Remember who you are.
Remember why you are here.
Acting is soul work.
For me it is among the most vulnerable
because it demands every part of your being
There is no hiding, or constant partner in any form
except your breath and your heart.
It is only you.
Yet it beckons us to discover, respect, play with and incorporate all of the arts:
the dance
the music
the design
the writing
the lighting
the sound
the sculpture
the song
the mask
the movement
the painting
the puppet
the props
the instrument . . .
your instrument.
all of it
all are on the table
and all of them are accepted and welcome at the door.
Though it begins with just you.
They all do.
The parts you have seen
and the ones that are yet to be born or unraveled
buried deep into the abyss of your consciousness
with walls of iron and steel
but even those can not withhold
the resonance of your truth.
Of your heart.
Nor would they want to
though they will try.
The heart is always soft.
Remember that.
For that is what you are seeking.
That is why you are here.
To feel alive again
and then to live fully in all of it
as it pulses thorough your veins
and into your expression.
It is why some starve to do this work.
Because it is through these experiences
that we learn to appreciate everything.
To taste. To touch. To hear.
To feel.
And suddenly realize we didn’t need anything.
Except to feel alive.
To be present in every moment
perhaps like never before.
To listen with every cell of our bodies
without tension or resistance.
To receive life and let it affect us in all of its forms
and be inspired by that marriage of the world with us
to vibrantly and effortlessly permeate life and love
back to it and each other.
In all of its forms
whether it be rage, ecstasy or grief
written, spoken or moved
because to feel is to be alive
again.
And again.
And to numb that response is the only death that truly exists.
The world will not have it.
As an actor we would rather die then live any other way.
So often we do not realize how much we do not feel
until we crack the shell of our invisible fortresses
and break the walls exposing
parts of our heart
long hidden by time, fear and pain.
Forgetting that they were there for us to feel more
not less.
We misunderstood.
You are a unique creator
unlike any other
a unique spirit
a unique artist
and a unique expression of the divine
like everything else.
And all of it wants to
play.
To be accepted and seen and
danced with
passionately and exhaustively
to its co-creative fullest expression and potential
Though you have to accept your role.
To chose to be an artist of your heart.
If you can hear it . . .
You will ride dragons and reap treasures of the unknown.
This craft gives you permission to explore
the depths and the fullness of imagination and the human expression.
It actually begs you to explore it and rewards you for your choices.
Inviting you to come to life with a vivaciousness and vibrance
seen only in the eyes of an expression of God
because only there
is no resistance.
In accepting this journey you are awakening a part of you
that has had a longing to live again
In a new way.
In the way your spirit intended.
Vibrantly like the wind hurling over a field of flowers.
Passionately like a ravenous Lover.
Radiantly like the Sun.
Pulsing and quivering with an expression just waiting to unfold.
IF you are on this journey
then you have seen a piece of your light
because that is all it takes.
A piece.
To awaken.
To remember
that you are not what you thought you were
and neither is anyone else.
Some call it the bug that bit you
but in truth it is your soul that captivated you.
Once that light touches you
you can not ignore it
because it will cause an itch so deep in your skin
that only your open heart can touch.
And it will remind you that all of your characters
are patiently waiting to be awoken
deep inside of you
one at a time
because they are a part of humanity
which is just another way of saying
an expression of the human heart.
That is why you can all hear it.
because they are part of you and always have been
because we are one.
To deny your own authentic expression
which is unlike anyone else’s
is to hurt everyone and everything you touch
because all of it is challenging you to break the mold of what you thought you were
and unravel and reveal to the world what you truly are.
So you can help remind us all how to live again
How to feel again
How to connect again.
People do not pay you to act.
They pay you to be vulnerable
to feel in ways that so many only wish they could
but have been too scared to.
You are inspiring them
with your heart’s beating creativity
reminding them that is is ok.
To cry
To scream
To laugh
to hold
because you have shared so authentically
that they can not ignore you
nor would they want to.
You captive them and they leave you
having cracked open their hearts and their
imaginations in ways that you could never have seen
nor do you need to
because it is your gift to the world
without any need for return
for you only do it
because you have to
because you love it
because it makes you feel alive.
It is never rational. Love and passion never are.
but they must be fed
with patience
presence
respect
gratitude
and discipline
not to work harder, but to let in more
because then your body and soul will never not be fed
and everything you do will be a response
to an inspiration of you
receiving the extraordinary world around you.
It is a privilege and a quest
as you are asked to dive
into the depths of the human condition
and understand that no one is wrong
no one is bad
and everyone is worthy and has a story
that is theirs and all of ours.
That one line is as important as a thousand
and has just as much soul, depth and beauty.
You are not your lines
your lies are an expression of the marriage
between your soul
and the characters hearts
because you are both needed to create a new expression
that no one has ever seen before.
If you do not know your lines then you do not know the soul
of this sacred marriage
because that soul could only say those words.
and when you say them from your heart
no one can ignore you.
no one.
It is not your job to be seen.
It is your job to awaken.
yourself
your audience
and everything element around you as you
become the cog of that wheel bringing it to life
inspiring everything.
Though until you are completely inspired
you have not found it.
It is still hiding.
Quietly waiting for you
to be patient enough
respectful enough
curios enough
and open enough
to let it in.
Because if you go looking for it
you will never find it.
It is about sitting still with it
and letting it in
as it marinates into your blood
and begins to penetrate every pore of your body and soul
through the air
it becomes a part of you
because
We are all simply seeing ourselves
our hearts
and what more profound
and privileged way too do it then
to be asked to embody and marry
with the soul of a writer, a character, a director, a grip, a PA, a DP
so that together you can unfold and live
in another piece of the heart of humanity.
Treat everything sacred
especially yourself and your own foundation.
No matter what you think or how you feel about
another actor, a script, a director
they are all divine and when you sit still long enough
and allow any insecurities and judgements to subside
something magical will happen.
It will reward you
by
starting to reveal itself to you.
Then something beautiful will suddenly
inspire your heart.
In the most quiet, effortless and unexpected ways.
That is when co-creation begins.
Be patient and develop curiosity for the darkness
because that is where all the treasures are hidden
and the greatest surprises are unearthed.
For you do not know what you do not know
and I promise you
you will never know where you are going
until you get there.
So as you pursue this I remind you that
The Business of this craft is not your adversary
It is not even your challenge.
It is your co-creator waiting for you
to step up and accept
and
remember who you are.
Your only job then
is to share that.
With gratitude
play
authenticity
respect
&
love
It will take time, but it is worth it. And my greatest hope for you is that you then take your soul off of the set and down from the stage and out into the world.
Because we need you
To remind everyone how to live again.
Infect people with your vibrance and curiosity for this world.
And the one you always wanted to create
that has been harvesting deep in your imagination
It is time and we are the ones.
Enjoy the journey my friends.