The teachers of my life

Here are mine:

Eric Morris. I never studied directly under Eric Morris. I have read his five books on acting, and that's as far as any instruction I can ever get from him. I have never attended a workshop that faithfully taught his system. That's okay. The truth is, you don't learn acting from books. Still, Morris is a force in my life. His unquenchable quest for truth in acting is something I strive for in my work. He teaches emotional honesty and the value of daily hard work.

I am a bad student of Morris's. I have never learned sense memory or how to use it in my stage or scene work. I do know it works, though. I once was given a single white rose by a lover. Thrilled, I sniffed it all day. I fell in love with the fragrance of that rose. Without any effort to sense memorize its scent, I kept putting it up my nose for pure pleasure. A week later, when the rose is dead and dried up, I was watching TV. It was the Avon Color commercial with Lea Salonga. Suddenly, a bouquet of red roses bursts out of nowhere, and I smelled it. I was watching the flowers on TV, but their fragrance filled my nose!

I might have abandoned his lessons on and off for years but I keep going back to BEING and relaxation exercises, and relationship exercises, and inner and outer awareness. These have helped me tremendously. Eric set me up on a journey towards a creative discovery and honesty in craft. He piqued my curiosity and opened my eyes to the possibility of being absolutely truthful on the stage, and to get to that it involves a lot of daily work.

Julia Cameron. The Artist's Way is pivotal for me. Where Morris was extremely pragmatic, Cameron was that, too, and also spiritual. I still do my morning pages. I'm due for an artist date today. I learned how to nurture myself because of JC. Most importantly, I learned to humbly ask for God's help whenever I'm out on a creative task, and whenever I run dry.

Natalie Goldberg. I learned vipassana meditation from S.N. Goenka, but Nat showed me another form of meditation: writing practice. I am on it now and it keeps me off my lazy butt pushing pen onto the page. I am a writer, yes, but also a human being. That's what I learned from her. Morris lit the torch for my acting, Goldberg did the same for my writing, Cameron was the glue that gelled both together. Strangely, my writing affects my acting. This is a recent discovery, and I"ll be exploring more of it for years, God-willing.

Thanks, Nat, for showing me another path. You're a trailblazer.

Anton Juan. I'm biased but Sir A is my favorite professor of all time. Morris, Cameron, Goldberg were absentee teachers. I learned from them through their books. But Anton Juan was present for me. You stand beside him and he is there, present with all his being. He showed me how integrity is the most important trait of the artist. He taught me this by living it. He taught me with his work, with his life. He will forever be a cherished teacher and a good friend. It's a great privilege to have been in your classes.

Emerita Tagal. Mrs. Tagal taught Literature in my high school. I wonder if she's still there, awakening and cracking open young minds to the beauty and majesty of world literature. I hope so. I looked at the website and I am pretty sure that's her in the picture: http://www.sja.edu.ph/services.htm. But here's a secret: I saw her one afternoon reading a Robert Ludlum novel. I thought, "Ludlum's not part of our reading assignments. Why, he's a suspense writer!" Then a synapse connected in my brain. You mean we can read books that aren't in the reading list? We can read just for the pure pleasure of it? The answer is a resounding Yes!

Without Mrs. Tagal I would not have pursued the art of the written or spoken word. I fell in love with literature, whether between the covers of a book, or on stage in the theater, because of that one day when I saw Mrs. Tagal enjoying a suspense novel.

Jonathan Bradford. Pastor Jonathan has something only gifted teachers have: the power to inspire his students to learn and study on their own. He told us of how when he was young he'd study the Scriptures, and still does so today. He reads the Bible out of pure love for its Author. He teaches with humility, clarity, and authority. After his classes on Basic Doctrine and Bible Interpretation, I never read the Bible the old way again: haphazardly, nonchalantly. Now I take out my tools and dig, dig, dig until I get to the jewels. Pastor Jonathan, when we get to heaven, I'm sure your crown will have many, many jewels.

Melvin Lee. Now I have to add Teacher Melvin to this list. He plays Chelsea in PETA's Care Divas. He also taught Basic Acting in PETA's Summer Workshop in 2011. The greatest thing he's taught me, and our class for that matter, is the value of balance. Moderation. Living life fully both on the stage and off. His immortal words to me are: Relax, okay? Be grateful for the idea of participating in the drama called life. A toast to you, Sir Melvin. You made a fan of my wife, too!

There they are. The teachers of my life. They say when you find one teacher who enriches your life forever, consider yourself lucky. Well, I've had more than one.

How about you? Who are the teachers of your life?