In the theatre, the play is written before casting begins. This gives the playwright freedom and responsibility, and it puts the text first.
Writing for a sitcom is different. The 50th episode of Seinfeld was a lot easier to write because the cast and the tropes were already set. Easier, but also more difficult to find a breakthrough.
In our organizations and communities, we’re often asked for a strategic plan, which is a sort of script. The question that might be worth asking is: How many new characters are we planning to cast?
Where do we go on vacation? How should our company put AI to work? What’s the best way to increase donations?
If the strategy is required to use every asset and individual we already have, our freedom to innovate is limited. Perhaps we should be clear about who’s doing the casting before we begin writing the script.
