sappy notes to an actor

my parting sappy manifesto for ...:

get the support you need to dig really deep inside yourself
it's not easy work, but the pay off is huge
unconscious living is not living
don't sabotage yourself
and if you do
be kind to yourself, cause we all do it and then spend the time it takes to figure out why you did

follow your bliss

and if you don't know what that is
then what you are doing is finding out what your bliss is
and it changes all the time
(often you will find it from having to transform yourself in order to
serve someone/something you love...)
assume it will be hard

if something scares you, then that is the right direction to go
in some form (the non-self destructive form is best...
so think before you leap, there are 72 different ways to do it, guaranteed)
pick one
and go that way with faith and extreme self care
relax, cause you will fall big
and you want to fall softly,
laugh loud, get back up
and keep going.
Find some good jokes to tell on the way... write them yourself
based on the falls (cause there will be many)
learn to pray (a version of falling) and dance alone in your room with the lights out and really good music three time a week!

notes to a young solo show creator Apr 2011

-personalize the writing... politics don't enter people, someone TOUCHED by something real and painful does
-don't preach at us... we will shut down... get us to join you in something you care about and assume we also care about it
BUT - this is important- first we have to care about you (the character)
and than means specific details that are idiosyncratic not general

- the audience are all people affected by the illness you are addressing... in some way

ask these questions:
1) what are you healing in yourself with this piece?
2) find one other real person you care about who is dealing with the same issue TALK TO THEM AT LENGTH
3) who is the group suffering from this? Then there must be books- read them
4) how does this affect everyone (The children of, mothers of siblings of, friends of... and voila you have everyone...

NO ONE is outside any issue worth address ing on stage... if they are you make it a freak show and it loses universality

be brave PERSONALLY and then we will trust you politically...