To veer off the beaten path for a week, I want to share a few things with you that I have learned from being a part of the theatre community. I am sure that there are countless environments in which similar lessons can be learned, but I have been fortunate enough to be a part of the world of the performing arts- a world that teaches me something new every day.
5. Every day is a history lesson
Most of theatre, like any book or movie, is about something that has already happened. Each show presents an opportunity to learn something about an event, a culture, a crisis that occurred at some point, or is occurring now. I have learned about America in the heat of racism, the ways in which America operated once slavery was abolished, politics in France and England, cultural crises that effected the world as a whole, and more recently, about the father of American music.
However, outside of the physical theatre, I have learned that as days pass, memories are made and these days become our history. Each day that we spend creating, we learn more about the true art of theatre, about each other, and about ourselves.
4. How important is it to be grateful.
There are days in the world of theatre that feel as if everything has gone wrong, or that someone is better suited for the job/role that you have, that no one appreciates the work that you do, that you are alone in your artistic journey, etc. It is impossibly important to be thankful for the avenue and the opportunity of the theatre. Without this perspective, the negative and the stressful will eat you up and prevent you from being able to create anything. Living in this world requires a constant, personal reminder that you were put in your specific position for a specific reason.
3. You don't know as much as you think you know.
Each time that I think I have mastered my role, my job, my anything in theatre, I find out that there is something I don't know. I learn something new each day about my character or how to do my job. It's important to always be willing to admit that you don't know how to do a task set before you, that you need help, that you have questions, etc. It's also equally, if not more important, to remember that you can always learn more. It become very dangerous when people hold the belief that they are the supreme authority on their particular area of expertise- these people are the hardest to work with.
2. Laughter is truly the best medicine.
Relating back to last week's entry, theatre is a healing environment for actors/technicians as we are a part of relationships that allow our hearts to heal and recover from the stress and general awfulness of certain points in our lives. With friends in the theatre, I have laughed until I have cried, sacrificed sleep for the hope that if I stay at rehearsal a little bit later than normal, I know I'm bound to laugh. Through mistakes made on stage and jokes made off stage, laughter strongly characterizes my theatre experiences.
1. The more you give, the more you gain.
We first learn this through our walks with Christ, and theatre is an environment in which this lesson becomes all the more practical. The more support, love, advice, and kindness we give to one another, the greater the reward. I think that this life lesson of the theatre speaks for itself.
I am in love with what I do with my life, and I hope that those of you who have sought to find a home in the theatre feel the same.
