1.5.05
What is the Value of Acting and Theater?
After seeing two plays this weekend and due to see Cabaret next weekend I have been reflecting on the whys and wherefores of theater. Of what use is theater? What does it mean to act and why is it important? At the same time I have been missing acting quite a bit - that creative fire and challenge of bringing life to a character and being able to communicate their life to others. There can be a lot of creativity in medicine but there is more science, diagnosis and problem solving than in theater in many ways. I miss acting and the theater, I miss tackling weighty social issues or a comedy that zings. I miss the feelings and power that a good show engenders, the social change that some pieces attempt to delineate.
I had the great fortune to work with Randal Duk Kim and Anne Occhiogrosso in Honolulu at Diamond Head Theater (The Taming of the Shrew, 1995). They were two of the most inspiring actors/directors I have ever worked with. I miss them and that intensity that only comes from working with people so dedicated to their craft. They asked each actor, "Why act?" There were an amazing number of inarticulate responses that issued forth from some of us. So why do actors act? I heard Willem Dafoe interviewed by Roger Ebert once and his reply when asked about stage acting was, "I'm a whore for the stage". Besides being hilarious, his comment struck deeply at the heart of why actors ply their trade. Some of us are greater whores than others . . . meaning that many actors are only in it for the fame, popularity and money they perceive will be theirs (yet any actor knows that acting on the stage will not make one rich!). I admit that the fantasy of those things can be a seductive call to anyone of us. Yet there are millions of people in the craft with no hope of fame or fortune ever on their horizon. So why do they act? Why do they spend hours and their own money staging productions? It is the siren call of self-expression and a deep need to be heard. Is the deficit of childhood? Is it an escape from a perilous past? What need does acting fulfill?
Obviously, this is a complicated question and not easily answered. We act for many reasons. Acting is fun, difficult, heart wrenching and beautiful. It brings out the best and worst of humanity, not only in the lives we portray but also in the actors themselves. Yes, it can be a shallow experience but acting as someone's craft is anything but shallow.
Acting and theater can teach, challenge and entertain. Its purpose is not simply to amuse all the time (but perhaps much of the time) but to challenge our perceptions about how we think the world is or should be. The theater can present us with ideas heretofore not conceived of in our experience.
Let us face it; most people do not walk out of a theater with their life changed. Perhaps the most we can expect is to touch their hearts and minds in some small way, to plant a seed that may someday come to fruition. I do not think that most actors have this as their primary motivation.
I look for shows that are not only fun but also have a message or present an idea that I believe in or want to learn more about. Theater is a reflection of who we have been, are and are becoming. By examining our past as thrown up to us by playwrights we can examine our reflection, learn or discard what is being presented. Theater can be our educator, teaching us about our lives and the lives of others separated from us by distance and time.
Is all this a justification for acting? Is there a need for that? I think not. I love the theater and when I cannot contribute or partake than something is lacking in my life. For the moment I cannot take part so I bide my time and wait for the moment when once again I can participate in the creative process. So all of these things are why I act. I will be forever grateful for what Randal and Anne asked me that day and the subsequent learning they gave to us. Perhaps for the first time, I saw the love, honor and dedication that can be brought to the craft of acting and theater. I miss that and those people who have taught and shared that world with me.
I had the great fortune to work with Randal Duk Kim and Anne Occhiogrosso in Honolulu at Diamond Head Theater (The Taming of the Shrew, 1995). They were two of the most inspiring actors/directors I have ever worked with. I miss them and that intensity that only comes from working with people so dedicated to their craft. They asked each actor, "Why act?" There were an amazing number of inarticulate responses that issued forth from some of us. So why do actors act? I heard Willem Dafoe interviewed by Roger Ebert once and his reply when asked about stage acting was, "I'm a whore for the stage". Besides being hilarious, his comment struck deeply at the heart of why actors ply their trade. Some of us are greater whores than others . . . meaning that many actors are only in it for the fame, popularity and money they perceive will be theirs (yet any actor knows that acting on the stage will not make one rich!). I admit that the fantasy of those things can be a seductive call to anyone of us. Yet there are millions of people in the craft with no hope of fame or fortune ever on their horizon. So why do they act? Why do they spend hours and their own money staging productions? It is the siren call of self-expression and a deep need to be heard. Is the deficit of childhood? Is it an escape from a perilous past? What need does acting fulfill?
Obviously, this is a complicated question and not easily answered. We act for many reasons. Acting is fun, difficult, heart wrenching and beautiful. It brings out the best and worst of humanity, not only in the lives we portray but also in the actors themselves. Yes, it can be a shallow experience but acting as someone's craft is anything but shallow.
Acting and theater can teach, challenge and entertain. Its purpose is not simply to amuse all the time (but perhaps much of the time) but to challenge our perceptions about how we think the world is or should be. The theater can present us with ideas heretofore not conceived of in our experience.
Let us face it; most people do not walk out of a theater with their life changed. Perhaps the most we can expect is to touch their hearts and minds in some small way, to plant a seed that may someday come to fruition. I do not think that most actors have this as their primary motivation.
I look for shows that are not only fun but also have a message or present an idea that I believe in or want to learn more about. Theater is a reflection of who we have been, are and are becoming. By examining our past as thrown up to us by playwrights we can examine our reflection, learn or discard what is being presented. Theater can be our educator, teaching us about our lives and the lives of others separated from us by distance and time.
Is all this a justification for acting? Is there a need for that? I think not. I love the theater and when I cannot contribute or partake than something is lacking in my life. For the moment I cannot take part so I bide my time and wait for the moment when once again I can participate in the creative process. So all of these things are why I act. I will be forever grateful for what Randal and Anne asked me that day and the subsequent learning they gave to us. Perhaps for the first time, I saw the love, honor and dedication that can be brought to the craft of acting and theater. I miss that and those people who have taught and shared that world with me.
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