108. Nurturing and Sustaining Creative Ambition with Charles Gilbert
Overview
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Charles (Charlie) Gilbert, a lifelong creative, a writer, a composer, a director, and a teacher.
This is a continuation of the conversation we started in the previous episode with D’Arcy Webb — who happens to be Charlie’s wife — around sustaining our ambition and creativity throughout our careers.
In this episode, Charlie talks about sustainable creative habits, how retirement has opened up new possibilities for his work, and his big ambitions for this chapter of his life.
Charlie also shares his perspective on defining success, particularly in an industry where rejection can be the norm, and the importance of support and partnership in pursuing creative goals.
Ambition isn’t just for the young. Both Charlie and D’Arcy demonstrate that we can be ambitious at any age, if we so choose.
Listen below or on your favorite podcast player.
More About Our Guest
Charles Gilbert is an educator, writer, composer, and director who has spent nearly 50 years making provocative, original work for the musical stage and training young artists for professional careers in musical theater. His 1979 musical Assassins was the source of the idea for the Tony Award-winning Stephen Sondheim musical of the same name. His other works include Gemini the Musical, seen in the New York Musical Theater Festival in 2007, and for over ten years he has been Composer In Residence for Enchantment Theatre Company. Charlie headed the Musical Theater program at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia from its inception in 1990 until 2008 and served from 2008 to 2013 as director of the Brind School of Theater Arts. He developed the SAVI System of Singing-Acting and has taught students using this pedagogy in workshops and residencies in Europe.
Listen to the full episode to hear:
How Charlie’s self-identification as a creative has sustained him through a 40+ year career
Why Charlie feels just as creative as ever now that he’s retired from teaching
The habits of creativity that Charlie has integrated into his daily life
Defining success in an industry where rejection plays a regular role
How regular training in the qualities of an effective performance supports making great work
The lessons Charlie learned from not getting his priorities right, and how he manages balance now
The ambition that is carrying Charlie forward in his current chapter and his thoughts on leaving a legacy
Learn more about Charlie Gilbert:
Resources Mentioned
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