Chicago magazine | October 2018: You don’t work in Chicago because you want to be famous internationally. You work here because you really love what you’re doing.
I wasn’t a great student at Northwestern. I didn’t believe in myself as a writer, because they all told me I couldn’t write. One professor said, “I’ll pass you only if you promise never to take one of my writing classes again.” It forced me to do other things, like be a better communicator through talking.
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This brief, quick read paints an overview of who Barbara Gaines is as an artist, but more importantly, as a person. This “interview” is arranged in almost rhythmically, omitting the questions that led to her witty answers. I had never heard of Barbara Gaines before this piece, but now I feel as if I know her in a sense beyond her career as the artistic director of Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Her answers convey what has shaped her to be the successful artist she is, but she does so in a pure, non-egotistical manner. I respect her because she values those around her—Shakespeare who has written the work she directs, and the actors who bring life to her ideas. She claims she would be nothing without them. Gaines believes in giving back to the world that has given her so much. I love how grounded and honest she feels with her stories, that range from tales of NYC, to her first day of kindergarten. She brings who she is into her work and that could likely be why her career has been so rewarding.
What struck me the most in this article is "Make one person smile when you feel like hell, and you will feel better. It boomerangs back on you." This article is an introduction into the life, personality and artistic world of Barbara Gaines. She tells us who she is and what drives in so little words that it makes you feel comfortable. I agree with most of the values and attitude that she has towards life. I appreciate the fact the points out the importance of being positive and how one's attitude can affect the next person and the world around them. What you take out of a situation is what you make of it. She allows her values become integrated into her work and that allows her to work well and present good work to the world.
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