Actively Waiting
Waiting in the Wings – photo courtesy of Ryan Gallagher
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Last week, I took a Lecoq-based physical theatre intensive in NYC. Thank you, Emmanuelle Delpech! And the biggest thing I pulled away from it is ‘Good things come from waiting in the wings for your space, for your timing to present itself.’ A lesson I learned on the playgrounds decades a go, waiting to jump in to double dutch. A lesson from play that I forgot to appropriate into my daily life.
A lot of the work that week was based in ensemble improvisation, long-form. Some going on for 20+ minutes under a one-word theme and 5-6 people. And I found myself standing in the wings for sometimes five minutes or more (which felt like an eternity) until I saw my hole, my opportunity to contribute uniquely, advancing the piece to the new or next level based off of what I absorbed from the group, the audience’s reactions and what I know about myself.
And it was always worth it. Never did the teacher force me out. Her patience with the ensemble was an inspiration and showed her comfort/experience with ensemble devised work. Relevant work can’t be forced, it has to come on its own.
Something from within me has to pull or push me on stage… to what end, I don’t know. No one can ever know when working with a group and we’re ALWAYS working with a group even when we think we’re alone. No one is isolated from the ensemble members of Time, History, Fear, Need, Space, Joy, Heart, Mind, Spirit and Body.
Productive waiting can’t be nervous, tense, pressured, fear-based and impatient.
The waiting has to be calm, attentive, ready and knowing that at some point an opportunity unique to you will present itself. The waiting isn’t for a plan to present itself, just a simple need – a reason for stepping forward.
SELF-OBSERVATION:
1. How long can you actively wait before getting nervous/anxious/bored?
2. What does Active Waiting feel like? Where does it live in your body, your breath, your focus?
3. When’s the last time you took a moment to find where you belonged in the space (office meeting, grocery store crowd, traffic, on stage)?