I normally do not buy in to stereotypes. Stereotypes have a way of putting people in to a pre-conceived box and have a nasty way of assuming pre-determined behaviors.
However, some stereotypes exist because they speak to reality. My reality the past week has been multiple rehearsals preparing for the Silicon Valley Gay Men's Chorus opening night tomorrow evening. As a member of the artstic committee my responsibilities for the concert include several staging and logistic considerations. This, of course, is on top of my singing duties as the 1st and 2nd Tenor section leader.
As part of this reality, enter the bitchy divas known as gay men who sing in choruses. From the first few minutes of rehearsal Monday night to the end of dress rehearsal tonight I had to tolerate somebody whining, complaining or flat out blowing me off.
In fairness, not every guy in the chorus was giving me grief. But the ones who were were such a pain, so obnoxious and so disrespectful any outsider looking in would assume all gay chorus members are a bunch of spoiled, tempermental queens.
It has caused my emotional spectrum to range from irritation to being just plain angry. I was given a charge of multiple behind the scenes aspect of our concert because I am 1.) experienced and 2.) willing. As I told one of our men who was complaining because we have incorporated candles for two songs, "Get over it. You want to have a say, volunteer or speak up. Don't wait until the week of the concert to find your opinion."
I can be bitchy, too. Maybe that makes me a stereotype, but in the prima donna world of gay choruses sometimes the only way to survive is to embrace the stereotype and beat the queens at their own game.
Anybody with an "artistic" bent, gay or straight, is prone to "diva" type behaviors. Any production combining performers, producers, artistic and technical staff, will always have a few butting heads. The stereotype that gays are "bitchy-queens", is redundant.
ReplyDeleteHaving experienced many endeavors as performer, director, or staff, I have found that when components of the final product and vision are shared beforehand, you have less diva-ish behavior.
Let's take the "candle" example. When did this prop get incorporated as an aspect of the presentation? Were singers able to anticipate a foreign object in their hands while singing, or did you wait until the week of the concert to share that part of the artistic vision? I have every right to turn on my "bitchiness" if something that should have been expected of me as a performer, was not conveyed to me early on. Props, choralography, costumes, etc... should all be finalized and shared with the performers as far in advance as possible. It helps everybody visualize and "own" the product they are selling.
Having been in choruses that don't have a finalized (as much as possible) vision of the performance, focusing only on the music, then adding the "details" later, is a recipe for conflict. There's nothing worse than hearing, "we'll make those decisions once we get in the space". That's when I know to expect my inner diva to appear. If one or two chorus members are complaining, you know there are five or ten more who are too polite vocalize their discontent.
Bottom line: In the future, have the details worked out and shared. Anticipate and dispel objections.
I had better clarify. I am playing devil's advocate here and hoping to provide a context for multiple points of view; providing a guide for avoiding the same mistakes in the future. I am sure that you, Jason, are doing a tremendous job and no matter how much advanced planning goes into something, there will always be the whiners. I didn't mean to place all the blame on diva behavior squarely upon you.
ReplyDeleteThere will always be unexpected things happen during "hell week" as well. That's why they call it "hell week". The final integration of elements will have glitches and bumps in the road. It's no easy feat putting together a concert, recital, play, or musical. I have no idea if singers were told about the "candles" in advance, what problems or adjustments were objectionable, or any other aspect of the production. Like Bill said--"that's showbiz". It's par for the course. I am not singing in this concert and am very excited to see it on Sunday.
Have a great opening night!!