Stew. I never much liked it as a child. My father is a wonderful cook, so its not that it was bad stew, I just couldn’t grasp the idea of throwing a perfect good meal in a pot, stirring it up in a weird sauce and then serving it in a bowl. How unappetizing. While I wouldn’t eat it, I was intrigued by the process of stew making. The imagery is quite wonderful. A fervent flame beneath a large pot. Several ingredients which are transformed in shape, color, texture and size when combined and cooked. Tiny spices and seasonings which greatly impact the overall flavor. A dash of this. A touch of that. A little more. Working from instinct. Carrots just for decoration. All brewed together in a cauldron like a magical potion. Steam. Pungent odors billow out from our tiny kitchen. Artisan is a pot. A cauldron. Our current project, Aesop and Icarus, calls for a long and careful recipe: 1 painter, 1 director, 1 choreographer, 5 actors, 1 sculptor, 1 performance artist, 1 conductor, 60 choir singers, 1 harpist, several puppets, a few masks, 1 brand new script, 1 audience. An extremely complicated and possibly volatile mix. A call for balance of ingredients, a clear hierarchy of flavor and an openness for improvisation with the recipe. A demand for discipline of hand, respect for the whole, and trust in the combination. A result of true artistic collaboration, innovation and exploration.