How can you incorporate feedback from past productions into your current production?

1 Identify your goals

Before you dive into the feedback, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your current production. What is the main message, theme, or emotion you want to convey? Who is your target audience and what are their expectations and preferences? How does your production fit into the current cultural and social landscape? Having a clear vision and purpose will help you filter out irrelevant or distracting feedback and focus on the ones that align with your goals.

2 Analyze the feedback

Feedback can come from various sources, such as audience surveys, reviews, critics, peers, mentors, or collaborators. Each source can have its own perspective, bias, or agenda, so you need to analyze the feedback critically and objectively. Look for patterns, trends, or themes that emerge from the feedback. What are the strengths and weaknesses of your past productions? What are the areas of improvement or innovation? What are the common praises or complaints? What are the specific examples or suggestions that support the feedback?

3 Prioritize the feedback

You can't implement all the feedback you receive, nor should you. Some feedback may be more relevant, useful, or urgent than others, depending on your goals and resources. You need to prioritize the feedback based on its impact, feasibility, and compatibility with your vision. For example, you may want to address feedback that affects the quality, clarity, or accessibility of your production, such as technical issues, plot holes, or confusing characters. You may also want to consider feedback that enhances the appeal, originality, or relevance of your production, such as creative ideas, fresh perspectives, or timely topics.

4 Experiment with the feedback

Once you have prioritized the feedback, you need to test it out and see how it works in practice. You can experiment with different aspects of your production, such as the script, the cast, the design, the direction, or the marketing. You can try different versions, combinations, or alternatives based on the feedback. You can also seek more feedback from trusted sources or potential audiences to evaluate the results of your experiments. The key is to be open-minded, flexible, and willing to learn from your mistakes.

5 Balance the feedback

Finally, you need to balance the feedback with your own judgment and intuition. Feedback is not a rule or a formula, but a tool or a guide. You are the one who makes the final decisions and takes responsibility for your production. You need to trust your instincts and experience and follow your passion and creativity. You also need to respect your artistic identity and integrity and avoid compromising or copying others. Feedback can help you improve and adapt your production, but it should not dictate or limit it.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?