All the World's a Stage

“Fifteen years ago I killed my sister.” Those are the opening words to the play Nocturne, a play about a guy who had a tragic accident and kills his sister in a car accident, and then throughout the play has to learn to live with that and cope with his grief, which never disappears but only changes. I chose to do my ELI on how to put a play on and my goal is to start rehearsal process for the play I plan to perform, Nocturne. I chose this ELI because of my love for theatre, the love of changing who I am and playing a character, the sensation of lights on my face while I’m performing, and the ability to change how somebody is feeling or even change how they live their lives.

Yes some have said that movies have made theatre boring or irrelevant. However, in reality theatre is the single most powerful and complete art piece, because it includes all types of art, painting, sculpture, music, voice, visual performance, and most of all a connection with the audience. The theatre is best described by this quote by Thorton Wilder, “I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.” The theatre is an emotional exercise; it is a place where people can escape all their problems and just vent their emotions. This is why theatre is important and why people need to go to the theatre more often.

My goal for this performance is to make a difference in people’s life and how they think about life. Maybe if I’m lucky I might even be able to change somebody’s life, but chances are that won’t happen. Realistically, I hope that I am able to truly live as the character so as to make the audience forget who I am and what I am like and just believe that I am my character. If I could just change one person and put on a believable performance, then I would be happy.

William Shakespeare said it best: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women are just players. They have their entrances and their exits, and one man in his time plays many parts.” Theatre is helpful for people to live happy lives free from stress and negative emotions, because it lets people vent and experience emotions out of their lives.

~Tom W.