Author Archives: thevsstudioblog

The surgeon and writer, Atul Gawande, recently did an excellent “Armchair Expert” podcast episode. He discussed, among many interesting topics, the power and results from having a simple checklist prior to operations. One amazing stat: the number of surgery-related deaths was reduced by nearly 50% in hospitals that employed a checklist. 50%! The checklist containsContinue reading “Checklist”

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart.” -Colossians 3:23 Sonya: “Well. Uncle! Now. What shall we do?” Vanya: “Work.” Sonya: “Yes!” -Excerpt from the play Uncle Vanya, by Anton Chekov The Vietnamese Thien Buddhist monk and pease activist, Thich Nhat Hanh, once wrote, “There is no way to happiness, happiness is theContinue reading “Meaningful Work”

“Sometimes a person has to go a very long distance out of his way in order to come back a short distance correctly.” -Edward Albee, The Zoo Story How long can you stay in the chair and write badly? How long can you be on the stage and act badly? How long can you standContinue reading “Badly”

I’m backstage, about to go on as “Austin”, mid-run of a dream production of TRUE WEST. I have a moment. Everything slows down. I look around and take everything in. I see my fellow actors prepping. I hear the hustle and bustle of the audience. I feel the energy pulsing all around me. I’m overcomeContinue reading “It’s A Miracle”

Information is a commodity. It didn’t use to be the case. But thanks to the internet, it is now. What’s not a commodity and never will be? The application of that information. Synthesis. Understanding and communicating the information. Deciding to take action. Even if you don’t have all the information. Even if things might notContinue reading “Not A Commodity”

What art would you make if you based your choice entirely on process, on having a meaningful experience, as opposed to the end result and judgment of others?

You’ll never regret going after something with everything you have and falling short. You can live with that. You’ll only regret giving a half-assed effort. Or not going after something at all.

For anything that happens to us, anything we read or hear, anyone who evokes strong emotions in us, we’d be wise to do two things before responding. First, bring awareness. Just be aware that we’re having that response. Notice the thoughts. Don’t judge them. Second, bring curiosity. Get intensely curious with our feelings. Be ourContinue reading ““That’s Interesting””

I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and working with some incredible actors. Actors with long, illustrious stage, film and television careers. They’ve all consistently shared this principle with me: “An actor’s really lucky if he or she gets a few great roles in their lifetime. The rest is work. Show up and do your jobContinue reading “Luck”

Be so demanding of yourself and exacting in your work. That other people’s criticisms feel like a walk in the park.