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“Thick are the wits of the man who says that his wagon’s already finished; the fool doesn’t know there are hundreds of planks in a wagon. Make it your business to have these planks in your house for the future.”
- Hesiod
Artists like questions. They intrigue us. Actors often search for the mystery of a character, and when they touch upon it, they handle it with great care, cautious not to unravel it too quickly, holding their breath as they penetrate the darkness, tingling with excitement, not knowing what they will find. For the actor, its not about the answer, its about the question. For essentially, it is what we are: question-askers. As artists, we sympathize, we empathize, we dare not moralize, but we compulsively synthesize the world around us, and if we’re very quiet, we can behold its naked form. A mirror is broken. The curtain opens. We breathe it in and smile. And then the questions begin.
How much Aesop and Icarus has taught me! Proverbs like “How often do we provide our enemies the means of our own destruction.” “Kindness effects more than severity.” “Union gives strength.” Directing technique like “Don’t speak just yet, let the actress struggle for a day, maybe she’ll find something more interesting than what you would have said.” Imagination exercise that helped us find eagle monsters, how an Old Man flies, the sound of clouds, the attitude of the sun. Professional insight: “Artists come from another planet. They will always be late. Plan accordingly.” Personal insight: “Befriend your actors.” “Do with love.” Yet so much more to be learned. What will we discover on our next journey into the dark forest?
