What Dramatics Taught Me About Handling Complexities

I am involved in theater for the last 6 years as a performer and a mentor. I have learned that the art of managing a theater performance can be used to accomplish complex tasks. Both have a striking resemblance at the core.

In school, my involvement in dramatics was limited to a performer. During my graduation years, I had an additional charge of co-managing the theatre performances along with my own act.

For the first two years in college, behind the scene of each performance was pretty much the same. The significant work started when the performance date was right in front of us.

It always had the same pattern—

You look at the jumbo script, well sometimes you don’t even have the script. You look at the number of characters. You analyze the complexity of roles. You look at the performance date. You get terrified. There is a sound in your head that says to you, “How are we going to manage this mammoth task in 10 days”. We cannot do this. It’s too late. It’s too complex to handle.

The Surprising Observation:

After battling through each Act for two years we experienced that the final performances somehow fared well. It meant, there was something right in the process that we didn’t realize and were unnecessarily stressing upon.

The Realization:

I realized that it’s a waste of energy to stress upon the final act. Instead, focus on individual roles. Help actors get into their character’s skin, build their confidence in the act and make them enjoy the process.

Individual characters build a play. They are like pieces of a puzzle. If each character is prepared in their role the only thing you need to do is build a sync between them and keep polishing the entire act.

Once you join all pieces of the puzzle, suddenly the whole thing starts making sense to you. The uncertainty that haunted you suddenly vanishes into thin air. Things fall in place. You can feel it. It is like Magic.

The Impact:

This realization has been a pivotal point in my life and the biggest take away from my work as a Theatre Artist. It has given me the freedom to walk on difficult and uncertain paths without the need to feel secure and certain.

You can find comfort in chaos because you know in the end the dots will connect.

Using this knowledge to solve complex tasks:

Subtasks in a complex task is like the Individual characters of a play. If each subtask is done, all you need is to build a sync between them.

The key takeaway —

- Divide the bigger task into subtasks

Similar to dividing the Act into individual roles.

- Always start with a rough sketch of each subtask to get an idea

Similar to getting a grasp of the script before actual rehearsals.

- Patiently keep working on the subtasks

One task at a time with focused attention. Similar to working on a particular character/segment of the play at a time with complete focus.

- Do not stress the outcome

This is the most important thing. Stressing upon final outcome it will do no good than draining your energy.

Finally, once you have completed all the subtasks you will feel confident. All you need to do now is combine the subtasks and before you know you have already conquered your goal. 

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