Social Change and Acting: A Notebook from LS&CO Studios

Michèle's Thoughts in the Wake of the Pandemic and the George Floyd Killing.

What an extraordinary time we live in, and only getting more so with each passing day. The opportunity for real societal and potentially lasting global change stands squarely in front of us now - challenging us, daring us to face the complexities and mythologies we have so stubbornly built and harbored in ourselves, our history, and our ineffectual social models. We have, at this juncture, en masse, realized we do have dreams for something better. We may want to make it more like what we know it could BE.

The voices of the oppressor and the perennially oppressed have risen in unprecedented cacophony and vigor. Not only in confrontation with one another but, in some instances, in solidarity and, finally, in resistance to painful, mind- and heart-numbing injustices so long denied. The uncertainty, dare I say, of the advent of a global pandemic and the swift ensuing lockdown and isolation, minutes from the waking tiger of our racial reckoning, spurred by the long-ago mobilized Black Lives Matter movement, has forced some of us, whether we like it or not, to turn the lights on in our minds, our hearts and our bodies, to at long last, LOOK.

Maybe we should take a real look this time. And maybe, if we're lucky and we do the hard work—the work we don't want to do or don't think we have to do—we could one day look up to ourselves and each other and finally revere, respect, and strive at all costs to protect this magical thing we call LIFE.

As artists and storytellers, we have been tasked throughout history with standing firm on the front lines of this privileged and fortunate journey. Our job has always been to ask the tough questions and then face every single truthful answer at its deepest and most inconvenient. And then soon after that, we have to ask another tough question, and then another.

At the LS&CO Studio Conservatory and through the productions of our Gracemoon Arts Company, we pledge to continue to explore the Acting art form from a conscious, realistic, and scientific perspective and, at the same time, from a transcendent, intuitive, and universal perspective. All on the way to uncovering whatever new piece of information and reality promises to bang at our door relentlessly until we LISTEN. We will act on exclusion scenarios, using our understanding of body language to enhance empathy and communication, culminating in a final performance reflecting real-life experiences and fostering social change. Through our storytelling, we acknowledge the interconnectedness of human beings, employing many forms of narrative to address mental health and mental health problems. Our scripts empower actors to share their stories, navigating power dynamics and psychological distress with a focus on self-care, ultimately connecting our work to real life.

We will continue to encourage actors to express their true voice and their personal vision, no matter the depth of fear or block preventing them from doing so. We won't enable a quietened voice, or a suppressed voice, but allow the vibration of truth, regardless of how deeply it is hidden. In essence, to help the actor be, once and for all, who they indeed are and want to be. Only then, through this free expression, can we inspire others to do the same. We will clear out space, wherever and whenever we convene, physically, online, or simply through our hearts, to declare our expressions of love openly. We can all agree that our expression is desperate to be heard, no matter how often we fail, are rejected, laughed at, or beaten down.

We plan to continue to work on as much challenging scripted material as we always have. From the theatre canons and the film screenplays to the stories we write ourselves, that address or attempt to address the subjects that distort our humanity and existence. Like racial divide and genocide, sex, sexuality, sexual and violent oppression, misogyny, our crimes against nature, our ancestries, our vanities, self-loathing, fear of death, fear of life, lies, and LOVE.

We will also continue to deepen and develop our 'present exercise' and' execution exercise' modules to encourage true human communication and connection at the deepest and most hidden vulnerability and vibration—something I believe is paramount to truthful and multidimensional acting and, by extension, a truthful and multidimensional LIFE.

I've always thought of the Art of Acting as a sublime symphonic conversation between Actors and the Audience, which carries with it a unique potential for human healing. And I've always wanted to do anything I could to help the actor set aside whatever is in the way of the world hearing their unique piece of music.