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Happy New Year! Welcome to
Discoveries
for January-2005.
It’s a brand new year and a good time to
review the last year and set our compass
heading for the coming year. This past year
I brought a life-long dream into fruition,
and in looking back on it, I realized that
these same steps work universally — below,
my
“Heroes” Story. Please feel free
to forward this newsletter to any of your
friends or colleagues who you think might
enjoy or benefit from it!
The
“Heroes” Story
Bring Your Dream to Life in Seven Focused
Steps
Have you ever had a dream that remained
dormant for a long time? For many years I
pondered the idea of a play on forgotten
African-American heroes, set in a portrait
gallery, where the portraits actually came
to life. 2004 was the year to bring that
dream to reality!
In November 2003 I met Elizabeth Perry, a
well known playwright, actress and director.
I soon commissioned her to write and direct
The
African-American Portrait Gallery:
Discovering Timeless Heroes,
starring the award winning actor, Larry
Robinson.
This one-man, one-act play was designed to:
·
Introduce audiences to African-American
heroes who overcame adversity and triumphed.
·
Provide inspiration and encouragement to
children and adults of all races and
backgrounds.
·
Provide a community service outreach for my
firm, Development Associates International,
for schools, arts centers and more.
By the end of 2004, nearly 8,000 people in
four states had seen the play! A play that, just one year earlier was only a dream! I
had produced hundreds of educational events
in the course of my career as a speaker,
trainer and coach, but never before had I
produced a full theatrical production!
I’ll bet you too have some dreams that you
would like to actualize. What in my
experience might be instructive for you?
What helped to make my dream a reality?
How can you use this process for your own
dream or project?
Seven Focused Steps to Bring Your Dream
to Life
1.
Intention.
Rarely do things ‘just happen.’ A casually
arranged meeting with the perfect
playwright? Ok, that seemed to ‘just
happen.’ But certainly not the successive
steps required to develop and produce real
one act play. My dream had become a
subjective intention. It only took a
fortuitous introduction, and it became a
conscious intention with an action plan.
As the project developed, we met with
experienced arts educators and funders,
directors, community leaders and promoters
to clarify our vision, the requirements of
staging the play and the needs and
constraints of schools and other likely
venues and audiences. We put out the word
about this powerful and uplifting play with
the intention of creating large and diverse
audience appeal.
So, what’s your intention?
 2.
Seek and Develop Strategic Partnerships.
We looked diligently for individuals and
organizations that saw a need for, or would
support, our concept. Over the past year we
have partnered with numerous corporations
and non-profits as well as educational and
community organizations to bring this dream
to life.
The play premiered at a 2004 Black History
Month Celebration to a standing-room-only
crowd and has played to enthusiastic
audiences of all ages ever since!
Who in your world could help you make your
dream a reality?
3.
Continuously Upgrade Your Product.
Liz and Larry rehearsed and revised the
show tirelessly, adding more humor,
interaction and music, adjusting sound cues
and deepening the characters. We recently
added sound-overs from Ray Charles. This
Fall we did a show at the Langston Hughes
Library in Queens, NY and added a wonderful
poem in his honor. Now we’re even adding
multi-media effects.
How could your dream be even better?
4.
Resourcefulness. Since
we started on a shoestring budget, we
acquired, made and borrowed our initial
props and costumes, sourcing family members,
colleagues, friends and even our own
closets! As the show has evolved, we have
purchased and commissioned the additional
pieces we needed.
What other skills and resources does your
dream require?
5.
Responsiveness and Flexibility. Though
we had originally planned a show targeted at
4th through 12th
graders, we quickly saw that the show was of
great interest and relevance to college
students and even adults and seniors. So,
we adapted the play and now have versions
for both younger and more mature audiences.
Can you adapt your dream in response to your
 ‘target
market?’
6.
Give Something Back.
We initially provided free shows to
audiences ranging from homeless adults to
children in inner-city schools and
children's art museums. The phone started
to ring soon and we graduated to paid
performances! We still donate several shows
a year to worthy audiences.
How can your dream benefit the greater good?
7.
Referrals.
Many of the initial shows were provided to
personal and business associates — people
who knew of the caliber of my
cross-cultural, business and personal
coaching work or knew Liz or Larry’s
reputation from the theater. Later,
referrals have come from individuals who had
seen or heard about the show or had read one
the three terrific full-page reviews.
See press clippings.
What’s the buzz on your dream?
Could you generate more interest and
referrals?
We’ve now staged the play everywhere from
classic proscenium theaters to school
cafeterias — it’s wonderfully portable.
We’ve played to young school children and
senior center clients. We’ve even flown
with the play packed into check-through
baggage, so we can literally do it
anywhere!
To learn more about
"Heroes"
visit
http://www.daint.org/Heroes-Intro.htm.
Please contact us directly for information
about booking the show for your venue or in
your locale. You’ll find a schedule of
upcoming dates on our web site.
My mother recently gave me a cap, which said
“Producer,” and I guess I really am wearing
another hat now! Clients are now asking
what other shows or programs we have
available — and that brings me back to step
one.
What’s your dream? Is this the year to make
it a reality?
Richest blessings for bringing
your dreams alive in 2005!
Dr. Donna
Dr. Donna Goldstein is a Life and Career
Success Coach who assists individuals, teams
and organizations to discover and grow into
their potential. It’s not unusual for her
clients to make truly dramatic changes —
including huge increases in income! In her
personal coaching practice she has helped
clients excel in many ways: starting new
businesses, completing books, videotapes,
CD’s and other projects, finding renewed
passion in their careers and passionately
creating new careers.
Read
what her some of clients say
about
their results.
To book a consultation to discuss your big
(or little) dream or your goals for 2005
email Dr. Donna or call her at
954-893-0123.
For a free copy of Dr. Donna’s powerful
approach to goal setting for your 2005
goals, visit her
Resource Library.
Please feel free to send us your comments on
our newsletter or our web site — we’d like
to know what you think. And if you’ve got
an inspiring story or some great strategies
for bringing your dreams to life, send them
to us and you might see them in a future
newsletter.
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