Leadership and Actor's as Spiritual Mediums

Hello and welcome to today’s edition!

Two areas I would like to cover today are:

• Leadership

• Actors as Spiritual Mediums

Let’s get into it.

Leadership

I’m grateful for my opportunity here at The Renaissance Theater. For what it is that I’m learning, I have to be honest, this experience is invaluable to me. Every rehearsal is another opportunity for me to learn even more about how to approach a collaborative space. There are tactics I don’t appreciate and tactics that I do. There’s also the practice of creating my character. Zach is an authority in the space, on stage, and this omnipotent presence, offering a very interesting and active look into the subject of leadership.

Because this topic has been increasingly important to me, I’ve been keeping a close eye on the leadership around me. I wanted to come in and culminate a few leadership notes that I’ve gained in this process and from speaking to cast and team members.

The Qualities of a Leader

• A Leader approaches with a beginner’s mindset, not a master's. To always learn alongside creates a genuinely collaborative space.

• A Leader leads by example. To lead by example is to come in with the qualities you hope your cast will mirror. There is an energy that you offer with every moment you are present in the space, and you must be conscious of that energy. Coming in with curiosity invites curiosity into the space. Coming in with the work invites the work into the space.

• A leader doesn’t state a particular space is safe, the leader creates and cultivates a safe space.

• A leader understands that trust can’t be rushed.

• A leader never asks for blind followers, this pairs back with the beginner’s mindset. We are here to approach something complicated, and we all have to work on this together.

• A leader must be ready and willing to learn constantly and make constant and consistent pivots and must be connected enough to do so seamlessly. —>

• This brings me to a note about perception. People see us differently than we see ourselves, that’s just a true statement, everyone has a different eye, and there are ways to enter into a space kindly, with intentionality, and respect.

• A leader cannot dismiss the subjectivity of the artistic craft and person. Dismissal of values, beliefs, ideas, and what people care for reflects a cold understanding of the self.

• A leader works alongside the ego, not crushing the ego, or allowing the ego to take control. To release control, to release title, to release authority, to release the work, to release all. A leader is an individual, not above, below, or beside. Simply, apart.

How I like to lead is by example. I know I don’t have enough active practice, and there’s so much to learn as someone who wishes to lead. I come back constantly to notes like these to learn what I can in hopes that I can be the best leader I can be when the time comes.

Actors as a spiritual medium

Activating a Spiritual Space

My joy has been most of my solo work communicating with my character. Discovering early life, the base human emotion, desires, needs, likes, dislikes, and how he’s met everyone. I’ll briefly describe the practice.

Starting with a movement warmup I settle into a breathing routine to over-oxygenate myself, this connects me to something, who the heck knows what, but it becomes pretty intuitive from there. Then, I listen. My character usually has something to say, and therefore I simply invite them into the space. I then speak moments out loud that occurred in the life of Zach at different ages. For example, I’ve gone in this order:

• 5

• 8

• 11

• 16

• 20

• etc.

The gaps between ages have no pattern, that’s intuitive.

The Messenger

These people are trying to tell me something, and I’m getting more and more proof of this theory. From the ghostly theater and space, from the voices that are aching to be heard. From the clarity in my connection to my character Zach, to how Zach approaches a room. How art genuinely will imitate life, to the messaging that is exactly the messaging I need in my everyday life. The line of curiosity is long, but when you listen, the only thing you want to do is just keep pulling.

With Zach, during my meditations, I got to learn how he was kicked out of the house for wanting to walk a different path from his father. How a stable family took him in, adopted him, and allowed him to dance freely. I learned about his first time meeting Cassie after a deeply spiritual experience on stage. His first Broadway audition, that led to his first job. I learned about his connections to those around him and the family he created. Those he had feelings for, those he avoided, and those he missed.

Zach is someone I look up to, not everything, as most things are a pick and choose, but his leadership is the catalyst to learning what kind of leader I want to be. That’s why an actor is a medium, they are there to listen, to be curious, and to find out what it is that the spirit is trying to relay to this world. What is it I wonder. I suppose I’m still wondering. I’m sure I’ll find it through the practice.

For those of you who are nearby and want to come see the show, you can get tickets here!

Much love today and every day,
Matt Piper 🐅🌱♊️