Mixed Messages

A large part of our job as artists is to decipher, interpret and then deliver what the client wants.  A client could be a director, an art gallery owner, someone who commissioned you for creative work or even the audience that you love to perform for.  Figuring out what people want often isn't easy.  Many times, they don't even know what they are looking for, "but when they see it, they'll know".

I can't begin to tell you how many times I've heard that line before and how I think it's an excuse on their end so they don't have to effectively communicate to you what they're looking for.  You may get lucky sometimes and get an explanation of what they want, but it's often a contradictory mish-mash of adjectives that don't make any sense.

I've collected quite a few examples from audition notices that are quite humorous and down-right confusing.  Allow me to share some of my favorites with you, with my thoughts/comments in bold.