Archive for December, 2007
Disillusioned
Act II, Scene 3
BERNIE:
(slowly)
Start from nothing, then make it — (suddenly pulls out a rainbow scarf from his right sleeve) Magic!
Bernie, the magician in my play Disillusioned, says this to Jane, his apprentice and adopted daughter. These are some of the last words he leaves her with before his final stroke… And I believe they’re words to live by.
When Bernie shares these words, he’s already lost most of his ability to speak and move, but he somehow finds the will and strength to communicate the essence of why we’re here in the first place — to create magic in our lives, to make something where there was once nothing.
A lot of people will tell you magic is merely slight of hand or stage trickery… but it’s more than that… It’s a way for us to get in touch with that part of ourselves that believes there’s something bigger out there than we are, or that we could ever fully understand.
I listened to James Ray on The Masters of the Secret this evening, and he mentioned what he thought the definition of magic is:
“The ability to create willful change in the fabric of your universe, both spiritually and materially.”
I wrote those lines for Bernie about two years ago, to hear them manifest themselves now makes me smile, makes my heart smile…because it lets me know I’m on the right track. What I heard from a character’s mouth, what I heard from some part of me, I’m now hearing out in the world, and it’s an amazing experience.
From all my plays, this one scared me the most, and honestly, it’s the one I’ve probably sent out the least.
In addition to Bernie’s multiple strokes, Jane, the apprentice and protagonist, fakes blindness, and then actually turns blind.
It’s not that I’m giving her “her just desserts” or “payback” or any of that nonsense. She used blindness as a way to navigate in the world. Like tinted windows, she could see out, but no one else could see in.
It’s when she really loses her vision, and is forced to rely on the kindness of a stranger, that she sees there is kindness in the world, something she was sure there was none of. (Hence the name, Disillusioned… that and the nice tie in with the art of illusion!)
I’ve already experienced some negative responses… some feel like I exploit the blind or blindness, but I treat Jane (and any blind person I meet) with kindness and respect.
Like a mother with her babies, I sometimes want to protect my characters. I tried to take to pity on her, to protect her from going over that edge. But the best thing I did for Jane was that I let her go all the way, and I left her out at sea… I left her to find her own way home… and magically, she did.
Whenever I write, I feel that I’m making magic, making something out of nothing and creating change in the world.
Though there’s a part of me that still worries about the reception this might get when it’s produced one day soon, I know it will open a lot of people’s eyes to the world and people around them.
–Sue
December 29th, 2007
The Kennedy Center honors some of our most accomplished visionaries and leaders in the arts. Leon Fleisher was honored this December. I caught the broadcast on television Wednesday night.
Fleisher was an accomplished and amazing pianist. At his peak, Leon suffered from a rare neurological condition that virtually froze his right hand “to stone.” His fingers curled under, he was unable to play the same for many years, until a cure was found when he was in his sixties. (Until that cure was found, he turned to teaching, conducting, and playing with his left hand — thereby championing the use of the left handed repertoire.) The details of his grueling fight and miraculous spirit can be found in his biography.
What struck me most was something said during the broadcast. Yo-Yo Ma was narrating the short film spanning Leon’s life and career, and said, “After his long, dark night, Leon realized that the music was in him.”
Watching Leon listen to the musical tribute that followed, it was easy to see the music had a physical and emotional hold on him. The man lived and breathed EVERY note!
It blew me away… But what astonished me was that he said he wouldn’t have changed a thing in his life, and as painful as his physical (and ensuing emotional) trauma was, I understand that it’s when you have to fight for something, that you appreciate it more and work harder.
I’m blessed with support from my loving family and friends… I have all the time in the world. I’m healthy (physically and mentally), and still, there are days when it feels like a struggle… getting words on a page.
It’s those times when I must remind myself of the seemingly insurmountable struggles of artists like Fleisher, to realize that I can overcome anything I put my heart and mind to.
–Sue
December 29th, 2007
Moments ago, my sister shared with me an amazing video:
http://www.maniacworld.com/Phone-Salesman-Amazes-Crowd.html
We hear the voice over of the show’s host as we pan on Paul’s face: “For the next contestant, show business seems a million miles away…”
I know how he feels…
Then Paul says, “My dream is to spend my life doing what I know I was born to do.”
He took the words out of my mouth, and then took my breath away with a voice and a song that filled the entire studio and brought the audience to their feet.
I couldn’t help but cry, because I was so moved, and also so proud.
This video was from earlier this year. Since his audition, Paul Potts went on to win the competition and release a new album. He even performed for the Queen!
My husband sent me a link with an update on his story:
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/2007/12/16/paul-potts-buys-laptop-to-keep-romance-alive-91466-20255236/
Paul’s courage and determination remind me to keep reaching for the stars.
–Sue
December 20th, 2007
I like to make outlines… have a sense of where I’d like to go with a story before I dive in, but the new piece I’m working on is an entirely separate animal, with its own tendencies and nuances. The style of the piece is a radical departure for me as well.These past two weeks I’ve been writing actively, and I’m finding that even after all I’ve written, there’s so much still left to learn. I’m learning how to listen again… and I’m truly grateful for the reminder.
–Sue
December 14th, 2007
I was listening to a radio interview with singer/songwriter Ben Lee on Fordham’s radio station, WFUV. He made a statement that really caught my attention: “All artists are leaders.”
Sadly, many of my peers (in the entertainment industry in general) don’t realize what an awesome responsibility being a leader is. Above all else, we are serving the public, not posturing for them.
Well, as Gandhi said, “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” So here and now, I promise to keep being responsible for every word I write.
–Sue
December 5th, 2007
