Learn the lines exactly as written. Every word, every pause, every punctuation mark.
That writer sweated the details. They poured over the script hundreds if not thousands of times to get the rhythm just right. It’s a gift of a part you now hold in your hands.
The least you can do is learn the lines.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial ‘outside agitator’ idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.” -Dr. Martin Luther King, Letter From A Birmingham Jail
I came upon a terrific reading of “Letter From A Birmingham Jail” which you can access Here. (Thanks to Willie Jackson for organizing and Seth Godin for mentioning on a prior podcast.). You can also read the full text Here.
In addition to his dazzling eloquence, when reading the letter one notices just how committed, how determined, how organized, how thorough, how persistent, how steeped in belief and faith, how active, and how artistic Dr. King was. Just like anyone setting out to do something they passionately feel they must do for the benefit of others, Dr. King also had no idea if it would work. How could he? Especially while in jail. Surely, he was wracked with doubt.
But he proceeded anyway.
Happy 92nd Birthday Dr. King.
P.S. – Click Here to read an excellent collection of pieces about Dr. King’s life and legacy,
A common goal-setting exercise is to ask yourself the question, “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?” It’s designed to help unlock all sorts of dreams, desires and thoughts inside you, some maybe you didn’t even know you had. It’s a wonderful creative exercise to unleash the subconscious.
But let’s flip the script a little bit. Ask yourself this…
“What would you do if you knew you were gonna fail?”
Huh? Say, what?
I mean what would you do if there was no possible chance of success? At least not by the standard definitions of success and failure. You will fail. No doubt about it. You won’t receive any accolades, awards or pats on the back. Your career won’t advance. The only reason to do the thing is the thing. All process. All love of doing.
“What would you do if you knew you were gonna fail?”
The answer to that question might just help you narrow down all the things you could or should or would like to do, and get to what you absolutely must do. Right now.
“More people went to the theatre in London when I was reviewing then went to Church. This would be a very good thing if the theatre took itself seriously. As a factory of thought. Of social conduct. An armory against despair and dullness. And a temple of the ascent of [humankind].” -George Bernard Shaw
It takes a lunatic to want to make art.
It takes a lunatic to give up a promising career for a life in the theatre.
It takes a lunatic to open up your own acting school when you’re young and being groomed by the great Sanford Meisner to teach at The Neighborhood Playhouse.
It takes a lunatic to direct plays.
It takes a lunatic to raise money, open a theatre, and commit to producing plays that feature new works by unknown playwrights. And then expect people to show up for years on end to support your vision.
It takes a lunatic to still teach acting when you’re nearly 100.
Wynn Handman did all of the above and more. He was a lunatic. And a legend. He was responsible for launching the careers of countless artists. He passed away last year at 97. His life is inspiring and worth learning more about.
Here’s a great podcast episode that Alec Baldwin did with him.
And here’s a great Netflix documentary, called “It Takes a Lunatic” about his life and legacy.
R.I.P. Wynn Handman. Here’s to you and all the other lunatics out there who are making their art.
“What if I come with you Lee?…What if I come out with you to the desert?” –True West by Sam Shepard
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” -African Proverb
Yeah, you could go at it alone. But it’s nowhere near as fun as when you enlist others on the journey. And the way you do that is to dig deep, figure out what you’re passionate to say and why. Commit to that passion. Set the date. Communicate early as often. You’re a passion recruiter! And then when people come on board, welcome their ideas, their artistry, their input. Give them the space to create. Without ego. Best idea wins.
In the theatre, I’ve been blessed over and over with co-conspirators. People who cared as much about the project as I did. Who shared in the struggles and the triumphs. Who always had my back. Who lifted me up in the down days. I’m eternally grateful for them and can’t imagine ever doing a future project without co-conspirators.
Nor should you.
Who can you enlist on your journey?
Go make art with your friends.
“Reason shows us there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.” -Seneca, Letters To A Stoic
“Every being in the universe is an expression of the Tao. It springs into existence, unconscious, perfect, free, takes on a physical body, lets circumstances complete it. That is why every being spontaneously honors the Tao.” – Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, Stephen Mitchell translation
Having an attitude of gratitude isn’t selective. It’s not something we reserve only for the good times. It’s for ALL times. For everything that happens to us.
A good mantra to practice is “Thanks for everything.”
The author Stephen Mitchell in his translation of the Tao Te Ching–which by the way is phenomenal, a must read–relates a wonderful Japanese story told in Zenkei Shibayama Roshi’s “A Flower Does Not Talk.”…
A hundred and fifty years ago there lived a woman named Sono, whose devotion and purity of heart were respected far and wide. Ony day a fellow Buddhist, having made a long trip to see her, asked “What can I do to put my heart at rest?” She said, “Every morning and every evening, and whenever anything happens to you, keep on saying, “Thanks for everything. I have no complaint whatsoever.” The man did as he was instructed, for a whole year, but his heart was still not at peace. He returned to Sono, crestfallen. “I’ve said your prayer over and over, and yet nothing in my life has changed; I’m still the same selfish person as before. What should I do now?” Sono immediately said, “Thanks for everything. I have no complaint whatsoever.” On hearing these words, the man was able to open his spiritual eye, and returned home with great joy.
“At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: “I have to go to work — as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for — the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?” -Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
“It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through.” -Zig Ziglar
One of the many reasons I love Meditations is that it was never intended for publication. It’s a collection of Marcus Aurelius’ journal entries, his innermost thoughts, written to himself as he navigated the world. As you read it, you can almost feel him willing himself to act in the face of huge obstacles. The journal was later found, published and passed down for future generations. And we’re the lucky beneficiaries.
If Marcus, Emperor of Rome and most powerful person in the world had trouble getting out of bed, we should forgive ourselves when we don’t feel like doing it either. It’s our character, our commitments, our discipline, our habits, our desire to make art and make change in the world that gets us to overcome our laziness.
Rise and Shine. We’ve got work to do.
“The world is violent and mercurial–it will have its way with you. We are saved by love–love for each other and the love that we pour into the art we feel compelled to share: being a parent; being a writer; being a painter; being a friend. We live in a perpetually burning building, and what we must save from it, all the time, is love.” -Tennessee Williams
Just like love is best when thought of as a verb, an action, something you do or give to someone else, “willing the good of the other” as St. Thomas Aquinas wrote, so is art.
Art is doing something that might not work for the benefit of others.
And the best art always comes from deep love.
If you doubt that your art can make a difference, consider just one example…
When the Continental Army were struggling to survive a long, brutal winter at Valley Forge, George Washington decided to stage a play, Cato by Joseph Addison, to lift their spirits.
You can’t predict what effect your art will have. But you can listen to your heart and have the courage to manifest what’s inside.
We need your art. Now, tomorrow and thereafter.
What are you waiting for?
“Be careful, however, lest this reading of many authors and books of every sort may tend to make you discursive and unsteady. You must linger among a limited number of master-thinkers, and digest their works, if you would derive ideas which shall win firm hold in your mind. Everywhere means nowhere.” -Seneca, Letters From A Stoic
I gotta get away from this day-to-day running around. Everybody knows this is nowhere.” -Neil Young from his song, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
When you’re tempted to reach for something new, think about returning to something old. Something that once inspired you. See what another pass at it does to you today. Does it still hold up? Does it resonate even deeper?
The best things, the timeless classics, have that rare ability to still feel fresh every time out. They affect us in different and unexpected ways depending on where we are in our lives.
We don’t need a bigger library. We just need the right library.
We don’t need to be everywhere. We just need to be right here.
The Vs. Studio Blog