Purposeful Presence
Class 1.4 in How to (Get People to) Show Up
Note: This is the next in our “course” / series on How to (Get People to) Show Up. The introductory post is here. Other posts in this course can be found here.
Lecture
This course is deeply rooted in my own experiences as a theatre artist, academic, and mindful practitioner. We'll explore how to build a framework for genuine, impactful presence in both your personal and professional life. I invite you to engage with this course wholeheartedly, not just as a spectator, but as an active participant in the journey toward authenticity.
What You'll Learn
Quick Wins: How to start showing up right now
A Blueprint: Strategies for manifesting your presence in various roles you play
Everyday Faithfulness: What it means to show up every single day
Tools and Techniques: Practical exercises to enhance your mindfulness and presence
My Journey to Presence
I hold degrees and conventional training across a fairly wide band of theatre and cultural performance studies, Shakespeare, acting, directing, and early modern performance. I’ve been teaching at the college level since 2007 and working regularly as a professional actor, director, and producer since that time, with thousands of hours logged in the rehearsal room as either the recipient or facilitator of actor coaching and training. I have performed or directed dozens of performances over the years with hundreds of fellow artists. Additionally, I am a creative and scholarly writer, with produced plays, peer-reviewed journal articles, and book reviews. My scholarship has largely focused on various kinds of training in a context informed by early modern (i.e., late Medieval through late Renaissance) theatre practice.
Despite these successes, I found myself in a growing and profound crisis in my life a few years ago. After years of chasing tenure and promotion, founding a theatre company, and working incredibly hard on my career and craft, I had essentially self-traumatized my life to the point of near ruin. I was physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually out of shape. I was consumed both by the struggles of the past and overwhelmed by the pressures of the future -- the obsessive need to build some sort of legacy. I had allowed my pursuit of achievement inside both the academy and the theatre world to become an overriding and consuming addiction.
I was not present in my own life.
I lacked the skills to fend off acute stress, burnout, discouragement, and the clinical anxieties, depressions, and diagnoses that followed. I engaged the help of multiple doctors and therapists, began devouring podcasts that spoke to my conditions, began study with a Buddhist monk, explored spiritual direction, employed an intentional diet and exercise plan, sometimes with coaching help, and got to work. I was in a dark place for a very long time -- years, even -- but these modalities helped me plant seeds that have borne fruit. Undergirding all of this crisis work was a continuing thread of mindfulness. Therapists encouraged mindful waking and sleeping routines, meditation, and calming exercises. Doctors encouraged intentional eating and body movement, mindful scheduling, the establishment of healthy boundaries, and more. My Buddhist teacher called for two thirty-minute seated meditation sessions per day, along with a dedicated physical practice like yoga, martial arts, or Reiki. I joined a graduate liberal arts program in part as a way of making space for myself and in part as a way of tuning up my intellectual fitness. During my time in the program, my coursework has again and again revisited the problems of trauma and the potential solutions found across an array of traditions and modalities, from Shamanism to Jungian analysis, and from philosophical inquiry to embodiment work.
My experience in mindfulness these last few years has therefore been a mix of cognitive, embodied, and trauma-oriented therapy, Buddhist study and practice with a monk whose work is grounded in the vajrayana tradition, Reiki, physical training, and the research that informs these practices to some degree. I have arrived at some modalities, such as therapeutic Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), via recommendations of trusted scholars. Most of the rest of my experience in mindfulness is generally clinical in nature, with my concern these past years mostly centering onwhether the practices would work on me, led by the guidance of caring therapists, de facto spiritual directors, and my informal exploration through my social circles, communities, and the Web.
During these explorations, I’ve discovered for myself the ability to address my health across a range of ways I encounter the world. I see the body, exercise, diet, time, intention, energy work, meditation, informal mindfulness, therapy, and much more as a way of strengthening and preparing myself to both avoid and process trauma and its triggering threats. At the same time, I’ve noticed that some of the tools of mindfulness are and have been embedded in my life in the theatre -- even though I didn’t employ them knowingly or mindfully in most cases until very recently.
This course recognizes the impact that trauma can have on presence, as well as the connection between trauma and empathic engagement. This course considers principles of Trauma-Informed Care when it comes to engaging with our audiences. TIC, used primarily in human services, assumes that an individual is more likely than not to have a history of trauma and that this trauma can play significant roles in our lives. TIC is not meant to treat symptoms or issues related to trauma - after all, not all of us are qualified to do that. But it is meant to provide support that is appropriate and accessible to those who have experienced trauma and to avoid instances of re-traumatization. It asks "What has happened to me/them?" instead of "What is wrong with me/them?".
My goal in this course is to acknowledge and illuminate the worlds I’ve described here and the worlds of community building in all the worlds you and I belong to: organizations, teams, boards, audiences, clients, customers, staff, leads -- you name it -- in one area where they share a common interest: the cultivation of presence. By using the body, mind, heart, and spirit, we can help to create presence for the actor. And it is my belief that we are all actors and performers of some sort.
A Side Note
So a note here: I’m going to use a lot of these terms interchangeably throughout the course because the principles we’re covering apply in so many places. Perhaps a default word or term here for most people in some form of business is “client,” but it is absolutely the case that the client is also known by different names: customer, audience, staff, another organization, a board member you have to “sell” an idea to, volunteers, potential sponsors or investors, and so on. What we’re really talking about is other people -- whether those be individuals, groups, businesses, or organizations. These people are the people you have or want to have some sort of relationship with. Some sort of community.
Stuff for Showing Up
At-Home Activities
Activity 1: Mindful Journaling
Reflect on a moment this week when you were fully present. Write down the physical sensations, emotional tones, and thoughts that accompanied this state.
Activity 2: Breathing Exercise
Follow a guided breathing exercise for 10 minutes. Note any shifts in your emotional or mental states.
Social Activities
Activity 1: Presence in Conversation
Engage in a 20-minute conversation with a friend or family member. Make it a point to actively listen, make eye contact, and react sincerely.
Activity 2: Community Gathering
Host or attend a community gathering, either online or offline. Observe your level of engagement and report back.
Discussion Questions
How does trauma affect your ability to be present?
What methods are you using to cultivate presence in your life?
Do you see a connection between mindfulness practices and your professional roles?
Trauma-Informed Care and Empathy
Trauma can be a significant barrier to achieving authentic presence. This course acknowledges this and incorporates principles of Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) to better understand and engage with our audiences, be they clients, students, or community members.
A World of Many Roles
Whether you're a client, an audience member, a teacher, sportsballer, or an actor, the principles of presence apply universally. The language may change—client, customer, team, audience—but the essence remains the same: we are all performing roles and desire genuine connections.
Final Thoughts
This course is more than just a study; it's a practice that I hope will become a part of your daily life. Let's journey together in cultivating a world where we don't just show up, but we are fully, gloriously present.
Your Turn
I invite you to share your insights, questions, and reflections. Your active participation here is an exercise in presence itself. Let’s create a communal 'Bonfire Experience,' where each ember contributes to a transformative blaze.