Sometimes you do all this work every day, you put in the hours, you break things down and you build them back up ... and you wonder if it's even worth it. There are so many days where the proportion of performing to practicing is 1 hour for every 1,000 of practice, and you wonder if the pressure you put on yourself to make that 1 hour perfect is even remotely healthy.
Then every once in a while, you do a thing which makes it all worthwhile - everything you've been working on coalesces into something magical. Last night, I performed in a cabaret with some good friends. It was the first show in a 2-show gig, and first shows are notorious for being botchy dry runs and for "working out the kinks". It was also the first time we were actually singing with the microphones and a live sound system and we all know how those can go!
But last night was magical. I wasn't nervous. The crowd and the bright lights felt warm and welcoming. Vocally, the show is a tough sing but I was focused technically and I paced and executed the technical aspects of the show very well, and the mic felt like an old friend.
The most important thing - I realize now - is that I just allowed myself to enjoy the moment. I allowed myself to be present to my fellow actors and music director, to the audience, to our supporting team and to myself ... and to simply connect with the larger energy that was in the room. It felt magical. It felt like I was where I was meant to be.
These are the sorts of experiences that I work towards more consistently. That is what those countless hours of rehearsing are for - to be free to connect, to be free to tell a story that people related to.
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My name is Eu Jin. I recently embarked on a career as a professional actor after 20 years in the corporate world. A big supporter of personal growth, I also dedicate time and energy in performing arts education, specifically in the arena of practical approaches to inner health because I believe that lays the groundwork for a sustainable career as an artiste. If you would like to find out more or share your thoughts, please leave me a message on the "Contact" page of my website. Thank you very much!