Exeunt Magazine: When a big group of people sit in a room together to watch a performance, magic happens. Their heartbeats synchronise, according to scientists. There’s a quality of attention and focus it’s hard to find anywhere else. A small, real moment – the twitch of an ankle, the boiling of a kettle – can trigger an emotional avalanche. Laughter bubbles up, one audible snicker creating a ripple of loosened inhibitions. Sometimes (very rarely) you’ll feel the shoulders of people next to you shake, and realise that half the audience is mopping up tears.
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I think this article is really cool. It expressed some really interesting, existential thoughts. A couple ones stood out to me (and, no, I will not count these quotes in my overall word count ;) I've got you, Boevers):
There’s a reason why ‘post-apocalyptic’ is a genre but ‘mid-apocalyptic’ isn’t, so much – it’s easier to tell a story after the dust has settled. In a middle of a crisis, we reach for familiarity, not innovation - This is so true, and I've never really thought of it like that! If there was a post-apocalyptic story happening in our world, we are currently in the backstory/prologue, not the actual narrative. Also, it's so true that we're reaching for familiarity. I see so many classmates sharing recorded versions of our favorite musicals with one another. We aren't trying to make the next big show, we're finding comfort in our trusty-old favorites. For a lot of people, our creativity has taken a hit, and that's okay. Perhaps we can look back on this in the future as a past trauma to inspire our work, but in the midst of it all, taking time to care for ourselves is the most important thing.
Paradox: Staying further apart can bring us closer together - I liked this. Simple, but so true. I've become so much closer with my community this way. I appreciate everyone more than ever now that I'm not with them because I cannot take it all for granted. So much of my life has been put into perspective these past few weeks, and I'm excited to be back next year with this wonderful group.
Pandemic=a lot of time to think. I see the stress that comes from job loss and the fear of the uncertainty of the industry after the pandemic dies down (if/when it does?) but I don’t think that theater is going to disappear. Yeah, it will change, it will develop and evolve and is that a bad thing? Yes! This pandemic is going to change the world, are we going to worry about that change or are we going to adapt and explore the new? Art has continued and will continue, to evolve and transform. Liveness isn’t going away. Yes, we are told to distance, we will continue to be pushed to be cautious but humans are gonna continue to be human (even as we move into the uncertain future) Maybe we will start to see Dystopian and Utopian things start to happen to the world, maybe 5 years from now we will all be wearing respirators 24/7 people the government will be pouring billions of dollars to control this outbreak (but after than what are they gonna do with all the respirators??? Throwing them out would be a waste). I have struggled with a creative block during the outbreak but I also know that things will change (it takes time, adapting doesn’t happen overnight) I think it's important to practice patients in these trying times and stay calm. I hope everyone is doing well. Please take care of yourselves and like the article says. I would also like to stress the importance of the last paragraph (please read it a few times over I think it holds a very important message)
I think the first paradox that was stated is overwhelmingly true, at least in how I feel right now. I feel a huge pressure to find time to create, to be a part of this creative euphoria that is happening right now, but I can barely convince myself to do it because I feel constantly drained from all the other work I have to do. The statement of “Everyone’s coping mechanisms are suddenly uncomfortably visible as they scramble to distract themselves with frantic activity, or retreat into quiet mourning” seems incredibly and overwhelmingly true, at least for me. I also really liked the series of statements that talked about how theatre isn’t going anywhere and you can afford to be quiet for however long you want and to create something singular and incredible. It is true- theatre isn’t going anywhere, but the landscape of theatre is bound to significantly change after this moment. It is also true- you can take liberties to protect yourself during this time, but also there’s still an element of this time that calls you check in with other people to make other people feel comfortable. Because the biggest thing I think to realize during this time, is that everyone is in flux, everything is in flux, and you can afford to be as creative or as uncreative as you want.
The final paradox that was mentioned really stuck with me. "Staying further apart can bring us closer together." Everyone has heard the saying, "distance makes the heart grow fonder," and I must say in this current moment it's as true as ever. The ability to be around other people, a part of life that is essential to healthy living, has been taken away from us. I, for one, am longing for the time where the social distancing order has been lifted. People need other people. Being kept away from other people only makes us want it more. I really appreciate the way Alice Saville explained her view. I think at this time, while we should stay away from each other for safety, it's important for people to band together and think of ways to make the world a better place in the future. People should stand together and support each other through this terribly stressful time while also preparing for when the world goes back to the way it was. However, I don't believe that the world will ever return to the way it was. We as citizens of this earth should work to make the world better than was it was before.
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