Shift

An Update - 

A 2 years in NYC Update 

A what’s been going on the past four months update  

A Mid(-Post?) Quarantine Update 

And some thoughts 

Aside from a few webinars, classes, a couple of self-tape auditions and general submissions there isn’t much “industry” news. We’re all attempting to see through the smoke and figure out what’s next and when. 

The common question we’ve all been hit with recently is - How have you been spending your time? or What have you been up to? I’ve talked about these kind of questions in a blog 2 years ago. B.C (Before Corona) these questions could - almost exclusively - paralyze artists and creators alike, because of their product rewarding nature. Now, most people have a difficult time navigating these questions. It’s the capitalistic, productivity valuing mindset that encourages this language. While productivity is valuable and necessary, it’s usually the experiences that surround tasks that make them worthy of appreciating and doing. It’s okay to acknowledge the shifts in our daily lives. It’s okay to not force yourself to do or make something that you think someone else will find value in. I am not saying be useless or forgo a meaningful and responsible life - this is a time to be present, to listen to yourself, analyze your dreams (the conscious and unconscious), sharpen up. For you. No one else. Steps off soapbox.

scattered thoughts -

Steps on Soapbox -

As the nation fights a virus and contends with its own moral values, we are all attempting to figure out what we can do. Your part in a movement that is going 400+ years strong is not limited to boycotting a store, posting on social media, a donation to a cause, a check in with a black friend etc. etc. I would much rather see someone play their part in the habits of their everyday life - the plays that are being written, the shows produced, the actors that are being hired, the lyrics in music, the conversations with family, the conversations with friends. That being said, this is not something we can recklessly blame on another person or group. We all have our crosses to bear when it comes to the monster that is injustice and inequality in America. 

“Actors are as responsible as any other group in the theater for its present state. If we realize our individual responsibilities to an art form, we must not only live up to it as individuals, but remember the collective form of this art…” - Uta Hagen

I read the “We see you W.A.T” statement that calls for change in the systemic corruption within the American Theatre. I agreed with the statement and acknowledged their demands - however, I have a feeling that the W.A.T will do just the same.

In order to negotiate you must be willing to leave the whole company in order to have ground to stand on. If demands are not met there should be consequences. There lies our power. Commitment to anything requires sacrifice. We may decline roles, security, higher positions and comfort but all in respect to a movement that is larger than us by generations.