Presenting new work, especially new unfinished work is scary and the process of improving that work and in general improving as a creator is messy and can throw up many challenges. At Music Theatre Workshop, we believe feedback is essential in the creative process. It helps you get perspective on your work and helps to improve both the work and the creator. But feedback can have its pitfalls. So to help us we’ve put together some guides that will hopefully help everyone thrive in the lab.

 

You have a big role to play in this feedback process, both as a creator and as a viewer and we’ll go over them briefly 

 

AS A CREATOR

• Before you present your work, think critically about what you have created, have questions about your work. Does it make sense? Does the audience understand what I am trying to convey? Does the bridge work? etc. 

• When you present your work, give us some context, not an essay, just some context. Is it from a show, standalone, etc. 

• Don’t apologise for your work. It’ll be what it is, if it’s unfinished great, likewise if it’s just an idea also great.

• After you’ve presented. Ask the audience for their feedback and make sure to ask the questions that you had about your own work. Try to be specific in your questions. (Questions like - it is good? Lead to answers like yes or no, which don’t help the work improve the work) 

• Ask the audience did they understand? how did it make them feel? did the story make sense? etc This will help keep the conversation about improvement and help keep it focused on the idea (the song) and not the person (you). 

• If you are struggling to solve something in the song and want advice be sure to ask specifics on how you might solve it    

 

AS A VIEWER

• As you watch, think about how the work makes you feel, what makes sense, what doesn’t make sense, what you like and what you don’t like. 

• Afterwards, wait until you are asked to give feedback. Only talk about the things that you experienced. At this point, don’t offer solutions. For example. I found the beginning of the song confusing the detail about the character didn’t really come through and it meant I didn’t care about them. (This feedback is confined to the work. If you find yourself saying, ‘I would’, or ‘next time’, or ‘maybe you could’, or ‘change this’. You’ve overstepped.) 

• If the person presenting wants help to solve something they will ask for it. If they don’t it’s not your role to offer it.

 

THE FACILITATOR

• The Facilitator is there to help keep things on track and help us follow these guides. 

• They will remind you if things get off track

• They will also encourage you to be kind but candid in your feedback

• They might occasionally offer challenges to the creator to help them in their process. (This won’t necessarily be about the work specifically, for example. Your work has such a great flow to it, but I’d be interested to see it within a more rigid structure, maybe next time bring something in like that. These are suggestions to help, not tasks you have to complete)

 

If you have any questions about any this or concerns please get in contact with us