Physicians’ Talent Showcase
Doctors Prescribe an Evening of Entertainment
By Rick Kornak
Most doctors are so invested in their work that they can’t find time for hobbies. Other, less meaningful pursuits tend to go the wayside. “I love to play music,” says surgeon Dr. Jan Forszpaniak, “but because of my profession, I never really got the chance.”
There is a treasure-trove of doctors with neglected musical talent. In their formative years, many physicians are highly involved in extracurricular activities, including band or orchestra. However, priorities change once the decision to go to med school is made.
“These are folks who make rounds at 6:00 in the morning, and at 8:30 at night, they’re sitting at home doing paperwork after their kids go to bed,” says Steinway piano dealer Greg Billings. “There just isn’t time.”
The Visceral Reaction
In 2005, Billings, who resides in Naples, Florida, was looking for a way to raise funds for the Steinway Piano Society Scholarship Fund. When he found out about a physicians’ piano recital in South Dakota, he began considering the idea of producing a musical performance by local doctors. “Schmitt Music, in Sioux Falls, had done a physicians’ piano recital,” he says, “and they thought that was a really cool thing.” Inspired, he mentioned the idea to his wife—a nurse—who in turn started trying to recruit talent at the hospital.
It didn’t take long for the idea to evolve. “The third doc that she talked to said, ‘That sounds unbelievably boring. Why don’t you do a talent show instead?’” Billings, aware there are many more guitarists than pianists, realized that broadening the scope of the show would simplify the process of finding participants, while also adding variety. “So, we decided to do a talent show.”
Billings also wanted to include a charity relevant to local doctors to get them committed. “We chose the Neighborhood Health Clinic, because hundreds of physicians volunteer there.” The clinic, founded by a well-respected, retired local physician, provides care for the uninsured, helping minimize the traffic at the hospital’s emergency room. Several doctors were eager to participate.
Others, however, needed more encouragement. “My wife was wandering around the hospital, twisting arms. It wasn’t easy. And of course, that first show was six days after Hurricane Wilma,” recalls Billings. He remembers the emcee trying to make light of the situation. “He came out and said, ‘Would everyone who has not showered in the last six days please signify by not raising your hand?’”
Billings has discovered that the emcee’s role is ultimately important to the pacing of the show. The first emcee (who “thought he was Johnny Carson,” according to Billings) was not a physician, and though he added a humorous flourish, he rambled on and on. Billings has since realized that using doctors as emcees is the way to go. “Last year, we took two docs who were funny and made them emcees. It was really scripted, down to the word,” he explains. Billings helped write the script, and spent hours fine-tuning it. “Once the emcees were doctors, they could make fun of the other doctors in a way that a non-doctor couldn’t.”
A comedian and a magician also performed in that first show, and a ventriloquist has since been added to the lineup. Still, the focus has always been on the music, with the non-musical acts serving to diversify the production. “I want it to be essentially a music show,” says Billings, “because I believe that when air travels over a reed, or when a string vibrates over a piece of wood, human beings have an emotional, visceral core reaction to that. And that is a profoundly beneficial part of their life.”
Selling Out
In the years since its inception, Billings has perfected the production’s timeline. “It’s a three-month cycle from recruitment to the show,” he says. “In July, we recruit talent. In August, we formalize the acts. And in September, after Labor Day, we begin rehearsing.” Throughout October, the musicians perfect their pieces with the oversight of Billings, who helps the acts improve from ‘playing’ to ‘performing.’
“We want to be the most important event for the medical community of Naples,” says Billings. “This is a thing by and for them.”
Seventeen doctors from Florida’s Lee and Collier counties performed the 7th Annual Physicians’ Talent Showcase for a sold-out crowd at the Sugden Theater on October 25. “The overall quality of the show is much better than it originally was,” admits Billings, who has embraced his role as producer. “We’ve found that people like to laugh, so we had more humor in this year’s show.”
While there has always been an element of comedy, the most entertaining non-musical act is also the only act that has performed in all seven showcases: the magician. “Everybody gets five minutes for their act,” explains Billings, “but the magician gets 15 minutes right in the middle of the show, because he’s so incredibly good and is such a huge draw for us.” The magician, an anesthesiologist named Dr. Millard Brooks, takes on the humorous persona of Billy Ray, the Trailer Trash Magician. “He’s incredibly funny,” says Billings, “and his magic is amazing. He spends all year preparing his performance for the show.”
Selling out the Sugden Theater two years in a row indicates that the show could fill even more seats. Unfortunately, there are no suitable venues for a larger show in Naples. “The next thing up is the Philharmonic Center, which seats 1,200,” Billings says. Rather than move the production to a different location, he is considering a second performance, either as a matinee or on a second night. “We aren’t necessarily interested in growth,” he explains. “We are interested in service.”
So far, the Physicians’ Talent Showcases have raised more than $150,000 for the Neighborhood Health Clinic and the Steinway Piano Society Scholarship Fund. It used to be that Billings needed to call around to give away remaining tickets as the performance date approached, but they sold out for the second year in a row—this time, two weeks before the show, despite having gone from $75 to $95 each. “Not a single person mentioned the raised price,” says Billings incredulously. “Not one!”
Down Pat
Billings says that the biggest surprise to him has been the impact the show has had on the physicians’ lives. “It has reawakened something dormant in them, and that is really powerful,” he says. “That has been the unexpected, wonderful benefit of the show.” The newfound enthusiasm then leads to the physicians telling their physician friends all about it, generating further interest.
“They come in the first year,” says Billings, “and they aren’t sure what to do. They think it’s like open mic night. Then the docs who have been in it before say, ‘Seriously, listen to him. He knows what he’s talking about.’”
Billings, who has now produced nine shows (seven physicians’ talent shows; two pastors’ talent shows), has a strong base of returning musicians. “I’d say we have 75-80% who return each year,” he estimates. “A lot of the producing thing is dealing with personalities. I tell every doctor, ‘This is my job. My job is to make you look good and sound good.’”
The physicians appreciate the support, especially in their initial performance.
“I got hooked after my first year,” says gastroenterologist Dr. Corey Howard, who has performed with his saxophone in the last three talent shows. Howard, a next-door neighbor of Billings, took some coercing to join the production. “He asked me for several years to participate, and I just never really thought I had the time to do it.” In 2009, when Billings again asked him if he’d participate, Howard found that he was able to fit the talent show into his rigid schedule.
“It’s an absolutely fantastic show, and it has opened me back up to realize how much I love music,” Howard says. “The quality of the musicians that [Billings] gets is better every single year. He has it down pat.”
“It was the best one yet,” concurs Forszpaniak, who played a ukulele, a Spanish guitar, and a flamenco guitar in this year’s show—his second. Forszpaniak has also found that preparing for the performance provides an unexpected benefit. “From a professional point of view,” he says, “it also helps my dexterity.”
Other physicians find additional perks to performing. “The young docs will tell you that the show has been really good for their practice,” explains Billings. “They’ve made friends with other doctors, and docs need other docs for referrals.”
“He’s a fantastic leader, and he now has more people that want to play than places to let them play,” Howard says of Billings. “So he has a little bit more of a choice.”
“We’re not interested in diluting or changing the essence of what we have,” says Billings. “The Physicians’ Talent Showcase has really taken on a life of its own.” He recognizes that it has become an important event in the community, adding, “The physicians have made it their own. If I got hit by a truck tomorrow, the show would go on.”
1: Dr. Jan Forszpaniak plays guitar to accompany his wife’s flamenco dancing.
2: (L to R) Dr. Bill Lascheid and Nancy Laschied, RN, founders of the Neighborhood Health Clinic; Event Producer Greg Billings and his wife, Sara.
3: Dr. Corey Howard dazzles with his soprano sax performance.
