Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Push Your Limits

There are times in life when you have skills that can be put to the test by giving yourself, or someone giving you, a challenge that tests those skills and refines them.  Scary?  Youbetcha!  Worth it?  Youbetcha!

As a student of psychology and a teacher of acting, I just directed a terrific show that challenged me, the students in the show, and the audiences who attended.  Because the devised original work was silent and behavior based, the students didn't know what we were doing (at first) and the audience seemed skeptical.  (SILENT VOICES, image to right)

What happened was magical!  The students became an ensemble; each trusted and supported the other.  Each student learned more about who s/he is and how s/he is in the world.  Theater is about humanity.  What connects us as people is what stirs the human spirit - that we are living and breathing in front of each other allows the experience of the actors and audience to be visceral.  That is what I love about directing.  Education allows me to set the stage, so to speak, and work with students long enough to be able to PLAY as we create.

Well, I'm going to be directing at PCC again and I'm playing with the two styles that ignite my imagination the most: farce and the Greeks!  Watch out, PCC, you're in for a human experience AGAIN!

Copyright 2012 Heather Corwin

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