Honest Theater: When The Abyss Stares Back
An amazing thing has been happening lately. The actors in Camelot have been stepping fully into their parts, and feeling the emotions written in the story. Now, Camelot could be played as a fluff piece, but as I've mentioned briefly before it can also be played with a great deal of depth. And why wouldn't it be? Even dressed down this is a story of love and loss that has survived in various iterations since the 5th century AD. Obviously it has something going on beyond "Strange women lying in ponds as a form of government".
As with any even remotely worthwhile piece of art, Camelot is a reflection of a part of the human condition. It depicts the growth of three people who are disabused of their fanciful notions of the way the world works and the way they themselves work, at a very high cost. (I separate this from your average Arthurian legend and let it stand on its own since it departs fairly heavily from the traditional stories, while still drawing its main substance from them.)
The story is full of conflict and heartache which I've been absolutely thrilled to see brought to the stage, despite not receiving a ton of guidance from the directorial team. But here's where the abyss comes in: I just learned that the actor bringing the most life to the story has been told to tone it down by the directorial team. I am... Well I wish I could say I was surprised, but I am absolutely disappointed.
Our team stared into the face of what they believed to be a romantic little jaunt, and they saw truth staring back at them. What they saw made them uncomfortable and conflicted with their initial vision of the plot. So instead of changing their perception, they're trying to change someone else's interpretation of the story. An interpretation that I, personally, think is right on the money. Basically people poured heart and soul into a piece and got this in response:
Art changes people. It is SUPPOSED to make you question, to make you uncomfortable. To make you feel comforted. Art allows us to fulfill the drive to understand and be understood. But we do not always like what we see when we stare into the abyss. Personally. I think that's why we need to.
As with any even remotely worthwhile piece of art, Camelot is a reflection of a part of the human condition. It depicts the growth of three people who are disabused of their fanciful notions of the way the world works and the way they themselves work, at a very high cost. (I separate this from your average Arthurian legend and let it stand on its own since it departs fairly heavily from the traditional stories, while still drawing its main substance from them.)
The story is full of conflict and heartache which I've been absolutely thrilled to see brought to the stage, despite not receiving a ton of guidance from the directorial team. But here's where the abyss comes in: I just learned that the actor bringing the most life to the story has been told to tone it down by the directorial team. I am... Well I wish I could say I was surprised, but I am absolutely disappointed.
Our team stared into the face of what they believed to be a romantic little jaunt, and they saw truth staring back at them. What they saw made them uncomfortable and conflicted with their initial vision of the plot. So instead of changing their perception, they're trying to change someone else's interpretation of the story. An interpretation that I, personally, think is right on the money. Basically people poured heart and soul into a piece and got this in response:
Art changes people. It is SUPPOSED to make you question, to make you uncomfortable. To make you feel comforted. Art allows us to fulfill the drive to understand and be understood. But we do not always like what we see when we stare into the abyss. Personally. I think that's why we need to.