By Hazel Doolan
Happy December everyone! Hope you all have your shopping done or are ready to rest up for Christmas or are having a good one or whatever applies to when you’re watching/reading this. Let’s face it, 2020 has been like a technical rehearsal gone wrong in so many ways. For us here at Eva’s Echo we’ve had shows postponed, unanswered questions about the future and our beloved Echo Acting saw the effects too back in October. One thing that I have taken from this year though is how much mindfulness has not only helped during this time, but also with the creative process.
Back in April I felt so sorry for myself and thought the theatre world was ending. Then I also felt guilty that I wasn’t creating anything in my own time. The truth is I was in no mindset to do such a thing. Instead, I turned to yoga and meditation. Throughout any rehearsals I directed or any classes I taught I always placed emphasis on mindfulness and quieting the mind before and after each rehearsal/class. It was throughout this time and most recently that I realised I wasn’t practicing what I put so much emphasis on, what truth is in that?
To be honest I found this lockdown a lot harder than the last one. I’m not the biggest fan of the winter months and have a tendency to as my mam would put it ‘hatch’ inside. Many days I would’ve dragged myself to go for a walk and pass on any other exercise. Meanwhile I tried to squeeze any ounce of creativity out but to no avail. Most recently I braved the weather and went out. During the walk, I took some time to notice my surroundings and I was astounded. It was absolutely baltic but I noticed the colours of the leaves (or what was left), the sky, the fields and the sounds of nature. As Aristotle put it; ‘ To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold.’ After I had that walk I was bursting with creative ideas and there was no stopping me.
Today, I am training to be a mindfulness and meditation teacher. So far, I’ve noticed so many overlaps between new practices and techniques I’ve used in character development, warm ups and exercises in the rehearsal room. I’ve found that when running a theatre company, it becomes quite easy to forget these, but it is important to remind oneself to embody them. If arts practitioners can all enhance skills to live mindfully, I believe this will improve the quality of work produced and our working relationships.
Go raibh maith agaibh gach duine agus Nollaig Shona daoibh!
Eva's Echo 