In the years I worked in theatre and production I never heard anyone say that it was enough to just ‘turn up’ to work. As a performer it was drilled into me from an early age, that you should be the best version of yourself on every job – after all, it could be your last! If the rehearsal starts at 10:00, be there are 9:30 to stretch and warm-up – ready for the warm-up itself! That way, by the time the actual works starts, everything about you – what you are feeling and thinking – is completely centred, and focussed on what you are about to do, with the people that you are doing it with.
Obviously with busy lives, and logistics it is not always practical to arrive earlier than the call time, but we can practice the skill of being present, mindful of the task in hand, and with the intention to focus on nothing but the job in hand for the duration.
If we took the example of Stanislavski’s ‘fourth wall’ into the rehearsal room, as soon as the door shuts and the session begins, we ‘the actors’ should ignore the outside world and focus our attention exclusively on the job in hand – our world in that moment.
As a group of people within the space, we should focus solely on the craft and those that we are working with to achieve the best work possible, as an ensemble.
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