(no subject)
I am an actor.
In this day and age, it may be a frivolous thing to say; theatre appears to have reverted to the days of Shakespeare, when actors were literally dragged in off the streets. If one has two lines in a church play, he or she is an actor. But, for those of us who truly understand the power behind the word, actor is still a quite specific, magical thing.
I am not vain; I know I am not a great actor. I will never play opposite Hugh Jackman in next summer's blockbuster romance. I will never win an Oscar, a Tony, a People's Choice Award. But, each time I step foot on a stage, I feel. Theatre, and acting, by extension, is not merely an art; theatre is a way of life.
My life.
I am often confronted with the difficulty of explaining to others how important theatre is in my life. Being a writer, I may dazzle them with creative words describing what overcomes me opening night. I may share the thrill of performing before an audience, and knowing that each member thereof relates to my character and the situations I encounter. I can tell them how I feel when I am true to the story, and what I feel that moment I connect and become my character, and that moment I can step outside my character and enjoy the applause. These things, they may understand.
But, can I expect them to understand how I love the feel of a sheen wooden stage, or the smell that is unique to a theatre? Can I explain the pride I feel in every cut, bump, bruise, or burn, or how unusually attached I've become to my screw gun and my Gerber? These are special things that those born to the theatre inherently know and embrace, even if they cannot find the words with which they may share it with others. These are things that cannot be shared, but must be experienced.
Yet, even beyond these, there is something more. Something words could not possibly capture, for there are no words. These lie in the expanse that even I cannot understand. Why do I feel a constant yearning when I am not acting or working in a production? Why is a stage, even empty and dark, home?
It may be as simple as addiction, but how can one be addicted to that which is she? Theatre is woven into the strands of my DNA; the love of it pumps through my heart. It is what GOD has given me here on earth to feel closer still to HIM. I am what I act. I act because I am.
But, these words are vague, and I lost my purpose...
In this day and age, it may be a frivolous thing to say; theatre appears to have reverted to the days of Shakespeare, when actors were literally dragged in off the streets. If one has two lines in a church play, he or she is an actor. But, for those of us who truly understand the power behind the word, actor is still a quite specific, magical thing.
I am not vain; I know I am not a great actor. I will never play opposite Hugh Jackman in next summer's blockbuster romance. I will never win an Oscar, a Tony, a People's Choice Award. But, each time I step foot on a stage, I feel. Theatre, and acting, by extension, is not merely an art; theatre is a way of life.
My life.
I am often confronted with the difficulty of explaining to others how important theatre is in my life. Being a writer, I may dazzle them with creative words describing what overcomes me opening night. I may share the thrill of performing before an audience, and knowing that each member thereof relates to my character and the situations I encounter. I can tell them how I feel when I am true to the story, and what I feel that moment I connect and become my character, and that moment I can step outside my character and enjoy the applause. These things, they may understand.
But, can I expect them to understand how I love the feel of a sheen wooden stage, or the smell that is unique to a theatre? Can I explain the pride I feel in every cut, bump, bruise, or burn, or how unusually attached I've become to my screw gun and my Gerber? These are special things that those born to the theatre inherently know and embrace, even if they cannot find the words with which they may share it with others. These are things that cannot be shared, but must be experienced.
Yet, even beyond these, there is something more. Something words could not possibly capture, for there are no words. These lie in the expanse that even I cannot understand. Why do I feel a constant yearning when I am not acting or working in a production? Why is a stage, even empty and dark, home?
It may be as simple as addiction, but how can one be addicted to that which is she? Theatre is woven into the strands of my DNA; the love of it pumps through my heart. It is what GOD has given me here on earth to feel closer still to HIM. I am what I act. I act because I am.
But, these words are vague, and I lost my purpose...