Lights, Camera ... Pause?!

On the surface, a play is all about the Actors.  Great plays don't just have great Actors, they have to have a great Director and Producer too.  It's so tempting to get lost in the role of the Actor.  I know I gone through many scenes and acts without considering any other role ... or how it might transform my Play of Life.

Most of us are like the Actor who is lost in the Play of Life.  We live it, breathe it, and be it, summoning into existence.  Indeed, it is so vivid, so enrapturing, with its highs and lows, that we Actors often forget it is a Play and assume it to be reality.  While that may be fun, we miss out on the wealth of opportunities that exist to expand and deepen our role.
 
The Producer creates the vision for the play, they create its focus, its texture, its flavour, even its soundtrack.  Without this big picture, Actors may run around creating mayhem, rather than creating a Play of greater beauty, meaning and purpose.

The Director, rather like the coach at a match, stays off the stage and watches the play unfold.  Their distance means that they can coach the Actors, and help them find the best way to respond as events unfold in the Play of Life, while holding the Producer's vision for the Play front and centre.

So I've been working on a few simple questions to remind me about the Producer and Director Roles.  The Producer Questions are deeper questions, taking a meta-view of life, and require a little time and inner reflection, but in answering them well - and revisiting them from time to time, I create a more interesting and empowering Play of Life for myself.  The Director's questions are more strategic, aimed at helping the Actor focus on what is most meaningful in the Play of Life, rather than getting side-tracked in monologues!

Producer Questions


What is the Legacy I wish to leave behind?

• What brings me most joy in life - the people, the activities, the hobbies?
• When have I felt most alive and excited?
• What was the best team I ever worked with?  What was the shared goal?  What made it so much fun? 
• What can I do in the next year to bring more of these moments into my Life?
• What are my guiding values? what values do I cherish most in others?

Director Questions

• What have I done today to bring myself closer to creating an outstanding Life?
• How have I shared my guiding values with others through my Life today?
• What would I like to do differently tomorrow?