All the World’s a Stage
The excited chatter of the audience to lowers as the lights dim until you are enveloped in quiet anticipation.The red velvet wall in front of you parts and as spotlights appear you are flying to Neverland or watching Hamilton and Aaron Burr duel. When the lights go up, a thunderous clapping breaks the silence. You have been given a glimpse into a world that is not yours, however, the characters on the stage feel more like family than your aunt that comes for Thanksgiving and you are almost euphoric that the villain got his comeuppance and the hero prevailed.
Months, years, decades before that story made you cry, laugh, and think, it was just a document saved on a laptop, or a fleeting thought someone had on the …show more content…
From cave drawings to ritualistic dances, people have been looking for ways to entertain, explain the inexplicable, and relay histories. If the Guinness Book of World Records had a spot for “Oldest Report of Theatre” the Egyptians would win. There are hieroglyphic writings describing performances on the Nile river where, according to the book, ‘Minute History of the Drama’, the acting was so realistic that “actors” died in the scenes depicting battles.
However, the title for 'Oldest Written Play' would be held by the Greek playwright, Aeschylus, for his play, ‘The Persians’ which the Getty museum estimates was written around 472 B.C. He was the first to add a second character to theater, the antagonist. Before him, plays had one character, the protagonist, and the rest of the story was told by a large chorus. These plays, which were put on by the Greeks to honor the god Dionysus, the god of wine, fertility, and entertainment, are the first to most resemble the theatre we enjoyed today. Along with democratic political systems, this play format withstood the fall of the Greek empire and moved into modern times. Playwrights like Shakespeare helped take this format and turn it into the types of shows we see on Broadway, in The West End, and on stages all over the …show more content…
In an interview for Bomb magazine with her former professor, Paula Vogel, Sarah Ruhl, a MacArthur Grant recipient, has this quote, “... work emerges out of extraordinary moments of loss and ecstasy and all that, but it also emerges from day-to-day observations, having time to stare out the window.”
Slowing down and taking the time to, “...stare out the window,” has been the most life enriching part of this senior project. Reflecting on the ordinary as Ruhl suggests in hopes of finding a spark of inspiration has caused me to pause and be much more present in this pinnacle time in my life. I am on the precipice of great change as I prepare to leave high school and it is the perfect time in my life for a little more self-reflection.
Even if your writing never sees the light of day or the bright spotlight of a stage, everyone can gain something from trying their hand at playwriting. You may only glean a quiet moment to slow down from the exercise, but you will also likely walk away with some new skills to break out the next time you tell a story at the dinner
The excited chatter of the audience to lowers as the lights dim until you are enveloped in quiet anticipation.The red velvet wall in front of you parts and as spotlights appear you are flying to Neverland or watching Hamilton and Aaron Burr duel. When the lights go up, a thunderous clapping breaks the silence. You have been given a glimpse into a world that is not yours, however, the characters on the stage feel more like family than your aunt that comes for Thanksgiving and you are almost euphoric that the villain got his comeuppance and the hero prevailed.
Months, years, decades before that story made you cry, laugh, and think, it was just a document saved on a laptop, or a fleeting thought someone had on the …show more content…
From cave drawings to ritualistic dances, people have been looking for ways to entertain, explain the inexplicable, and relay histories. If the Guinness Book of World Records had a spot for “Oldest Report of Theatre” the Egyptians would win. There are hieroglyphic writings describing performances on the Nile river where, according to the book, ‘Minute History of the Drama’, the acting was so realistic that “actors” died in the scenes depicting battles.
However, the title for 'Oldest Written Play' would be held by the Greek playwright, Aeschylus, for his play, ‘The Persians’ which the Getty museum estimates was written around 472 B.C. He was the first to add a second character to theater, the antagonist. Before him, plays had one character, the protagonist, and the rest of the story was told by a large chorus. These plays, which were put on by the Greeks to honor the god Dionysus, the god of wine, fertility, and entertainment, are the first to most resemble the theatre we enjoyed today. Along with democratic political systems, this play format withstood the fall of the Greek empire and moved into modern times. Playwrights like Shakespeare helped take this format and turn it into the types of shows we see on Broadway, in The West End, and on stages all over the …show more content…
In an interview for Bomb magazine with her former professor, Paula Vogel, Sarah Ruhl, a MacArthur Grant recipient, has this quote, “... work emerges out of extraordinary moments of loss and ecstasy and all that, but it also emerges from day-to-day observations, having time to stare out the window.”
Slowing down and taking the time to, “...stare out the window,” has been the most life enriching part of this senior project. Reflecting on the ordinary as Ruhl suggests in hopes of finding a spark of inspiration has caused me to pause and be much more present in this pinnacle time in my life. I am on the precipice of great change as I prepare to leave high school and it is the perfect time in my life for a little more self-reflection.
Even if your writing never sees the light of day or the bright spotlight of a stage, everyone can gain something from trying their hand at playwriting. You may only glean a quiet moment to slow down from the exercise, but you will also likely walk away with some new skills to break out the next time you tell a story at the dinner