Blog | Shearwater Productions

Holly Adams in her Longhorn tee-shirt in front of her desk

Biz and Art: Tips for bouncing back from failure

November 23, 2012

So, there you are, gearing up for another busy month. As usual, “work on website” and “go to networking event” and “get business cards” move to the bottom of the “to-do” list. They can, right? Face it–your schedule is full! But then business trauma hits—your project is cancelled. The sponsor has withdrawn, a school loses its funding, a theatre has to cut back its budget, or a community organization is cutting the department that contracted you. How do you turn these moments into business success? There’s a few things you can do to get ahead of the game. How to

Holly Adams in her studio recording an audiobook

Veterans’ Day and Armistice Day

November 12, 2012

Whether we have family members of the past or the present in war zones, or live in countries affected by war, Veteran’s Day and Armistice Day focus our reflections, thoughts, research, hopes, actions, wishes, and prayers. Myself, I am drawn to war memorials, war histories, parades, and the stories Veterans and others who have experienced war have to tell. My own brief war-zone experience brought home what I have heard many say: there is no way people who have not been in the midst can understand. Artists, though, can bring us closer, can make us smell the aroma, see the

Why do we love mysteries?

October 27, 2012

I often ponder the question, “Why are we drawn to the mysterious?” From zombies to Agatha Christie, we are sucked in like moths to flame by the unknown. As part of my work, I run Mystery & Adventure Agency and have narrated many mystery novels, so I get a little glimpse into this genre and why it appeals to us so strongly. What makes mysteries so fun and exciting? There is something wonderful and joyous about the opportunity to safely “let go,” whether that means portraying something or someone scary or allowing oneself the latitude of being deliciously, shriekingly frightened.

Don’t Stop Believing: lessons from my adult students

October 19, 2012

“I think, I think, that we should end it with, with a party.” J.T. is the last one to make a suggestion about how our movie should end. This is the third session of “Theatre 101,” an open workshop for adults with a range of developmental challenges, and our group has grown to 10, counting myself, the Coordinator of Recreation Programs for Individuals with Disabilities, and the Specialist in Recreation for Individuals with Disabilities. Although I have worked with folks with various challenges and disabilities all my life, this is a pilot project with this particular organization. The coordinator and

Liberia and Theatre 101

October 12, 2012

A friend discovered—with very little notice—that he had an opportunity to go to Liberia and teach theatre to youth at an orphanage for 2 or 3 weeks. He asked me for some suggestions for over-arching goals as well as for a sample initial class and advice on how to make it run more smoothly. Because artists are often working with people whose culture is different from their own, I thought it might be useful to share my reflections. How to teach art cross-culturally as an artist in residence Study their history Of course, the first thing a visiting artist should

Crisis in Education

September 30, 2012

“Art is the Queen of all sciences, communicating knowledge to all the generations of the world.” -Leonardo DaVinci By any definition of ‘Youth at Risk’, the percentage of those who graduate from high school is doubled—doubled!—when those students are coming from an arts-rich school environment. At-risk students in arts-rich school environments also get better grades, have better attendance, are more likely to take upper-level classes and succeed in them, and on, and on, and on. Dr. Donna DeSiato, Superintendent of East Syracuse Minoa Central School District is one of the administrators who has taken the STEM initiative (Science Technology English

Art, History, and the Zombie Apocalypse

September 7, 2012

I am lead writer for the Mystery & Adventure Agency, and we have participated in many events, including co-hosting a fund-raising 5K for arts education in our community. It was spectacularly popular, fabulously fun, and full of people clamoring to dress up and perform, and who paid for the privilege and then felt better afterwards. It was a 5K Zombie Run. But why are zombies popular? One evening I was taking a break with an international publication, and after finishing the article about Mauritania’s Conservation Coast, I turned the page. It was an article called, “Monsters from Mesopotamia.” It was

Fear of the Face Plant: surviving creativity

September 2, 2012

I recently saw a posting on Facebook with a list of 11 qualities creative people possess or actions they tend to take. Number 2 on the list is “Willing to take risks”, number 9 is “Experiment” and number 5 is “Make lots of mistakes” . . . all of which are, of course, directly related. While I had to admit to all 11 (some happily and others ruefully), it was these three and their inter-relationship that jolted me out of a blue funk and back into a clarity. “I have of late, and wherefore I know not, lost all my

Rebekkah, my daughter, poses in her princess costume before a show

The Courage of Art

August 18, 2012

Picture if you will, a starry-eyed performer and teaching artist. The year is 1996, and said artist has been on faculty at the Community School of Music and Arts in Ithaca, NY for about a year. A brand new program, Star Search, has a writer/vocal coach and a dance choreographer, but is without a theatre person…. and thus began my love affair with a project I have done, without fail and with supreme joy, every August since. What is Star Search? Star Search is a no-audition, 2-week camp for kids between the ages of 10 and 16 in which we

Three kids sit on the floor of their school playing

The Importance of Play

August 3, 2012

Even though much of my work has been with 4th graders, I sometimes find myself in the company of the younger crowd, like 3-5 year olds. I used to think of it as glorified babysitting, but several years ago, I realized that the secret was to have some delicious fun. Obviously, if I have fun, I will be a better teacher, but more importantly, it’s the KIND of fun I wanted to have. How to teach pre-school kids and have fun I make sure we have some active time and some quiet time, some movement, performance, visual, and music arts