Another common question I get from readers is how they should get started in producing.

Here’s my answer on getting started in Producing . . . or in anything . . . in the form of a Kenism.

Newton used to say, “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

I say, “Producing is like racquetball.”

When you connect with that rubber ball in that white-walled room, it’s going to come back at you.  Whether you like it or not.

Sometimes, you’ll hit a winner, sometimes you’ll hit a dribbler.  Sometimes, that rubber ball is going to hit you square between the eyes, like it hit John Candy in Splash.

Or sometimes, that ball is going to hit you square in the ball (or the lack thereof).

But if you serve it up, something will happen.  Without a doubt.  Energy responds to energy.

So maybe when you serve up your first show, it won’t move to Broadway.  But maybe you’ll meet a playwright that will hit a winner in the third game of his match.  Or maybe you’ll discover a key strategy that you’ll use in your next game that’ll break a tie.  Or maybe you’ll get an agent to represent you that will get you in a tournament.

No matter what happens . . . the ball will come back if you hit it against the wall.

The key is . . . to serve.

There’s no coincidence that the hardest part of racquetball is the serve.  It takes the most strategy, the most strength, the most finesse.

The key is to remember that the ball will come back, even if you don’t serve it perfectly.  There’s a wall there.  The ball is rubber.  It’s got no choice.

And if you love the theater, then neither do you.

Just serve it.