People in a good ensemble, in a good class, chase things like authenticity, truth, freedom, perfection, real, form, beauty, versatility but people (people in the profession, actors and directors alike) lately in a nihilistic tone call such things childish dreams.
They talk about “character”, “truth”, “emotions” and creativity as things you can’t summon, they talk about them as random events.
I believe that these artistic pessimists once shared the same dream as we do
They were young then and they themselves chased after such “realities”, but they were chasing them incorrectly, they were guided incorrectly, sometimes by “authoritarian figures” in a class, other times by people that had already given up on such a dream.
So they decided that such things are not suitable for the work, not suitable but not just for them, oh no! Not suitable for everybody. And in turn now they guide in class or on stage people away from such convictions with an authoritarian voice.
These people figured out that the public is actually oblivious most of the times of artificiality, most of the public is indeed satisfied with the approximation of truth, of beauty, of authenticity, of form.
They figured out that approximated truths and elements, might be more practical since they are somewhat accessible to the actor and in a sense constant, this way the viewer gets the minimum and that minimum, for them and the public, is sufficient…
Indeed for their work, for their production, for their class and practice, that minimum might be enough but are we supposed to limit ourselves to their standards?
Shouldn’t we try to fulfill that first dream?
Shouldn’t that be our constant?
We know that the dream is real, even the nihilists know that, they got glimpses of the “real and the genuine” randomly in their path, but discarded it in haste as a glitch, as an abnormality.
We work on the constant creative path, not on just getting random glimpses, but by finding a way to call them at our own will.
We are finding our way towards the creative process and we are mastering it.
Nobody said this was an easy task.
Nobody said the road is going to be clear.
Nobody says there is only one road towards it (only idiots do).
But it is necessary not to close your eyes to that dream, not to turn away you head in disdain, don’t plug your ears even on your most tiring and dark days, don’t turn away from it because tired teachers, and disappointed actors, or disdained directors decided to do so for themselves…
ART IS OF ITS TIME
THIS IS YOUR TIME.
There is no limit to human laziness and selfishness even in the creative arts.
Don’t give up on it, or it will give up on you.
DON’T BE LAZY
DON’T BE SELFISH
YOU ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL
