A memory,
That hazardous bridge between you and the present –
The all sweeping, all-knowing now.
You remember
A quiet mind, absent of chatter,
And run towards the past to find it.
You forgot
how stillness found you in the first place:
waiting right in the place you were meant to be.
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Repping the female directors of Broadway today with a little wisdom from Susan:
“Whenever I found myself in a conundrum I looked to my father for advice. And always he offered the same encouragement: ‘Ask yourself, What’s the worst that could happen? Someone might tell you no, but there’s no harm in that.’ Just take a chance. Ask the question.”
– Susan Stroman
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If you were charged with leaving a short message for future generations on how to live life, what would you say?
Would you be able to capture the essence of all that could be said in under two minutes? When asked to do just this, Mr. Bertrand Russell offered just two calm and sage prescriptions for how to survive in an increasingly globalized world. Thank goodness this little moment was time-capsuled.
Just beginning a project is often the most difficult part. Or perhaps the best. There is something so incredible alluring and completely daunting about a blank slate. The past no longer plays a part, and a new chance presents itself. This next step has to come from somewhere new, somewhere deeper, somewhere untouched if it is to be honest.
But how to kickstart yourself into action?
1. Dive in. One can only plan for so long before you realize that the real reason you’re still in “planning phases” is because you’re a little wary of the leap. Small actions add up quickly. Do something every day to help you along your way.
2. Prepare yourself for success rather than begin to bolster yourself against the sting of failure. Failure’s such a misleading term anyway. All the times I have grown the most in my life have resulted from what could easily have been dubbed a “failure.” And this is because failures bruise the ego. If an experience embarrassed us in some way, we are more likely to retain the lesson. The embarrassment spurs us to be hyperaware of all that happened and we rifle through the past for all of our missteps. We glean all that we can from the process so that we may never tread down the same path only to repeat the mistake in our future. So no need to fear failure – use it to push you towards your goal.
3. Reach out to others. If you need help, don’t remain silent – most people are not mind-readers. They will need to hear that you are looking for support before they offer it willingly.
4. If you don’t know how to do something, ask. It does no good to be proud when it comes to things we have yet to learn. Not one single person on this earth knows everything, so don’t pretend like you do. Look for ways to expand your knowledge every day.
5. Pull from everywhere, let anything inspire you. Who is to say what will stop you in your tracks and motivate you? A forest one day, an old CD from your childhood the next. Do not censor the influx of images and influences around you. If Wagner moves you, great. If the Teletubbies do, good on’ ya. Just make it work.
6. Stop waiting for a perfect time. There is no such thing as the “perfect time.” There will always be other activities or events to keep you from the work. Stop stalling, start doing.
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Your hands pulse with a satisfying ache, the skin beginning to crack,
You’ve busied yourself with cleaning up the past.
Tidying up corners, polishing up memories
Until they are bright and flawless – a false perfection, a comforting fib –
That affords you a nostalgic sigh as you stare back longingly
At a collection of things half-remembered, half-created.
“Ah, the good ol’ days.”
You flip through this new photobook with wistful glances
At times when life was better, or easier, or happier,
Revering moments that were not quite as they seem,
Forgetting all the while that you are breathing here.
You hear the present knocking, waiting politely at your door
Asking if you will join it for a walk, just a little one.
“It’s a lovely day outside.”
You hunker down, pulling blankets round you,
Wrapping yourself with fabricated tales of days long since past.
A familiar fortification that is safe and warm.
But as you glance at the material again, you realize their comfort now presses on you,
Weighty and changed. There is no room for these sheets beyond those doors.
A frightening freedom reveals itself.
Through that threshold is a new world, no familiar faces, no tired remembrances
Of a time that has anchored itself into your mind.
“Goodbye old, hello new”
Today you’re making room for you.
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Another great playwright puts it all in perspective for us. Enjoy the weekend!
“I mean, don’t forget the earth’s about five thousand million years old, at least. Who can afford to live in the past?”
– Harold Pinter
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Thoughts on Theatre 
