Last week I had the pleasure of watching a Blue Man Group (BMG) show. Although I live only a few blocks from the absolute mecca of theater (*cough* Broadway *cough*), I’m not a huge performing arts fan. Having said that, I did spend a few years in the Drama Club in high school (major geek alert…) and know a thing or two about putting on a show.

Expectations

Admittedly tickets are a bit pricey, and before attending my friends and I conducted the obligatory YouTube search to see what BMG was all about. After only a few minutes of clicking, I wasted no time dismissing them as a quirky mishmash of novel technology to produce music. I figured it was just like Stomp, but with computers and wires instead of trash cans. Sure I thought the show seemed fun, but had it not been for the determination of my friends I probably would’ve sat this one out.

The Aftermath

BMG didn’t get to where they are today by delivering only on those expectations. In fact, I found myself fascinated by their ability to push the limits of acceptable theater etiquette:

1. -Climbing into the audience (literally climbing up onto the mezzanine and on top of peoples’ seats)
2. -Taking an audience member backstage, hanging him upside down by a rope, painting him blue, and slamming him against a wall to produce a work of art
3. -Causing utter chaos and mayhem with streams of paper descending from the heavens
4. -Leaving the theater in the middle of the performance to catch a cab
5. -And last but not least, just generally wrecking the stage and all the props

Lesson Learned

One of the harshest lessons I learned in the world of business is that conforming to the rules of the game is a surefire way to fail. Or as Emerson so poetically put it, “imitation is suicide.” Rules are meant to be broken, and those who manage do it in a way that exceeds expectations and challenge what was previously thought possible are destined for greatness.

This leads to Afterthought Myth #4: whatever your dream may be, don’t ever let anyone tell you the “the world just doesn’t work that way.” If you have a dream and a passion, you owe it to yourself to see it through no matter how nonconformist it seems.