Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Artist's Statement

We don’t understand shit. Life doesn’t come with a making-of DVD, with your friends and acquaintances explaining their characters and motives. My plays don’t explain life, because nothing can. What would the answer be anyway? But when we go to the theatre, we feel like we “get” something new. We always knew friendship was a good thing, but after a show we feel it. We feel the depths of human despair and desperation, as well as the pinnacles of virtue and love. In everyday life, we forget to feel and to think a lot. We just do, do, do, action, action, action, now, now, now. My plays are a reminder to STOP doing and LIVE. I write an amalgamation of my interactions with people, thoughts about love, and attempts to map the motivations of the intricately simple human race. Idealistic and overly romantic, I write happy endings because I don’t have the heart to remind people of the truth. Life lessons are not learned from watching theatre. I’m not trying to change anyone’s life or make them a better person. I remind them that there’s a lot going on in their lives, and outside of their lives, and if they’re closed off from it they’re missing out. I write about the connections we make with people, animals, places, and events, because that's what I think life is about. I write things that never happen to people and things that happen all the time. The things that never happen inspire people to live outside the comfort of what they already know. The things that happen all the time are a sign that other people are having the same experiences as them. A great teacher told me once that we go to theatre to feel connected, to feel the pain and joy that other people have felt and know that it’s our pain and joy too. This connection is the only antidote to hatred, prejudice and war, and so I crave to experience it and to write it. Most importantly, I write because I don't want to live in a world without art, especially theatre. I've felt the wonder, the inspiration, the awe of experiencing art and I know it's what makes our species special. My writings are my way of contributing to what makes us human: our ability to appreciate and internalize the world around us.

1 comment:

  1. I agree with your artist's statement because plays should examine the human condition. I really like your ideas of what your plays examine and do. I would love to read more of your plays sometime soon. I found it interesting that you said you write happy endings because you don't want to remind people of the truth. If we are examining our lives, though, I think it would be an interesting aspect to your play if you have one with a "realistic" ending and see where that takes you. It might reveal something deeper than you would have thought otherwise. I really like your idea of writing about the connections with people, animals, places and events. I think that it's a great thing to explore and remind people. I think you will be very successful as a playwright because you are choosing to examine how life is and presenting that to the audience; they are now presented with it and can do/feel/think whatever they want with it. I think the most successful theatre is made when the material is open to intepretation. It has its specific thing it is examining but it lets the audience make up what it is and why. I think the most important question in the theatre is why. Why do we long for connections? Why do we experience emotions? Anyways, I think your statement and your work is a great addition to theatre and will make theatre thrive!

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