Non-Sequitur: New York State of Mind...

Hello all once again...I know it's been quiet around here with the theater season in Moscow drawing to a close, but my summer is just getting started!  Throughline is coming to NYC tomorrow where I'll be doing my best to keep this site up to date with my dissertation, fundraising for my show, and anecdotes from my rehearsals at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in August!

Some folks like to get away
Take a holiday from the neighbourhood
Hop a flight to Miami Beach
Or to Hollywood
But I'm taking a Greyhound
On the Hudson River Line

I'm in a New York state of mind
 
-A

In Dialogue: Л.А. Сулержицский/L. A. Sulerzhitsky

As I was going through Sulerzhitsky's writings, I found this passage in one of his essays on his dislike of hysterics in the theater and in the house.  I found it to be particularly moving, and thought I'd just throw it up on the blog to share...

"Когда актер действительно живёт глубоко, когда его игра есть «творение» , то как бы сильно он ни взволновал зрителя – истерик не будет...Наоборот, люди даже с растрепанными нервами и склонные к истерике, поддаваясь их искусству, получат духовное удовлетворение и успокоятся душевно. Они, может быть, будут плакать на спектакле, но это будут совсем другие слёзы, - это будут тихие слёзы и скромные, не для публики, это будут благородные слёзы, умиления перед добром и красотой, слёзы о несчастиях и горе людей, в том числе, может быть, и о своем горе, поскольку и я человек и подвержен вместе со всеми страданиям, слёзы о том, почему мы все несчастны, почему жизнь не прекрасна, почему мы слабы в добре, почему мало любим друг друга и т.д., потому что настоящий талант, настоящее искусство только об этом говорит..."

And here's your on-the-fly translation...

"When an actor is truly living deeply, when his playing is the act of ‘creation’, then however strongly he may affect the audience – there will be no hysterics….On the contrary, even people with frayed nerves and tendencies towards hysterics, on giving themselves to the art will be spiritually satisfied and will be calmed in their soul.  Perhaps they will cry during the show, but these will be completely different tears - they will be quiet tears and humble ones, not for public display, they will be noble tears, emotional before the good and the beautiful, tears for the unhappiness and misfortunes of people, and perhaps their own misfortunes, as far as I am a person and am also subject to the same suffering as all, why are we all unhappy, why life is not beautiful, why we are weak in good deeds, why do we not love each other enough, and so on, because real talent, real art only speaks about this..."

I thought this was a very nice paragraph, and I found the end especially moving.  I always love having the greats on my bookshelf, helping me to keep things in perspective when it comes to art and the way we should approach it's creation.  It is truly a great responsibility to be an artist... 

-A