This weekend I finished reading a book titled Hamlet's Dresser by Bob Smith.
I've been doing a lot of reading since graduating in May. I've been reading a lot of my usual stuff. I love books where huge, government conspiracy theories are involved. There's a team of heroes who are both extremely athletic and lethal, but they are also sophisticated and their minds store immense amounts of knowledge. They somehow save the world book after book, usually work in a little romance (sex), and keep me utterly thrilled until the last page. I love that type of fiction, the kind where it combines history and spy. It's like Indiana Jones meets James Bond.
Now, I will happily say that I love this type of novel. But, I will not say that any of these books have ever changed my life. Those pieces of literature are in another list. A list that includes Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, William Shakespeare's Macbeth, William Mann's Object of Desire, and most recently added to the list...Hamlet's Dresser by Bob Smith.
A few weeks ago I was wandering the aisles of the Rock Hill Public Library. I really enjoy spending time at that library. It's small and the people behind the counter are always very, very nice. I was just looking around. I had a book or two on reserve behind the counter so I didn't really need to be looking for anything else, but I just love to walk around libraries sometimes. There's something about that level of enjoyed quiet...that community understanding that this is a place where people read. It's an awesome feeling.
So, I am exploring the shelves when I stumble upon a copy of the first folio of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It is (obviously) not an original copy of the text, but it looks like a photocopy of something very close to the original. I flip through those pages for a few minutes and see that the shelf is littered with different memoirs, biographies, and adventures all related to the Bard himself. One title strikes my fancy...Hamlet's Dresser...
I pick up the book and love the graphic of a young man listening to a performance of Hamlet offstage. It is ghostly and gray and makes me think of the ghost of Hamlet's father. I read the small description of the book on the inside cover and instantly decide to give the book a whirl.
When I get home I set my books down in my room and don't really get the chance to read for a few days. When I do, I decide to go with Hamlet's Dresser because it is short and appeals to me the most in that moment.
In Henry V I have a lot of breaks. Nym comes on in Act 2 for two scenes, has a break until Act 3 where he is in the first scene, and then he has a long break until a small section in Act 4. During those down moments, I needed something to keep my mind activated. I didn't want to just sit around. I wanted to be thinking. So, I brought in this book. The subject matter couldn't have been better.
So, during my breaks...I was discovering something about William Shakespeare. I was discovering just how much Shakespeare can relate to a person's life. I always had a great relationship with Shakespeare's texts, but this book showed me just how deeply a relationship with the world's greatest playwright can go.
Bob Smith tells the story of his life. From the moment of his birth until he is a man in his mid-sixties, the reader follows Bob through the good times and bad. And throughout it all...Shakespeare is there.
Time after time, Bob tells us a story. And at the end of those paragraphs a selection from a sonnet or a play sits waiting. You read this small citation and the story comes back to life, but in different words. Bob finds and presents these connections between real life and the lives of the characters in the Bard's writings.
It's amazing how real...how much a part of humanity these characters are. After seeings Bob's life analogies, you start to examine your own life in comparison to Shakespeare's writings and you see just how universal the concepts truly are.
This book showed me a completely different way to look at Shakespeare. As an actor, I have always viewed the man as nothing more than a playwright. He wrote these great pieces for us to bring to life onstage. But, in truth, these scripts are so much just in themselves. They are philosophical. They are encouraging. They are a kindred spirit. They are someone who understands exactly how you feel.
I hadn't been so affected in a long time. To see how much of an inspiration William Shakespeare had on this man's life...it was amazing. It was beautiful.
It just showed my how important the arts truly are. They awaken our hearts. They awaken our minds. They allow us to relate to another. They give us a shoulder to cry on. They give us feeling. And most importantly...they allow us to dream.
As I closed the final pages of this book...I realized that for the rest of my life I will commit myself to keeping those feelings alive.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Wake me up when September ends...oh crap...it already did...
So...obviously September was a busy month. I apologize for not posting again until now, but at this moment I do have a major reason to be writing.
Last Friday, September 30 at 10AM marked the opening performance for Saint Louis Shakespeare's production of Henry V. This also marked my first performance with this tremendous company of theatre artists.
For our first performance the audience was packed with well over 100 students from schools in the Saint Louis area. A majority of the students were in high school. Before walking onstage I found myself getting really nervous and I wasn't exactly sure why.
We had rehearsed for weeks. I knew all my lines. I knew my blocking. I was ready for this. But, the one thing that made it all different was the audience. But it wasn't just the "what" of having an audience in front of the stage...it was the "who" as in the makeup of the audience...high school students. Students are honest. They don't hide what they're thinking or feeling to protect someone's feelings. They are blunt. They tell it like they see it. Would they tell me exactly what they saw?
I was nervous that instead of being judged on my character or my acting ability, I would be judged by my appearance. I'm a big guy. I'm 6' 5". I wear a size 14 shoe. And I've got a gut. Would a completely student audience not be able to look beyond that and see all that I had worked on? I wasn't sure.
The first time I walked on that stage...I found my answer. I heard the chuckles and the giggles. I heard the whispers and I knew exactly what they were in response to. They were in response to me. Not my costume. Not my delivery of the lines. But...me.
It hit me surprisingly harder than I thought it would. But then, as quickly as it hit...I pushed it away. I had a job to do. I had a role to portray. And the thing I told myself was...they are laughing at Nym. Nym is a big coward. I remember saying in my mind...
"Andrew. You are not a big coward. Nym is. They are laughing at Nym."
And from that point on. I was fine. I will admit that I was out of it for a second or two. I was self conscious of what was going on. But, from that point on...it was on.
I've been learning something ever since graduation from college. It was something I never could learn while a student because I wasn't ready. I always thought that my body was going to continually hold me back. I would never play Romeo. I would never be that lead actor that won the heart of a beautiful leading actress. And no matter how many amazing opportunities I had, that was always in the back of my mind. It was stupid. It was jealousy and fear creeping up...continually! I would feel sorry for myself and then I would feel even worse because I knew I shouldn't be having those thoughts.
But, since I've gotten to Saint Louis, I've realized that I'm okay with that. I'm okay with who I am. No, I'm happy with who I am. I've learned that what I have won't play Romeo, but it might play the Clown in A Winter's Tale. It might play Launce in Two Gentlemen of Verona. And those are great roles!
Nym has taught me a lot. He has taught me to accept who I am. It's a concept I am (definitely) not used to, but when that I am growing to truly appreciate.
Last Friday, September 30 at 10AM marked the opening performance for Saint Louis Shakespeare's production of Henry V. This also marked my first performance with this tremendous company of theatre artists.
For our first performance the audience was packed with well over 100 students from schools in the Saint Louis area. A majority of the students were in high school. Before walking onstage I found myself getting really nervous and I wasn't exactly sure why.
We had rehearsed for weeks. I knew all my lines. I knew my blocking. I was ready for this. But, the one thing that made it all different was the audience. But it wasn't just the "what" of having an audience in front of the stage...it was the "who" as in the makeup of the audience...high school students. Students are honest. They don't hide what they're thinking or feeling to protect someone's feelings. They are blunt. They tell it like they see it. Would they tell me exactly what they saw?
I was nervous that instead of being judged on my character or my acting ability, I would be judged by my appearance. I'm a big guy. I'm 6' 5". I wear a size 14 shoe. And I've got a gut. Would a completely student audience not be able to look beyond that and see all that I had worked on? I wasn't sure.
The first time I walked on that stage...I found my answer. I heard the chuckles and the giggles. I heard the whispers and I knew exactly what they were in response to. They were in response to me. Not my costume. Not my delivery of the lines. But...me.
It hit me surprisingly harder than I thought it would. But then, as quickly as it hit...I pushed it away. I had a job to do. I had a role to portray. And the thing I told myself was...they are laughing at Nym. Nym is a big coward. I remember saying in my mind...
"Andrew. You are not a big coward. Nym is. They are laughing at Nym."
And from that point on. I was fine. I will admit that I was out of it for a second or two. I was self conscious of what was going on. But, from that point on...it was on.
I've been learning something ever since graduation from college. It was something I never could learn while a student because I wasn't ready. I always thought that my body was going to continually hold me back. I would never play Romeo. I would never be that lead actor that won the heart of a beautiful leading actress. And no matter how many amazing opportunities I had, that was always in the back of my mind. It was stupid. It was jealousy and fear creeping up...continually! I would feel sorry for myself and then I would feel even worse because I knew I shouldn't be having those thoughts.
But, since I've gotten to Saint Louis, I've realized that I'm okay with that. I'm okay with who I am. No, I'm happy with who I am. I've learned that what I have won't play Romeo, but it might play the Clown in A Winter's Tale. It might play Launce in Two Gentlemen of Verona. And those are great roles!
Nym has taught me a lot. He has taught me to accept who I am. It's a concept I am (definitely) not used to, but when that I am growing to truly appreciate.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)