The Theatricality Of Life
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”
~William Shakespeare
I’ll start by saying that I was not always ‘a theatre kid.’ My father was a Second City actor and I grew up around theatre, which means I did everything possible to move as far away from my parent’s occupations as possible. I was an independent ten year old, dammit! I was NOT, I repeat, NOT, going to be like my parents and I definitely was NOT going to do the same thing he did or major in the same field or apply to his alma mater. It was NOT going to happen.
Naturally, it did happen, because that’s how these things work. The further I tried to push theatre away, the more engrossed I became. The first prominent role I played as an actor was Louise in ‘Because They Have No Words.’ Louise was a fiery, independent woman (ain’t life ironic?). After a long history with her family that led to separation, Louise was living in New Orleans at the time of Hurricane Katrina. ‘Because They Have No Words’ was a courageous tale of a man on a mission to rescue animals that had been lost or wounded after the disaster. After speaking with the playwright, my director pulled me aside and told me that Louise was named after the state of Louisiana, and that Louise’s pain in the story told the stories of countless people whose lives were torn apart in Katrina’s wake. I was representing the silent, the voiceless, and the fearful. I had a job to do; I had to tell their stories.
As theatre artists, it’s our job to tell stories with compassion and empathy. As human beings, we have a responsibility to live with the same values. Theatre teaches compassion through story. Every character that has ever been written in a play or screenplay, from Lord Voldemort to Shakespeare’s Juliet, has lived in reality. Its the number one rule of writing; write what you know. Designer, director, technicians and actors all have one job: tell and honor the story. How is it possible to hate or judge someone when you know their story and where they come from.
As a collaborative art, theatre also teaches the number one aspect of human interaction: communication. The ability to say ‘Yes And’ to another human being allows us to try new things, explore new ideas and see through new lenses.
Imagine a corporate meeting. The CEO sits at the head of the table in her suit, her expression primed for business. The meeting secretary sits on her left, already taking notes. As the meeting starts, business women and men throw out ideas as to how they can raise company profit. Upon hearing the first few words of their ideas, the CEO says ‘No’ and moves on.
How can one possibly know the options if not all options are explored. There’s an old saying that says ‘The gold comes after the third.’ In theatre, this means that if we hear the word ‘yes’ three times in response to an idea, we start to think of the good ideas, the gold. People in theatre arts are not wired any differently. If we think on that rationally, the idea of gold coming after the third would apply to everyone; theatre-folk are just the first to acknowledge it.
I’m not telling you to drop everything you’re doing and become a theatre artist. I’m telling you that maybe, there is something to be learned from theatre. Its hard for people in theatre to say ‘No,’ simply because we are trained not to. Negating goes nowhere, agreement is ascension. If nothing else, theatre can teach us how to do what we did as children; play, get creative, and say yes to everything. When was the last time you heard a 5 year old say ‘No’ to play and creativity? Probably a long time. Maybe, the next time you’re in your corporate meeting, or at school, or in a class, say ‘Yes’ to the first thing you hear. Agree with an idea and add onto it. Saying ‘Yes’ doesn’t mean that if someone says “JUMP OFF A CLIFF,” you should say ‘Yes.’ What you should say is “Yes, and I’m hearing that you’re looking for an adventure. How about we go skydiving/hiking/mountain climbing instead?”
You don’t have to be just a ‘theatre kid’ to say ‘Yes’ to the theatricality of life.