Round The Twist: A Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all! And a week of change and adjustment for the cast, as Sally had to drop out, temporarily, after sustaining an injury during a show, resulting in Bryony taking over, a script in hand and the bull grabbed firmly by the horns.

The theme of adjustment has played as one of the main melodies in my life for the last week, not just professionally. For the first time in my life I will spend Christmas Day with my partner's family this year (we will spend New Year with mine). We have also made plans on where to live next: possible locations include South London and Walthamstow Central. Any suggestions gratefully received! My partner Holly has just learned she has TV work beginning next year, which requires travelling to Scotland for two months. My Grandpa has just left hospital after a brief visit there.

Actors deal with work changes regularly, as one job finishes to announce another, or more likely, a new period of unemployment. High taxation, the artificial restriction of house building, copyright monopolies and the licensing of venues for performance combine to restrict the number of jobs available for us, and at the same time increase the amount of money we must earn in order to support ourselves. So we experience a great deal more insecurity and novelty than those who choose other professions.

While I deplore the restrictions placed by the powerful on our abilities to support ourselves, those restrictions fertilize our spiritual natures. Marcus Aurelius would applaud the stoicism and gritty determination of the people I find myself privileged to work alongside, and Siddhartha Gautama their compassion. Ayn Rand and Bernard Shaw alike would admire the methods actors develop to support themselves in their periods of unemployment. Leary would beam a toothy grin back at the resolutely cheery faces who choose this path. The more time I spend in this job, the more I find my fellow travellers teach me about things outside of the theatre doors.

A powerful example: The nature of a change resides not in the change, but the observer. Approach something fearfully, and it will appear fearful. Do physical actions suggesting your relationship with a thing, and your body will begin to supply the appropriate sensations and feelings. That's method acting. Equally, approach a change with love and joy, and the power of the change will fuel those emotions.

Adjustment rocks! The more fluid your responses become, the better you thrive. As Lao Tse and a famous mountaineer both observed, change is stability, and stability change. And as the most famous Rabbi once said, the kingdom of God is, literally, at hand: since as Stanislavski observed of any state, start acting as though it is there, and sure enough, it turns up.

Merry Christmas!