The drama is not dead but liveth, and contains the germs of better things.
WILLIAM ARCHER, About the Theatre
The theatre is a magical place. im realizing more and more that, yes, the rehearsals are the bonding experiences, but, when the lights go up and seats are filled, it seems as though some kind of "magic" truly does happen. The rehearsal acting is never really what the finishing product will be. Something always gets added or amped up. but by a significant amount! other thespians have tried to figure out what exactly happens during this time. Some say its the energy of the audience bouncing back to the stage, some say its the nerves, some say its the thrill of just being onstage, and wanting to give people the best show you can. nobody really knows what happens. but here is my philosophy:
God sat and thought of how He would create the world, then He breathed life into it. Art is just another example of how we were made in His image. He put in us a desire to create. So for thespians, we may not be talented in the ways of actually creating something tangible, but we create something in the people watching us. We mold a story by our performance. So, when we rehearse, its the "planning " period. But then, when its time to create, when the curtain goes up, we breathe life into what we previously planned. Not only does the thrill of the stage reveal the creation, but it reveals to us things about ourselves that we couldnt see before. when we're forming our character, we might discover a similarity between ourselves and our character, and would bring further realization about ourselves. it might give us an example of a relationship we could see working, or just bring people closer together in general.
"I dont know, they're just... a different kinda people."
People say this about thespians. i call them theatre people, but the previous term is legitimate i suppose. Anyways, i just wanted to take a moment to recognize them. Last night we had our opening night of Arsenic and Old Lace. I had some trouble with this cast at first... i wasn't getting along with the leads, and there was tension between my opposite and i. i didn't think we would ever come together and be a family (one of the sole reasons i love theatre so much). but as the weeks progressed, we grew closer. problems started clearing themselves up, laughs were made, as was love. By opening night, we were truly a family. but we didn't realize it until the lights came up. i fell in love. the claps and laughs from the crowd...the laughs backstage... the jokes, the jumps, the slight looks of nervous excitement between people... everything was perfect. tonight is our second night, and we're coming back with a bang. each person "brings something to the show" in their own individual way. (as my thespian president stated). God puts people together like this for a specific reason. whether i know it or not, these people are changing me, and will have a long lasting effect on my life.
Love is family
