Joey Tremblay Thought 1

Hello this is Joey Tremblay with my 1st thought. Process before Product. Okay, lately I've been obsessing with the 'phrase process before product". It's kind of become this guiding principle - a wee mantra that informs my theatre practice and it shapes how I try to approach every new project. Is it pretentious? Probably. Is it navel gazing arts speak? Ya, most likely, but I guess it is just my response to the dominant practice that seems to prioritize and enables the commoditization of theatre (NOTE: I meant commodification of theatre). You know, theatre has become a kind of consumer item to be produced and sold and consumed. I think how we make theatre in Canada is very formulaic and cookie-cutter, and prescriptive and we've become these experts at the three-week rehearsal process that churns out plays that suit a consumers palate . . . sold, you know, in a 6 play subscription series. Process before product, for me, is a rejection of this notion and of this paradigm- It's an acknowledgement that every work of art demands it's own unique and messy process of creation. If we don't honour process, then - I don't know - I think we risk recreating the same dull play over and over again.