely seen it productive for a singer to confront a director, conductor or colleague publicly. And when you do make private time to discuss your opposing views, make the purpose one of understanding rather than winning. I’m very fond of Joseph Joubert’s quote:

“The aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress.”

And, yes, there will be times when those differences with colleagues are so extreme that, in the 2 to 4 weeks of the production, significant common ground simply will not be found. In that case, continue to do your job as best you can and try to remember that it’s only a few weeks of your life. You can choose to focus on what is awful about the production and spend every day of those weeks being miserable, or you can find other aspects about the experience that are positive, fulfilling and enjoyable. This could simply be the fact that, for those few weeks, you have the honor of being employed as a singing actor while countless others would like to be in your shoes.

I believe I have nearly achieved the impossible here: to write an article on singers’ attitudes without mentioning the ‘D’ word. It’s been my happy experience that the professional singers who regularly display such an attitude, although they quickly become the things of legends, are few. Suffice it to say that this type of attitude is not tolerated. As one General Director friend of mine replied: “I have fired singers on the spot over non-cooperative negative non-team player attitudes”, and I myself have witnessed this happen several times in my career. Or, if bad behavior appears to be tolerated, quite often the singer is giving (usually without knowing it) what I have heard the staff of several opera companies describe as their “H.L.P.” with the company…Historic Last Performance.

Some quick final thoughts and suggestions:
1. Be fully prepared in your role, musically and dramatically. This is the best way to lessen any insecurities and pressures you may feel.
2. Be on time. Many years ago as students in Aspen we learned the phrase “If you’re ten minutes early you’re five minutes late.” It’s a great discipline to adopt.
3. Get good therapy or counseling, and learn to distinguish between what is you’re stuff and what is someone else’s issue.
4. Get consistent physical exercise. It does wonders for your one’s health and attitude.
5. Focus on what is within your volitional control and try to release the rest.
6. Be rested and alert for all rehearsals, auditions, performances, donor events, etc.
7. Wear underwear to your costume fittings. Bathe often and wear deodorant.
8. In sitzprobes, when standing behind the orchestra, aim your voice away from the orchestra members’ ears. Your sound is loud and directional. Their hearing is irreplaceable and vital to their livelihood.
9. Develop quality friendships, with trustworthy people.
10. Focus on being present for your colleagues and the work. It takes your focus off yourself, and off difficult people and situations. Make it about something larger than yourself.

I’ll close with two quotes. The first is from George Bernard Shaw, speaking of the joy found in making our work about something bigger than ourselves. The second is what I try (with varying degrees of success) to impress upon singers who work in my studio at UT Austin’s Butler School of Music, slightly modified for polite company.

"True joy of life...being used for a purpose that is recognized by yourself as a right one, instead of being a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy."
-G.B. Shaw

“Know your [stuff] and play well with others.”
-David Small


Copyright 2009, by David Small. All rights reserved.