BWW Blog: Kathryn Mowat Murphy - Multitasking Work, Art and Life

Hey everyone,

It's coming to the end of winter, and our nerves are frayed. We look out the window, turn on the TV, or listen to the radio in the hope that the sun will be shining. We long for our flip-flops and wish we didn't have to carry 20lbs of dance gear, warm-ups, and audition garb in our bags. Why do we carry all this stuff? Because we take it with us to our survival jobs and don't have time to drop it off at home. We'd rather go to our dance class, singing lesson or expensive acting course that we've signed up for on the advice of our agent. We stop, take a breath, and wonder: is this worth it? This leads me to my topic this week:

Multitasking work, art and life

If you're a performer living in NYC, consider yourself a dedicated human being. Whether you are one of the lucky ones whose parents are paying the rent, or if you got off the bus -train or plane with less than 100 bucks in your pocket without any idea of what to do next, or whatever category you fit into, then, I say again, you are a dedicated human being. You live to work in this business. But it takes a minute.

My rehearsals, since the beginning, have always had at least one or two people missing. My dancers are juggling three or more commitments, and I get it. When they are in the room they are amazing and fully invested in working for me. They perform to the highest level possible. I love them all for this because I can see how exhausted they are.

I've managed to finish the choreography, and I am (almost) happy with it. What I think is amazing is the piece did not suffer because of the missing bodies-- if anything it found a new course to follow and, like life, found its calm.
This can be said for the dance/actor/singer community. Not just performers--you do whatever is necessary to keep afloat. This is what shapes all of you, not only into amazing people, but soulful exquisite performers.

I see this in my dancers. I look at them differently as a choreographer. It's as if I have been given a pair of 3D glasses and now I see so many more of their layers. As a dancer, I didn't see it. Most likely, I was too concerned with my own situation.

So my point to all of this is, whether you are in an office answering phones for a bunch of lawyers, teaching Pilates, waiting tables, or looking after a bunch of screaming 5 year olds, don't stop going to class Keep going to those auditions, doing a reading for free, or dancing for a pal in a benefit . Because it will happen.

It's just a matter of time.

It's all up to you. You have to just wait it out.

I remember a yoga teacher saying in class, "'don't give up a minute before the miracle."So many people do, and they regret it. I see them return after taking a few years off, they are older, out of show shape, and looking a little less sure of themselves. They try to get the "eye of the tiger" back, but it's hard the second time around. Some manage to do it, and I say bravo, but some never find their stride again.

If you have been thinking about chucking it all in, I want you to ask yourselves two questions, which Nelma, my mum, who has always been my biggest champion, once asked me:

1. Will I be happy away from all of this?

2. Can I go to a normal life and be just one of the many. ?

If it's yes, then good luck my friends. I only wish you the absolute best.

If it's no, then good luck my friends. I only wish you the absolute best.

Your decision will not change me, or anyone else, but it will change you.

I did ask myself these two questions again, just recently, when my marriage ended. Life became much harder financially, as it all fell on me alone. My answer was: I am in this until the end Damn it, no matter what.

If that means living on peanut butter sandwiches and going on a date just so I can eat, then so be it. (Oh Come on, surely some of you have done this, or, at the very least, have been on the date knowing things were not going to work out but shrugged and ordered the steak anyway.)

We are three weeks away from the performance. I am happy with my dancers and feel so fulfilled that I can do what I love. To be perfectly honest, I still don't know if what I am doing is any good, but that's the deal when you try anything new.

I recently ran into a young dancer who choreographed a short piece for a benefit. He was a swing in a show I did years ago. He's all grown up and an ensemble member of a Broadway show. When I commented on the fact that I didn't realize he choreographed, he looked me dead in the eye and said, 'I'm going to be the next 'Bob." Oh, to have that amount of confidence in oneself, or is it delusion? Either way, I believe he will go far.

Next week we begin to clean and fix. I will be showing the piece to people I love and respect. I want their opinions. This is always a scary prospect for both parties as

1) Do I really want to hear it?

2) Will they really be honest? My guess is that they will be. Gulp! So I will let you know.

Update on my injured dancer: he is healing and able to everything that is asked of him and more.

Until next week, stay tuned.

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