Patsy Rodenburg
Patsy Rodenburg, acting coach extraordinare and author of a number of books including one of my favorites, The Second Circle, has a six minute video posted on YouTube. This short piece could be viewed daily, a quick reminder of how to constellate your day. Her message is simple: Show up. Be present. Be in the moment. Engaged. Connected. “I think we are losing our presence as a society,” she warns.
Yes, her focus is on acting and actors. About how they are important in society because they are trained to be in the moment, now. To stay in that “second circle” which is that place of being present. In this clip Rodenburg tells the story of a very successful woman whose son committed suicide and then shared this insight with Rodenburg: “The only people who could deal with me in my loss were actors. They were the only ones who knocked on the door, came in and were present with me.”
My hermetic life in the studio is a far cry from being on stage, but Rodenburg’s message has a universality that inspires: “If you cannot get present, you cannot succeed.”
This is a wonderful video and merits repeated viewings.
Shit. This is totally my problem lately. Not being present. I go to work, I brave traffic, I try not to be an asshole. But little of that dailyness has anything to do with being present as a writer. Just shit.
V, So good to hear from you even though your message speaks to the challenges of being multi talented. You may have to bust your legalizing ass for a while but the writer in you will not stay duct taped under the back steps. I’m banking on her finding her moment to take charge again.