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I just finished the 21 Day Meditation Challenge with the Chopra Center yesterday. It takes 3 weeks of  “consistent behavior to change a habit or create a new one, such as establishing a regular exercise routine, eating a healthier diet, or taking time each day for self-care”. This is so true. It has been easier for me to adjust to a healthier lifestyle by making  this commitment. It isn’t easy and I am far from perfect. However, I committed and I did the challenge to the best of my abilities. Meditation is something I really wanted to embrace but was a bit scared to start. Focusing can be a problem.  I would begin and then without fail,  my mind would wander and I would have to bring it back. It did get better as I did every day. I even want to go hide in my office and meditate. I enjoy the silence. I find that I don’t fly off the handle as much anymore. I just try to find stillness.

The other committment I made is being a part of The Daily Challenge. It “promotes everyday well-being by encouraging the small actions and fostering the social ties that drive meaningful change.”  There are different tracks like Conquering Clutter, Money Matters and Agile Back. Every day you are given a challenge that helps with your well-being. I have been doing this for about 5 months. So far, I have been able to de-clutter my home and get rid of junk (I also watch Hoarders which completely freaks me out); get on a budget; and not have as much back pain through doing yoga.

I also try to do something theater related every day. That can be blogging, seeing a show, advising others on their show, thinking about new projects. When I do that, I don’t find myself pulling away from what I love.  It is always fresh in my head.

So find something you want to do and commit yourself to doing it for 21 days. It could be anything. You will see and feel the difference.

Rejection is one of the worst feelings to endure especially when they happen in quick succession. Whether it’s not getting a response to an email, finding out news through the grapevine, or being told no, deciding how to address the rejection isn’t that easy.

This past week, there was an event I really wanted to go to but I couldn’t get the time from my job. In this case, I asked for advice. No truly is a complete sentence. It was in my best interest not to attend the event. I had to weigh the consequences as well as the benefits. The consequences outweighed the benefits.  Sometimes what I am interpreting as rejection may be an expiration date. That’s hard to stomach at times but I also have to be a realist. I, again, have to weigh the circumstances.  Not everything lasts forever though that’s what I want. Or is it?

Then I had to take a moment and look at the opposite of rejection. For me, it’s inclusion. In quick succession, I realized how fortunate I am to be included in something bigger than myself. Plus it’s my choice how I handle both.

And with that, I have to remember that everything comes with its opposite.

If you are free on Tuesday, I am doing a staged reading of Pirandello’s Sicilian Limes at The Players Club.

Also, stay tuned for info on our auditions for Twelfth Night!

How good is that?! I know I have felt like that many times.  I have always said that I am a director even though I have another job that pays my bills. If I say I am a legal secretary, I can feel the despair set in and distancing from my true aspirations.

I love Oprah’s Master Class.  I enjoy the style in which the celebrities share their stories. They always have a nugget of inspiration about how they continue on when the chips are down.

I never know what theme will be repeated during the week but declare who you are started the week and ended the week. The other source is an unlikely one. However, it’s not that odd that the first one would be from theater and movies and the second one would be from music.

 The second time I heard it was at the Motorhead concert I attended at the Garden on Saturday.  Lemmy screached in his raspy voice, ” We are Motorhead and we play rock and roll!!!” He’s been saying that throughout the band’s 40 year career. 

Morgan and Lemmy have been living the life they want because simply, they say so.

My name is Malini and I am a director/producer.

This week I rant about audience members not respecting theater. 

I wanted to see The Mountaintop with Angela Bassett and Samuel L. Jackson  since September. I got to see it this week in a nick of time as it closed this past weekend. The experience of seeing movie stars work on the stage, in the flesh,  is extra special for me. It’s an honor to share the same creative space with them. I felt that honor when I saw Private Lives with Kim Cattrall; Proof with Jennifer Jason Leigh; Inherit the Wind with Christopher Plummer and Brian Dennehy (Al Pacino happened to be in the audience – so cool). 

Yet, others don’t feel the same way. I am constantly distracted. This time I near fell off The Mountaintop…but didn’t.

Picture it: The people in front of me and next to me texted throughout the performance. I have done theater long enough to know how to keep my focus but not for nothing, it is really hard to stay focused when the lights are down and all of sudden I am blinded by the light of a cell phone. Towards the end of The Mountaintop, which is about the night before Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination and his last moments at the Lorraine Motel, three people who were sitting in front of me got up to go to the bathroom. While they were gone, Angela Bassett closes the show with a beautiful and moving monologue to the audience. We were so moved. I am sure not a dry eye in the house. The audience members returned after the applause died down.  All I could think was, “Wow, you just missed the opportunity to see a multi-award winning actress give a performance..in the flesh.”

But that’s how it is at all the shows I go to see.  In the last year, this is what I observed:

• Talking
• Texting
• Someone forgot to turn their iPod off (their playlist was on repeat)
• Forgetting to turn off phones
• Getting up in the middle of an intense moment
• Saying the lines with the actors
• Sleeping

All I am saying is please don’t blind me with your phone when the lights go down at the theatre. And give the actors the respect of tuning into the work that they are doing on that stage. Here’s a tidbit…if you can hear them, they can hear you.

If you have goals, strive for them. They are achievable.
If you have a desire, believe in it. It will manifest.
If you have fear, face it. It doesn’t control you.

My Round Robin is a desire that I had, a goal I wanted to achieve. I am glad that I was able to do face my fear of doing it. Sharing my experiences on shrinking a budget was as helpful to me as it was to the attendees.

We focused on the one aspect of producing a show that seems simple but sometimes can become complicated: creating the budget and staying within said budget. I have been fortunate not to go over my budgets but I have chosen to spend on line items that were unnecessary (for e.g., paying for a publicist, programs, concessions). So having the opportunity to share these experiences with fellow producers brought back some “fund” memories.

The focus of the workshop is starting with why produce a show. Once you can answer that question, the rest will fall into place. Then you can create a simple budget, figure out where to save money, how to get funds and how to promote it. And if you still are lost, no worries. I plan to do another Shrink Your Budget Workshop.

In other news, Godspell is kicking off Talk Back Tuesdays as of tomorrow with individual cast members. You can visit http://www.godspell.com for more information.

Also, from January 17 to February 4th, you can see some Broadway shows for 2 for 1 tickets.

Have a great week!