Dunkirk NY – I often think about writing a book. I guess it’s what any retired academic is supposed to do. Being in the arts, a book was never expected of me in terms of getting tenure. Yet often, whenever I spoke about some of the ideas I’ve had about theatre and acting, I usually get encouraged to write a book. But every time I think about it, I always ask the question – who is the book for?
One of the realizations I think I am coming to these days is the futility of action. American culture is so broken right now that taking action of any sort has become, by and large, ineffective. I remember when I was young I thought that all the political and social heroes I had would change the world. King, JFK, RFK, Evers, Chavez, Day, the Berrigans, Merton – you name them. The world was going to change because of the influence of these people and their writings. And for a while that seemed true. But as the years have come and gone, I find I am celebrating 50th anniversaries of failures. Nothing that these historical figures have said or done had become a core value of modern society. Racism, sexism, nationalism, and so many other humanly destructive ideas still hold sway with a vast number of people. Intellectual progress has stopped. Generations change, people forget, the vitality of ideas pass on, and little eventually changes.
Any book I would write would probably talk about change. I am not a fan of the current theatrical zeitgeist, and if I were to write a book about American theatre, it would no doubt have some severe criticisms in it. For the most part, I would probably argue that theatre as an art form is near dead, having been replaced by theatre as a form of popular entertainment and nothing more, despite efforts to create a more inclusive and diverse theatre scene. But if I wrote such a book, what would be the result? Perhaps some popularity for a time being, perhaps some selection of people somewhere putting some or any of my ideas into practice, perhaps some reforms in educational theatre circles; but ultimately, I know my ideas would eventually wither and die, memorialized in some way, but not really actualized. Do you know any actors anymore who actually use the Stanislavski system when they create a role? While his methods are still taught in some form or other, nobody really uses them in the business world of acting. Not really.
I think a book is never about the topic. It’s more about the person. People write books because they believe that books offer some pathway to success for themselves. They will always cover that motive with something a little less self-centered. I am willing to accept that an author can actually believe that their book will do some good, and that they wrote it for a higher purpose. I certainly believe that if I wrote a book centered on reforming American theatre, I would be doing so to make theatre a greater art form. But the evidence points to the reality that this will not be the outcome. If I wrote a book, it would be a project that would pass the time and satisfy the ego, but in the end would not make any significant changes to American theatre.
Human nature is what it is; cultural, moral, and ethical norms are nothing more than window dressing on the form of human nature. Over the centuries, the dressing has changed according to the fashion of the times, but the dressing outside seldom changes the nature inside. We don’t become better people simply because we put on a better-looking suit. It’s this notion that a book would be ultimately a fruitless waste of time that keeps me from writing. I’d rather become better at haiku. Haiku attempts to change nothing, but to observe everything. -twl
to have the patience
of a sealed rosewood bud
awaiting sunlight