Why it's called what it is

Why is this blog called In The Moment?


Well, I'll tell you.


As actors, we often talk about being 'in the moment.' All good things in theatre happen 'in the moment.'  A director might say, 'yeah, Shawn, it didn't really feel like you were in the moment that time--I could feel you anticipate that.' We 're constantly trying to create moments, in theatre, right? We talk about them afterwards: 'Oh my God, that moment? At the end? When's she's all alone? I loved that moment...' Good theatre is really all about the creation, the orchestration of moments. Moments happen in theatre when the actors together with the audience co-create significant events that everyone is participating in fully, with their thoughts and their emotions.


In Buddhism, for example, the practice is all about bringing yourself into the moment. Focus on your breath and bring your awareness to the now. All meditation practice is geared toward full participation in the moment, the here and now, the moment.


So this expression really compels me and reflects two areas of my life that I am interested in, so that's why I called it that.


I guess it also points to the fact that theatre for me is a kind of spiritual practice. That is it ephemeral and immediate, that it is something you participate in, that you are a part of, that it is something co-created with others.