Tai chi and theatre

For the longest time my tai chi practice and my theatre practice seemed to be at odds: basically, whenever I had a theatre job, my tai chi suffered from lack of practice, and/or my body would be thrown out of whack from the busyness and stress. Being and doing. In theory, they should have complemented each other. In practice.. well, for the longest time they seemed to tug me in different directions.

Recently, however, I'm reaching a point where the two practices are sustaining each other. Or, to be more precise, I'm beginning to figure out a theatre practice that makes sense for me.

Actually, its really all about the quality of attention, and whether I can surrender to the moment (on cue). And I am gradually getting better at this in my tai chi, in part because that is what I need to do as a director. Finally, my theatre and tai chi practice are following the same principles.

Anne Bogart, director of the SITI company, writes: "As a director, my biggest contribution to a production and the only real gift I can offer to my actor is my attention. What counts most is the quality of my attention. From what part of myself am I attending? Am I attending with the desire for success, or am I attending with interest in the present moment? .. a good actor can instantly discern the quality of my attention, my interest."

Ditto tai chi.