poemsPerformance without rehearsal.
Body without alterations.
Head without premeditation.
I know nothing of the role I play.
I only know it's mine. I can't exchange it.
I have to guess on the spot
just what this play's all about.
Ill-prepared for the privilege of living,
I can barely keep up with the pace that the action demands.
I improvise, although I loathe improvisation.
I trip at every step over my own ignorance.
I can't conceal my hayseed manners.
My instincts are for happy histrionics.
Stage fright makes excuses for me, which humiliate me more.
Extenuating circumstances strike me as cruel.
Words and impulses you can't take back,
stars you'll never get counted,
your character like a raincoat you button on the run
the pitiful results of all this unexpectedness.
If only I could just rehearse one Wednesday in advance,
or repeat a single Thursday that has passed!
But here comes Friday with a script I haven't seen.
Is it fair, I ask
(my voice a little hoarse,
since I couldn't even clear my throat offstage).
You'd be wrong to think that it's just a slapdash quiz
taken in makeshift accommodations. Oh no.
I'm standing on the set and I see how strong it is.
The props are surprisingly precise.
The machine rotating the stage has been around even longer.
The farthest galaxies have been turned on.
Oh no, there's no question, this must be the premiere.
And whatever I do
will become forever what I've done.
~ Wislawa Szymborska ~
(Poems New and Collected 1957-1997,
trans. S. Baranczak and C. Cavanagh)
Web version: www.panhala.net/Archive/Life_While_You_Wait.html
related resources:
soothe nerves for better auditions and
increase creative focus for stronger acting choices
Is your FEAR more REAL than your GOALS?
An opinion piece by Jack Turnbull of actorsite.com
Because of the threat of labor actions this year and next,
many times we become paralyzed by the "fear" that our world
is coming to an end...
It's not, believe me. In fact, many in the industry believe
that this labor action will just be a blip on the screen of
the big picture.
A career is a MARATHON, not a dash, so it's important to
not let the FEARS that we have on a daily basis, affect
our long range GOALS.
Each day, when you wake up, are you GOAL driven or are
you FEAR driven...
BEING GOAL DRIVEN IS POSITIVE!
BEING FEAR DRIVEN IS NEGATIVE!
Do you get PARALYZED when it comes to pushing your
career forward?
Sometimes when you are driven by your
GOALS, you constantly visualize achieving those goals
and they are fresh in your mind and REAL and almost
touchable so that you constantly can push forward and move
and build and feel the progress every single day...
Then suddenly, because pursuing a creative career becomes
such a struggle and requires energy just to keep going, you
find that your FEAR overcomes your GOALS in your mind, so
that your FEAR is more REAL than your GOALS...which become
pushed to the side while you are PARALYZED by FEAR.
In my own personal situation, I have found this to happen
to me on a regular basis every few months and I have to
get up and push myself to PUT MY GOALS BACK INTO THE FRONT
OF MY MIND, so that the FEAR, which is there to protect
me, does not become more REAL than my GOALS.
Here's how you can get yourself back on track:
1. Sit down and list your goals. BE sure to include the changes
in your goals as you grow and learn and find new goals to explore.
2. Sit down and list your fears. Be sure to be honest with
yourself and open and up front as you list them. Don't pull
any punches.
3. Next, make a list of the ACTIONS you can take NOW that
will get you moving towards your goals. Make a list of
ACTIONS that you can take LATER, too.
4. Now, TAKE THOSE ACTIONS and gain confidence in yourself
as you move gradually towards your goals.
5. Then weigh and study the results. Did you move forward?
Are you inching your career forward? Are you no longer as
paralyzed by fear?
6. Now repeat the POSITIVE ACTIONS that will move you forward.
It's important to take at least ONE POSITIVE STEP, every single
day!
All the best,
Jack
================================
SOME POSITIVE ACTIONS TO TAKE:
================================
FIRST: Make sure your Actorsite membership is up to date.
To Join, go here: http://www.actorsite.com/cgi-bin/ppsignup.pl
KEEP YOUR ACTING MUSCLE IN SHAPE: At the Actorsite, we provide FREE WORKOUTS
at the HIGHEST LEVELS for our members. If you take the time to participate, you'll
find your confidence soars and your skills become more marketable.
We have over 10 member events(AT NO CHARGE) Each week, so it's up
to YOU to participate.
Build your reel. Take all of your work and get it edited into
a professional reel. The Actorsite EDITLADY will help you put
your reel together. Many who have used the EDITLADY report bookings
STRAIGHT FROM THE REEL! So make your appointment today.
http://editlady.com .
And, of course, Take an Actorsite Casting Director Workshop.
You'll find that the level of actor at the Actorsite is superior to
say the least, and you'll be energized by your fellow actors and the energy they
put off...Remember, it's great to belong to a group of MOTIVATED
ACTORS!
Submit Youself for ROLES: Take and send a headshot to projects on your own.
Here's more information: http://actorsite.com/freepages/envelopes.html
related resources:
I just came across these videos about Jesco White when I auditioned for a part in an upcoming film about him, which is being directed by Dominique Murphy as we speak. I think they are filming part of it in London and part in West Virginia.
Jesco is known as the Dancing Outlaw. He's certainly a unique individual. I would have loved the chance to play his mom in the film but apparently, most of the roles have been cast at this point in time.
Anyway, Jesco got himself off drugs by dancing. He says when your dancing you aren't doing anything else.
There is a video about the wild way of life that Jesco grew up living, and I came across it somewhere but can't find it now. Also, he's on youtube in a bizarre interview having to do with threatening his girlfriend over her "sloppy eggs" and I hope that it's in jest.
A truly unique individual and surprisingly humble. Intriquing story. I can't wait to see the movie and still have all appropriate appendages crossed that I might yet get that call.
OK, this information will not be for everyone. However, if you are on a conscious spiritual path and have been troubled with negative energies, you'll want to read what this article has to say about spiritual protection:
http://www.askahealer.com/spiritual-protection.htm
I have a personal perspective on the subject of evil in the world and how it may impact those of us who are walking a path of good. You may or may not agree but it may still be an interesting read.
Health Alert:
Do you take avandia for diabetes? If so, you should be aware that there is a growing concern over the link between avandia use and increased risk of heart attack. If you are taking avandia for your diabetes, and you are also taking insulin, your risk may be even greater.
Please contact your doctor and fully discuss the benefits of continued use of this prescription drug against the risks.
Fully inform your doctor if you have heart issues, chest pain, or have any reason to believe your heart may be adversely affected.
More information on prescription drug safety:
www.askahealer.com/are-prescription-drugs-safe.htm
More information on diabetes-related complications:
www.askahealer.com/diabetes.html
More information on heart health:
www.askahealer.com/arterial-plaque-clogged-arteries.htm
