THE PLAY’S THE THING

The value of the performing arts in K-12 education

Growing up in the 1960s and 70s, there were class plays, holiday plays and occasional musical presentations in elementary school. There was also a weekly assembly where, at the very least, we sang America the Beautiful. In middle and high school the weekly assemblies were supplanted by a Drama Club, a fall drama play, a spring musical and various choral and orchestral concerts. Though sometimes meagre, these productions were generally acknowledged to be a valuable aspect of childrens’ education. Funds were regularly allotted for faculty, staff and materials.

The changing economy, decreasing state financial contributions and tax caps have forced school boards and school administrators to make many difficult budgetary decisions. While school boards consider all aspects of curricular and extracurricular activities, it is often the arts and especially the performing arts that are the first to go when funding is limited. This is a no-brainer if schools are only viewed as a means to teach the Three Rs and to meet Common Core and other mandated test standards. It is less so when schools are also viewed as a means to provide students with tools for creative and analytical thinking and problem-solving. The performing arts provide these skills and by the best possible means: they teach without seeming to teach. Participation in the performing arts teaches not only academic and social skills, it also fosters community; an aspect of society notably in decline over recent decades.

Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, by Robert D. Putnam, 2000, published by Touchstone explores community in America over the past century. Its basic premise is that significant social interaction has decreased over the past century; most noticeably in the past forty years and that this is not a good thing for American society.  Identified as social capital, what one could call the grease that oils the machine of community, its lack fragments families and communities and thereby isolates individuals from each other.

The author cites many civic and social activities that have declined including: theater attendance, bowling leagues, PTA membership, membership in fraternal organizations, entertaining at home, blood donation, voting and volunteerism in general. Among the reasons he offers for the recent decline in social capital, all without judgment, are: television, the internet, racial tensions, generational tensions and the stress caused by both parents having to work to support their families. I would suggest that budgetary decisions made by school districts are an underlying cause and one that can be improved by greater inclusion and support for the performing arts in K-12 curriculum.

Still, the budgetary scales remain weighted toward the “basics” and the question that looms large is why. Some view the arts as a non-essential element and others see great value, but likely the majority have a neutral opinion, and this, I believe, is due to a lack of understanding of the nature and history of the performing arts in human culture.

Since the creation of spoken language, human beings have had a need and desire to communicate - to tell a story. Today, one only has to look at people; from all walks of life; performing all of life’s tasks with a cell phone at their ear or with fingers dancing a text across their smartphones. Earlier in our history story telling was a much simpler affair. We can imagine our ancestors, gathered around a fire, listening to tales of the day’s hunt. Over time, story-telling became more than an account of daily activities; it became a forum to explore the world. Soon special places were dedicated to telling stories and stage drama was born.

From Greek amphitheaters and Roman coliseums to the use of perspective during the Italian Renaissance; to Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, to the Drottningholm Theater, Wagner’s Bayreuth, Appia and Craig, Walter Gropius and the Bauhaus School, Broadway; Josef Svoboda, Peter Brook, The Living Theater, of the 1960’s - - all have sought to re-define drama and the places where it is performed.

Over time, theaters (by which I mean all the many different types of performing arts facilities) have been built by many agencies and for many reasons (of which the presentation of a theatrical event has often been the least!) The size, cost and sheer magnitude of the undertaking have limited the building of theaters to individuals and groups with a great deal of money and political power. In the historic past this group was small and included only monarchs and municipalities (i.e. various European city-states.) Today, the group includes: federal, state and municipal governments, K-12; colleges and universities, corporations and philanthropists, well established performing arts groups - -well, you get the picture. These groups build theaters with a capital T. The intent is to create large scale venues seating large numbers of people.

The past fifty years or so have seen theaters created in many different kinds of spaces by individuals and small groups with limited budgets. They can be found in church basements, shopping malls, office buildings, parking garages, barns, tents and outdoor spaces. These theaters, with a lower case t, are less interested in where their performances take place or how large the audience might be. This is not to say one is better or more desirable than the other. Both small and large theaters have their virtues and drawbacks and I will not pass any judgment.  I will say that there can be as many kinds of theater buildings as there are people who wish to use them and this is a good thing. The proliferation of smaller, ad hoc theaters has, in a sense, returned us to the camp fire where drama becomes an activity for everyone to participate in.

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The Gift That Keeps On Giving

It seems the holiday buying season starts earlier and earlier. “Black Friday”, the day after Thanksgiving, has been the unofficial start of the gift buying season; when price-minded shoppers mob department stores in search of sales and mark-downs. If Wal-Mart^® has moved its holiday sales season start to the beginning of November: can other stores be far behind? New Hampshire, long the holder of the earliest presidential primary election, is now joined and even superseded by other states seeking the cachet of holding the ‘first’ primary. Followed logically, if not absurdly, this trend will lead us full circle to Black Friday and the lonely state of New Hampshire. Let’s save ourselves the cultural angst of trying to do more, sooner and before the ‘next guy’ and keep the winter holiday season where it is.

I would argue that, regardless of ones beliefs, the end of the yearly cycle has always been a time for celebration. The harvest is in, stores laid by and the fields plowed under for a winters sleep. Well, maybe I’m a few thousand years out of date for most people, but the changing seasons do bring physical and emotional responses in people; at least those of us that live in temperate climes. Even today’s urban dwellers seem to find a satisfaction in the year’s completion and anticipation for the new year to come. In many cultures this is expressed in a desire to share ones bounty with family and friends and the giving of gifts.

I will not dwell on the commercialization of the holiday season that seems to increasingly overwhelm our lives or whether it is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ or just ‘is.’ I would like us to think about the old maxim that, “it is better to give than to receive.” Often uttered by parents in an effort to appease disgruntled children, it has been rendered ineffective, like some antibiotics, by unthinking overuse. Children, selfish beasties that they are, don’t believe it for a minute and in the face of this reaction, most parents probably find it difficult to believe themselves. Toys, books, clothes, computers, games, things, things, things are what we crave and when we finally open the box to see our heart’s desire we are happy for a while - - and then we start to want something else and all previous gifts and desires fade in comparison.

Lest I come across as too much of a Scrooge, let me state for the record that I enjoy the holiday season and am happy to receive a gift - - any kind of gift! Unfortunately, after 22-years, my kids still don't get the hint. I would still, however bemoan the focus on only giving things. As anyone working in the performing arts (theater, music, dance) knows, attending a performance not only provides the attributes of a ‘gift;’ anticipation and elation, but also an experience that can last for many years. For myself and probably many of you, attendance at a Nutcracker, Handel's Messiah or some other traditional holiday performance was a transforming experience that continues to resonate. It is an essential part of who we are and how we view the world.

Those of you who have been reading my blogposts have, no doubt, noticed my constant focus that the performing arts, and indeed all the arts, should be an important and integral part of everyone’s life. Other of life’s ‘things’ bring a constant pressure against this, but it is a way we can truly change the world. This is the gift I would like to give to my children, family, friends and colleagues; one where, I believe, it can truly be better to give than to receive.

What it Means to be Green

A wise frog once opined, “It’s not easy being green.” That, however, hasn’t stopped everything we see from being labeled “green.” In the same way that processed foods are labeled “natural”, implying some health benefit; a “green” label implies some benefit to the environment or user. Toilet paper is green if it has sufficient recycled paper content and a theater building is green if it achieves LEED certification. Compact fluorescent lamps make our homes green and stage lighting using LED’s and more efficient fixtures make stage productions green. In fact, the theater was green even before it became necessary or fashionable. For many, many years scenery, props and costumes have been used, reused, rebuilt and repainted until they completely wear out. In sum, anything can be labeled “green” but calling a pig a ‘hockey mom’ does not make it so (except under certain exotic political alignments of the cosmos.)

I believe that all of us are genuinely interested in conserving natural resources and keeping the planet healthy. Many times, however, our natural inclinations are overridden by economics and it is often the case that green products and services have a cost premium attached. In some cases this is capitalism at work, but in the majority of cases these products simply cost more to manufacture and distribute. At this point in time, manufacturers are sparsely spread across the country and economies of scale do not yet apply. Shipping from the west coast to the east costs time, labor and fuel which create a price disadvantage; never mind pollution and carbon-footprints. Sustainable products like bamboo, while cost competitive bear an environmental cost in shipment from East Asia. Even in the best of economic times, budgets for performing arts facilities are strict and in the short run are likely to become tighter. So, how are we to make sense of it all and make informed decisions both at home and at work?

To make an informed decision, one must be informed - - duh. It is important to consider a product from a life cycle perspective, sometimes referred to as cradle to cradle. This means understanding the materials used, method of manufacture, carbon footprint, day-to-day use, product life-cycle and disposal. This information will give you a wealth of information but will not necessarily make the decisions easy. As mentioned earlier, a sustainably grown product may require shipment from thousands of miles away. Another product may create hazardous by-products during its manufacture. Compact fluorescent lamps (CFL’s) a mainstay of energy conservation have a mercury content that must be addressed in their disposal. Everything must be evaluated relative to your theater’s needs and location.

Many products used in the creation of scenery contain toxic chemicals which can cause adverse health effects to the scene painter and carpenter who are exposed to the fumes during initial use. Some of these chemicals also ‘out-gas’ over a period of days, weeks or months: meaning that performers and audience will also be exposed to these toxic agents. Some culprits of out-gassing are volatile organic compounds (VOC’s,) that are regulated by the federal government which requires their disclosure on product labels. Low VOC paints are available, but we do not yet know how low is low enough and this designation may prove to be just as meaningful as “low tar” cigarettes and low fat foods.

Zero VOC products are becoming more available but one should still read the label. Our government often works in an unusual fashion. Federal standards for VOC’s in paints were taken from standards related to smog. The presumption is that substances that are toxic in the air will also be toxic in paint (for example.) This is fine; as far as it goes. However, a substance that is not considered toxic in the air may exhibit toxic properties when used as an ingredient in other products. Federal standards do not necessarily address this possibility. Detailed information about what substances may be harmful can be found on the California Air Resources Board website, www.arb.ca.gov.

There are many more technical aspects to this issue, but to pay more than lip service will require an attitude adjustment on the part of individuals, groups, institutions and government. The essence of this mind-shift is that being green is valuable to people and the planet. Just like eating a healthy diet is good for your body. Simple in theory, but practice is another matter all together. Inertia, habit, convenience, cost, short term gratification and misinformation must all be overcome. As technology and research continues; different options will become available. Replacing incandescent lamps with CFL’s was once the sine qua non of energy conservation. Today, LED (light emitting diode) fixtures are available that provide equivalent light output, using less energy and do not have ecological consequences for disposal. It is a puzzle whose pieces will need to be fitted and refitted to reflect differing locations and changing conditions. Keep your mind and your staff’s open to opportunities that you will surely find once you start looking.

What's it Worth?

A method of analysis that became popular in the 1980’s, value engineering is a tool used to save money. The principle is to find ways to complete a project for less money while retaining its desired “value.” Every element in the building is assigned a relative value. Those items deemed of great value are retained; those deemed of lesser value are modified or eliminated. Seems to be a good idea - - helps keep priorities in order - - keeps client and design team on the same page - - and purports to increase value while decreasing costs - - but does it?

In the 1966 movie Gambit, Michael Caine’s character has a plan to pull off a major robbery and needs Shirley McCaine’s character as a gambit and window dressing for his plan to succeed. The opening of the movie shows the plan as a dream sequence where everything goes exactly according to plan. The film then shows us the plan’s actual execution where, of course, everything goes wrong.

I believe this is what happens with performing arts facilities. It’s not that the process is flawed, but that it is often applied at inappropriate times with unrealistic expectations.

Cost Containment

Although the cost of a design should be monitored at each design phase, it often happens that bids come in significantly over budget. This can be the result of poor budget accounting during design, wishful thinking on the part of the client and design team, an unforeseen jump in labor or material costs or a malfunctioning crystal ball. Whatever the reason, there is almost never additional funding available and so the design team must find ways to reduce the cost of the facility.

The knight-in-shining-armor most often called upon is value engineering. The only problem is that everyone has their own idea of what is valuable to a theater. Substituting gypsum board for plaster will not likely be a problem for anyone. Re-design of the architect’s cherished lobby window wall, will be a disappointment, but after the theater is built, no one will ever know. Deleting 25% of the stage lighting circuits and 50% of the counterweight rigging sets can seriously handicap the theater over the course of its entire existence. It may seem far-fetched, but it is often the theatrical systems, essential to the function of the facility, that are asked to suffer significant cuts.

Who is the Decider?

The client/owner is the ultimate arbiter of the value engineering process; although the work of creating value engineering choices is delegated to the architect. Sometimes the client elects to bring in an outside party to oversee the process. The rationale  is that the architect and design team may be too emotionally invested and another firm will be able to review the project with clear eyes. It also implies that all the parties selected to create the facility (architect, design team, facility manager and owner) have failed in some regard and/or are not professional enough.

In my experience, this reasoning is flawed. Usually a construction management firm is engaged and charged with reducing the cost of the facility to the monies available . . . period. Despite the best of intentions, they can have no understanding of the history of the project, consensus that has been built or the relationships, professional and social, which have accrued. They are often granted carte blanche and the architect and design team are expected to accede a year or more’s work to a relative stranger with minimal time allotted and, most often, no additional fee. You may imagine the unpleasant climate this creates. 

Caveat Emptor

Aside from licking old wounds, I hope this advice will help make performing arts facilities the best they can be for the monies available. Keep track of project costs at all times during the design process.  A cost consultant can be a very valuable member of your team in this regard. If the project is over-budget at any point in the design, it should be addressed then. The earlier a budget problem is identified the easier it will be to remedy and the less it will cost. As the design proceeds through construction documentation, budget problems become increasing difficult to remedy and will increase in cost. If you attempt to implement value engineering after bids come in, you will end up with less building for the money.  To paraphrase Yoda, the Jedi master, “Be afraid . . . be very afraid!”

Why do Smart People do Stupid Things?

At one point in the film I Robot, (loosely based on some of sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov’s novels) Will Smith’s character says to the lady scientist, “You’ve got to be the dumbest smart person I know.” Later in the movie when he realizes what is going on (spoiler alert: it’s VICKY, the central computer and not the evil-seeming company CEO) he repeats the line referring to himself as “the most stupid smart person.”  I thought of those lines as the nail on the index finger of my left hand, which had been turning varying shades of purple finally fell off.

Snow

Flash back to the aftermath of the last wet winter snow storm of 2013 as I pushed my snow thrower along the driveway. I say “pushed” because it is undersized and only likes dry, powdery snow. Purchased over a decade ago, when I was new to country life, I had yet to learn the lesson that sometimes more is more. The wet snow, heated by the friction of the blades, tends to refreeze in the ejector tube. This is a real pain because my driveway is over 150 feet long and a car is the only way to get anywhere other than the deli across the road. Though I keep a 5 foot piece of doweling handy it always ends up where I am not. I can’t carry it as both hands are required to engage the spring-loaded plow drive and blade motor controls. 

I know that it is not safe to put my hands into the maw of the machine when it is running, even with the blades disengaged. There’s a warning label clearly stating the snow thrower should be turned off before placing ones hands anywhere near the blades. And yet, for 13 years, absent my dowel, I have poked my hand into the tube to push the ice out without incident - - but not this time. As I push the ice my gloved finger encounters the slowed, but still spinning blades. It is akin to smashing your bare toe into an immoveable object: the pain physical, mental and spiritual. Why did I do something so stupid?

Wasps

Another aspect of country living are the flying insects that control the skies during the late spring and summer months. Paper wasps are my bête noir. They are very territorial and their territory seems to include all the areas around the outside of my house. You don’t have to interfere with them, but only pass too close. Unlike bees that die after stinging, the wasp remains alive and, if possible, more ornery. It continues to sting (and encourages its comrades to join the party) chasing you until you find shelter indoors. The pain of a single sting can last a week.

Their nest starts off as a single cell attached to whatever surface the wasp-mind deems suitable by a seemingly too-thin thread. Left undisturbed, it can grow to be the size of a football or larger. If it reaches this size, with the attendant population of wasps, it becomes impossible to get into or out of the house safely. So, when I saw a couple of wasps hovering around the beginnings of a nest located in the doorway I knew that immediate, decisive action was required.

Never mind the time-honored adage advising against poking a stick into a wasp nest. This, after all, was not really yet a nest. Grabbing a too-short, flimsy branch from a weeping willow (more like a feather duster than a stick), my plan was to swat the embryonic nest and leave the wasps to find another location. I approached the doorway, reached out with my branch and sought gently, but quickly, to dislodge the nest. Before the branch was within a foot of the nest, the wasps flew at me, like the bulls at Pamploma. I turned as quickly as I could, slipped out of one of my sandal, tripped on the other and went face-down onto the asphalt. I’d lacerated my hands and knees and my head bounced as it hit. The scars on my knees will be with me forever. I would rather have been stung. Have I become the kind of person who believes they are not subject to the rules of mortal men?

Some are more special than others

George Orwell had it right when he wrote in Animal Farm that “some are more equal than others.” We all think that rules and procedures are good and benefit all, but that they don’t necessarily apply to ourselves. I’m special, so I don’t need to follow the rules. I’m special so it can’t happen to me. I’m special so I will live forever. I’m special so I don’t need to look before cutting you off. I’m special so I can yak with the supermarket cashier as the line behind grows ever longer. I’m special so I don’t have to read or follow instructions. I’m special so I can argue with you about the driving directions you have given me although I don’t have a clue myself.  This last is a long-standing pet peeve. 

As a child, I often found myself hanging around the corner with my friends on hot summer days with nothing particular to do. I must have appeared wise beyond my years because drivers inevitably asked me for directions and inevitably they disagreed with me. Was this because even though they thought me mature enough to give directions, as adults they felt no compunction about contradicting me? They must have felt special. In the face of this I would concede (after all, I was only seven or eight years old) even while knowing their directions were incorrect. After a while I started agreeing with them from the start, especially if they were wrong. This small maliciousness will increase my time in purgatory, but it will be worth it because I am special.

This belief is ingrained in us from birth, growing, as we grow, from the “terrible twos” to its apex in the latter teen years when we become special by virtue of knowing everything. While this sense of specialness decreases as we age it never completely goes away. It remains the one common faith among all peoples that: contrary to multiple personal experiences and in the face of concrete evidence to the contrary we are not bound by the rules of common sense.

 

Continuing to plow my driveway, the same day I smashed my finger, the snow refroze and jammed the machine - - again. The dowel was, of course, not nearby and without a second thought I moved my hand toward the machine.

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Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

 

One night, about a month ago, looking for something to read before bed I opened Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, by Robert D. Putnam, 2000. I had noticed it on my wife’s night table for many weeks. I confess to being puzzled, because I knew that fiction was her usual choice of reading material. (I learned later that she had picked it up for me, knowing that my taste in reading leaned toward nonfiction.) Given the availability of another book, Bowling Alone might have languished on my night table too, but I always rely on reading to ease me into the sweet embrace of Morpheus.

What I encountered was a very readable, though sometimes academic, exploration of social change in America over the past century. The basic premise is that significant social interaction has decreased over the past century; most noticeably in the past 40 years and that this is not a good thing for American society. Identified as social capital–what one could call the grease that oils the machine of community–its lack fragments families and communities and thereby isolates individuals from each other.

The author cites many civic and social activities that have declined including: bowling leagues, PTA membership, membership in fraternal organizations, entertaining at home, blood donation, voting and volunteerism in general. Among the reasons he offers for the recent decline in social capital, all without judgment, are: television, the internet, racial tensions, generational tensions and the stress caused by both parents having to work to support their families. Historical roots of this decline and its causes are presented along with future projections (if current trends continue).

Over the past several years I have heard a constant concern voiced over declining attendance at venues that present the performing arts. Lack of attendance translates directly to whether you will be in the black or in the red and facility managers are under constant pressure to do “more with less.” One range of solutions targets the cost of supplies, materials, operating procedures and labor and how these can be reduced and the bottom line improved. Another range targets staff management, training and morale and how improved customer service will maintain current patrons and, hopefully, attract new ones. Both of these are valid ways to reduce costs and maintain customer satisfaction, although sometimes the pursuit of the first hinders pursuit of the second. If materials are scarce, salaries stagnate and work hours are reduced, it can be difficult to motivate staff.

So, why has attendance at performing arts venues declined over the past 10-20 years? Personally, I don’t believe it is the fault of facility managers or facility staff. They are uniformly warm, cordial and caring and these characteristics go to the heart of customer satisfaction. I don’t believe it is the fault of resident arts groups. They are equally invested in customer satisfaction and the presentation of events that will attract and engage an audience. The type and variety of product available has continued to increase and there appears to be “something for everyone” out there. Managers seem to be doing all the right things, at the right times, but to no long-term avail.

Reading Bowling Alone made me think that perhaps we have been treating symptoms and not the disease. The book posits that American society, in general, has become more isolated over the past 40 years and suggests that it may continue to do so in the future. If this is truly the case, then we can only expect attendance to continue to decrease, no matter what “fixes” are undertaken at a given facility. The last chapter of Bowling Alone proposes six agendas to address the “decline of social capital.” The first addresses us directly:

To build bridging social capital requires that we transcend our social and political and professional identities to connect with people unlike ourselves. This is why team sports provide good venues for social-capital creation. Equally important and less exploited in this connection are the arts and cultural activities. Singing together (like bowling together) does not require shared ideology or shared social or ethnic provenance. For this reason, among others, I challenge America’s artists, the leaders and funders of our cultural institutions, as well as ordinary Americans: Let us find ways to ensure that by 2010 significantly more Americans will participate in (not merely consume or “appreciate”) cultural activities from group dancing to songfests to community theater to rap festivals. Let us discover new ways to use the arts as a vehicle for convening diverse groups of fellow citizens.

This agenda suggests that we all extend ourselves, personally and professionally, to support, engage and participate in cultural activities. In other words, we must “put our money where our mouths are.” We must show, by our deeds, the inherent value of participation in and attendance at performing arts events as an integral part of daily life in all communities and across all income ranges.

We can join community theater groups. We can work directly with students in schools. We can attend school board and town planning meetings as advocates for the performing arts. We can vote to ensure that our representatives will understand the value of the arts. In short, anything you can do to reach out beyond your customary network of friends and contacts will help. If we all extend ourselves in this manner we will not only return patrons to our facilities but will also enrich ourselves and our communities.

The Other Side of the Couch 

Growing up in the 1960’s, I remember Sunday afternoons, visiting my grandparents at their apartment in the Inwood Park section of Manhattan. They and my mother emigrated to the United States from Germany before World War II and their apartment always had an exotic flavor for me. While not quite a visit through the wardrobe to Narnia, listening to their accented English, seeing the paintings and furniture they had brought with them and the scent of mothballs made me feel I was in a different world. In their living room were two chairs where my father and grandfather would sit and talk. Across the room was a long narrow couch. After lunch I would sit on one end with my mother next to me and my grandmother next to her.

 Fast forward to 2005 and a Sunday visit to my parents house; the house I grew up in. Lunch is over and I am sitting on a similar narrow couch in the living room. My father is in a chair across from me and we are talking. Now, however, my youngest son is on one end, I am in the middle and my mother is on the other end. I looked at my son and had an out-of-body experience. The sensation was like being inside of a time-lapse film and in the space of a few seconds I was transported back 45-years and felt myself sliding, like a chess piece, across the couch. When I returned to reality I looked toward my mother and realized that, in the fullness of time, I would be sliding again.

Now this may seem a bit maudlin to some, but to readers over fifty, it may resonate. The trip across the “couch of life” (sorry, I know it’s hokey, but I couldn’t help myself) is one that everyone makes and each “cushion” presents its own unique vantage point. From where I sit now, instead of sending out resumes; I am receiving them. Instead of waiting to be told what to do; I am doing what needs to be done. Instead of imagining how I could ever know as much as those around me; I am teaching those around me. As the Talking Heads sing, “How did I get here?”

Many of us get there via formal and informal apprenticeships. Apprenticeships, I believe, have three distinct components: perceived knowledge, ignorance and true knowledge. Perceived knowledge is bestowed upon all by the virtue of youth. Our years of education and experience pale against a young person’s fresh view of the world; a world where no one has gone before. The self-assurance that comes with perceived knowledge is very valuable. It provides energy, strength, optimism and fearlessness; which are useful traits that lead us into the next phase: ignorance.

Albert Einstein once said, “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” It is good to allow new things, to make mistakes and to learn from them; even though those mistakes can be a pain in the *&#%* and occasionally expensive. On the other hand, artists of all stripes first train by learning “technique” and imitating the masters. It’s balancing between these poles  that is the tricky part. When ignorance is achieved (that is, when one realizes that maybe - - just maybe - - there are valid reasons for prescribed practices and procedures) it can replace the bravado of perceived knowledge with apprehension. “Anything you can do, I can do better . . .” can become “. . . if I only had a brain.” This is the point where one is receptive to a valuable lesson. It’s not that experienced persons don’t make mistakes - - lord know we do - - but that we have learned how to fix them. This can be a very liberating concept.

From this point true knowledge can be accrued. Over the course of time, with new responsibilities and challenges, we can grow into capable professionals. This process is aided by training programs, professional development seminars and conventions. Professional organizations and the Internet provide access to a wealth of information. All of these are necessary and useful tools that benefit the training of persons to manage and operate public assembly facilities. But ultimately it is time and the fundamental dynamic of people working with people; in different facilities; in different places; with different levels of experience that give us true knowledge. Working, teaching and mentoring enrich us all personally and professionally. So . . . who are you sitting next to?