Yesterday, I was an invited guest at a day long celebration of The Group Theater at CUNY (City University New York). I saw some rare footage of interviews with my father, Stella Adler, and Harold Clurman, talking about the Group. It stirred up a lot of memories, familial, and work. It was also a Full Moon. So, normal. What struck me most, after all, was how my life has been driven by the same dreams they had. I love history. It was always my favorite subject in school. I never suffered studying it. Knowing how life was, how people thought and behaved, was more exciting than anything you could make up. That there is nothing more theatrical than life itself. But, that's not the lesson I'm thinking about. What history also teaches us is where we come from. And, how that influences who we are. And, what we do. At the end of the event, there was time left for questions. More than questions, we heard some comments, mostly criticisms of the panel. And, that the Group, and Brecht, yes, he was brought up by a European attending the event. The declaration was that all of this was passé. That young theater people were looking for new forms. My reaction, other than anger at the stupidity of the thought was- In other words, young people believe that great theater, which was what Brecht did, theater that was entertaining and provocative, and spoke to the problems of the audiences lives, and actors whose work was dedicated to being deeply real and truthful, was old-fashioned and passé. Does that mean that young people in the theater today are trying to be awful? I wondered if the gentleman had read Chekhov, It's not a question of old forms, or new forms, but that one speaks from the heart. (My paraphrasing). I hope that young people embrace their history, not ignore it. The risk is that you might learn something. What comes before defines where you come from. And, helps you understand why you are where you are, now. And, sometimes, helps you to understand where you are going. Imagine if we actually learned from history. What would the world be like? Nature learns. Plants and animals develop immunities, as they learn to survive in a changing world. It is totally natural. Most of us human beings have forgotten that we are part of the world we live in. Too often, we think that nothing came before us. Or, that everything came before us. History teaches us to understand, so that we can live in the moment. And, not be afraid of life. It's not a question of old forms or new forms, but to speak to the world we are living in. And, are a part of.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
The need to keep learning
When I was young, beginning to work, and studying, I saw famous actors bring work into classes, because they needed to work on roles they hoped to play, or because they needed to work on a problem they had in their creative process. Because I grew up in that environment, I thought it was normal. Time has shown me that it was unique. At least, in the domain of acting. I've had Martial Arts masters who are up and practicing earlier than everyone else, know of the best artists, painters, writers, dancers, athletes, who need to work on their skills. Who work harder than the rest. Often, the more successful they are, in the world's eyes, the harder they work. Most of them always worked that hard. The love they have for what they do makes them want to work to be the best they can be. I was lucky to grow up at a time when this was true of acting. Now, while many actors have been through University programs, spent a lot of money learning some basic principles and techniques, once they finish their studies they are finished. There's nothing more to learn. They just want to work. The other day I heard William H. Macy say that he believed that actors were getting better. I wish I could agree. But, I don't. While there is a lot of good work being done, it is much less personal than the work I grew up seeing. And, which everyone wanted to do. The artistic movement centered in the Actors Studio in the late 40's, 50's, and 60's was unique. Whether one likes it or not, it has influenced the profession enormously. Unfortunately, most of the work we see today pays lip service to the deeply personal nature of creativity in acting. The work is competent, correct. But, it isn't what Tennessee Williams demands of his actors. Or, Eugene O'Neill. These are the writers who define what American actors believe they need to be able to do if they are going to be considered to be artists. When you watch wonderful acting, something deeply personal is revealed. It is what defines the art form. Certainly, intelligence is important. What we know, from Stanislavsky on, is that great actors share a philosophic point of view in their creative process. That, like all other artists, in all other artistic domains, the actor desires to be deeply, personally involved in his creation. It means that the actor must really live the characters life, not simply represent it. Any student of history cannot dispute this fact. And, if one needs to do this, one needs to continuously keep learning and practicing. While I see actors working, I don't see many of them who believe they need to keep learning.