AND BREATH

Well, Elegies finished yesterday afternoon.  It was beautifully attended by many from the theatre community and I have to say, the love that came us really made us feel like it IS a community.  So warm, and they were really listening and going on the journey with us.  Elegies has really been an incredible experience a second time around.  There were moments of great joy as well as deep frustration for me but what an interesting time observing the audience and how they “felt” us.  Literally every show was a different adventure in how they would hear it.  A real test of an artist’s ability to be simple and present and be in the moment with commitment because there were definitely moments that could have thrown one off.

But as for a cast . . . . I could not have been more blessed.  So wonderful and loving and open and fun and dedicated.  I love every one of the people I got to play with every show – including our amazing pianist John Hughes and our fantastic stage manager Lisa Humber.  I wouldn’t take that time back for anything.  But a break will be nice now.

Then last night, I went to the launch of Micah Barnes new single, New York Story at Jazz Bistro. It was a packed house, my people . . . he sang his ass off.   He sounded like a dream and the audience truly lost their minds.  It was great.

And now the single is available for download.  Have a listen here:

or here:

http://www.shazam.com/discover/track/111562589

or here:

http://www.7digital.com/artist/micah-barnes/release/new-york-story

Great night of music.

And now a day off – for real.  And then I start to get ready for the upcoming concert bits I’m doing.

And I’ve been having some other thoughts to share with my reading peeps.  As I’m trying to think of what to do next, I realized that part of what I would like to do it start helping other people. I’ve had such generous teachers and coaches and learned so much from them and I started thinking about how, as actors, we get so  much from pros who have been around and pass on their info to new generations.  Over the last several years, I’ve been doing a lot more coaching and masterclasses.  With my cabarets, for years I never believed anyone would want to watch or listen to just me alone; well I’ve realized I have felt the same thing about coaching – like people wouldn’t want to hear what I think about performing.  But what I’ve realized is I really like taking people through material and how to dig deeper into text and make it  jump off the page as living thought.  And what’s better, the people I’ve been coaching have really been making big leaps.  I guess I don’t have to be Meryl Streep to have something valuable to offer.  I’ve realized I love taking actors through the work; connecting the actor indelibly to the material; digging into ideas, music; exploring the use of rhetoric, rhythm – everything is a story-telling tool.

I think it’s time to give whatever I can back to the business that has given, and continues to give, so much to me.  Time to pay it forward, if you will.   So I’m going to start coaching more and if people come to me, great.   If they don’t, I guess I’m shitty and I should do something else but at least I’ll know I gave it a crack.  LOL  I’ll be in and out of Toronto for the next bit but if you y’all know someone who wants coaching, catch me on Facebook or they can e-mail me at: [email protected].

Well, I guess I’ve launched that for real now.  Heehee.

More things to come as time goes on.

And thanks for coming to hang here with me everyone.