All the World's a Stage
"All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts" ~ William Shakespeare
I have been involved in theatre in some capacity for many years; played many roles, both on stage and off. Tonight, as yet another of these plays comes to a close, I find myself reflecting upon why I engage in this activity with such passion and pleasure; and why I play so many roles.
I've always found catharsis in expressing myself through the arts; painting, writing, acting and various other mediums of expression. I have also, always found beauty in observing others' artistic expressions; through music, visual and, performing arts, alike. I find pleasure in being involved in theatre because, unlike writing; which is a solo form of creative expression, it is a team effort and allows me to, vicariously take part in someone else's creative expression. It takes a 'village' of people, working together; from all different backgrounds, and all different talents and skill sets, to create a play. From the beginning to the end, you have the playwright, a producer, a director, a stage manager, an assistant stage manager. You have set designers & builders, lighting and sound designers & operators, costumers and properties persons. Each of these persons, playing a role that supports the actors and allows the playwright's vision to appear, almost magically, on stage as presented by the actors.
Each of these skills requires discipline and creativity driving it. Each discipline requires other's input to help see this vision come to fruition. Over the past several years, I have played many roles, myself. I have acted, costumed, produced, assisted the stage manager and helped with props and set back stage.In this particular play, I played yet another role; a new one for me. One that involved two parts; stage managing and sound operation. Both of which, took me outside of my comfort zone and challenged my skill set but both, helped me see an even larger piece of the big picture than what I'd seen and experienced before this play.
Stage managing this play, I realized all that goes into bringing the writer's vision to life. I managed a group of people who, coming from various backgrounds; military and military spouses, business owners, managers, teachers & professors, financial planners, carpenters, pharmacists and counsellors, had the ability and skill set to complete tasks both within and outside of their comfort zones, because they are just as passionate about the arts as I. People who, despite whatever they have happening in their lives at the time, enter the theatre with a vision and purpose and immediately switch roles in order to make magic happen. People who, because they are creatively inspired work like a team and forge bonds with their team mates while creating and relaying a writer's vision.
Reflecting on this play, alone, I see how this medium of expression has affected, and in some ways, even changed my life for the better. I also see how these people; many who I have worked with; on several plays, and in various capacities, have helped me work through my troubles and stressors. I realize how impactful and important the arts have been to me, and how much so they are to and for others, as well. I realize how open and authentic people who create truly are. And, see the irony behind how so many introverted human beings can be extroverted in such an environment. How so many people can be more authentic playing a make-believe role, than they and others can be when being 'themselves'; because people are more themselves when wearing a mask, than when showing their true face. How drama, when kept on stage, can make a difference in people's hearts, minds and lives. And, I realize the importance of playing different roles in both theatre, and in life. How playing these roles impacts and enhances our lives, and allows us to create something beautiful out of our darkness and pain.
All the world truly is a stage and, we are all truly just players upon it. We have our entrances and exits; our doors that open and shut. We have our beginnings and our endings; opportunities, losses and change. We play many parts throughout our lifetimes, and, like was highlighted throughout my experience with this play, each part is a piece of the puzzle that allows us to see the whole picture. Each part we memorize and play, and each role we take on, we bring something new to the playwright's vision and to our lives. Each one, we learn from. And, with every role, every learning experience and every part of the 'team' we join and participate in, we help create something beautiful out of the darkness and pain that helped create the artist's vision, in the first place.
