One week removed from the LAB ensemble; it’s like trying to remember a dream. Fortunately there are 40 other dreamers who can help me remember. Some of this will sound like hippie, artsy-fartsy crapola. But love is pretty sappy sounding too, unless you’re in love, in which case, nothing else is more important. Here are a few thoughts, seven days later.

1. It’s not about creating work that is great – it’s just about creating

As the aforementioned David Deblinger told us on Day One, “The work we do here is not about stress or pressure. It’s about rigor and being diligent.” That is, more “Just do it” and less “Do it well.” The whole LAB experience was set up to encourage risk and bravery – a celebration of the ACT of creation.  It was more important that the work existed than for it to be an enduring piece of art. Which in turn created the ideal conditions for everyone to do their best work. The crazy applause that Keith spoke about fostered an environment of complete support and trust. The audience was with you, accepted you, loved you from the jump. You had already succeeded.

2. No one sucks as bad as they think

There’s at least one thing everyone abhors doing. Sometimes it’s several things. But everyone did everything – there was no place to hide. And whenever there was full commitment, the skill level didn’t matter. Everyone in my group sang. Everyone in my group is not a singer. But I heard nothing embarrassing or cringe-inducing. Everything was beautiful in it’s own truthful way – a crack in someone’s singing voice, a flub of a line, a fall during movement exercise. It wasn’t a mistake, it was just pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone. Everyone thinks they suck at something. Do it anyway.

Keith in bed with two beautiful women! ( MAN, I'm getting good at Photoshop! )

3. Stretch your limits. Respect the limits of others.

“I am going to say something that will be very unpopular.” It was 2:30AM, Saturday morning, outside a nearby chapel. Group C had just finished our first read through of our Group Project. We were exhausted and sick of each other. I was the one about to spring a terrible idea on the team: “I think we need to start blocking this now. We’re performing this in about 17 hours. If we don’t – ” I was cut off by a dissenting and utterly spent mob. The team was wiped and could not go on. I said, “Ok, cool. Well… I guess I’ll work on some transitions between now and then.” We all agreed to meet at 8:30AM in the rugby field behind the cafeteria.

Three other members of the team remained and we all jammed until 5 – among the four of us we blocked the whole show and even figured out a cool opening and closing for the project. We never would have gotten through as much with the whole team there – and it would have made everyone miserable. Sometimes you just need to hang around, see who wants to hang around too and go from there. And sometimes you need to call it a night. Know thyself.

Group C strikes a pose

4. The mind can control the body

That night I got to bed at 5:30. I was sleeping 3-4 hours a night toward the end of the week. Mealtimes shrank into 10 minutes of wolfing down as much as possible so I could re-write, rehearse or memorize some thing or another. And I felt amazing. Not just awake, but hyper-awake, super-aware, unnaturally driven. The entire week we were headed toward something glorious – both as a team and as a collaborative. It was as spiritual an experience as I’ve ever had.

As I trekked up the hill back to the dorms that night, the full moon shining down on the four of us, I was reminded of a quote by George Patton:

Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired.

5. We can do this

Stephen Adly Guirgis’ advice for writing was: “Get down. Stay down.” You stay down long enough to write something and you don’t get up until you have something. I think that’s the key to success in any field. You get down, you stay down – you sit down you do not leave the table. If there is no exit sign, no escape hatch, how could you possibly fail? It’s just you and the work and the rest of your life. What else is there?

Utah, I’m ready to get down, get down.

Jungle boogie!

-ML