The Theatre is ripe with wisdom. Through the ages, the great words of playwrights endure because of their timeless relevance. Take Polonius’ classic line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet:
This above all:
to thine own self be true.
Who hasn’t contemplated tattooing that somewhere?
As we journey into the heart of our truth, I’d like you to consider this quote. It was written by the great playwright David Mamet in A Practical Handbook for the Actor:
If you intend to manipulate, to show, to impress, you may experience mild suffering and pleasant triumphs. If you intend to follow the truth you feel in yourself…you will subject yourself to profound despair, loneliness, and constant self-doubt. And if you persevere, the Theatre…will grace you…with the greatest exhilaration it is possible to know.
This is what I believe the Theatre can teach us all. Living our truth, no matter what it may be, can be overwhelmingly difficult at times. But there is no greater feeling than the exhilaration that your truth can bring you. Living to impress will never compare. We are all artists. We have one life to create. Your truth is your greatest gift.
*Sigh* Mamet is awesome.