Blog # 5: Theater as the Art of Human Experience

Oscar Wilde, a highly celebrated 20th century playwright once said: “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.”

Theater arts offer a way for an individual or group to express feelings and emotions that many in the audience have probably felt themselves, are longing to feel, or hope never to feel. Theater is a way of connecting to other human beings and sharing experiences of all kinds, both fictional and true. However, theater is not always created for the benefit of the audience. In times of antiquity, “theater” as we know it today existed as a tool for demonstrating points of view, depicting religious scenes and rituals, and delivering messages of high importance. The first plays ever performed were intended for everyone in the surrounding communities to participate in, not for some to partake in while others looked on.

While most theater today has been highly commercialized, an incredible example of theater
With its original intentions still exists. Designed for the benefit of those involved was a recently concluded project entitled “After the Storm”. After the Storm was a theatrical endeavor that began as a way for youth effected by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans to express their feelings about the tragedy and tell their stories in a creative outlet. Many of the children and young adults asked to participate had never had any outlet whatsoever to express their emotional struggles and hardships resulting from the storm. The project began with a group of actors from New York City, who were inspired to use the craft they love for something other than their jobs onstage, that set out to use their skills as a tool to benefit others. The group travelled down to New Orleans and revitalized a community center destroyed by the storm.

They decided to produce a play, “Once on this Island” (A critically acclaimed musical about
A peasant girl discovering her purpose in life in the wake of a terrible storm). While the play was performed for audiences eventually (with overwhelming rave reviews by area critics), the project was originally designed as a creative and therapeutic outlet. The cast was made up completely of Hurricane Katrina survivors, and the participants all shared their stories of survival. They used their experience with Katrina and their emotions surrounding the event to fully develop their characters, whose fictional lives did not differ wildly from their own. While rehearsing their roles and preparing to bring this musical to life, each cast member was asked to tell their story, go back and visit their destroyed homes, or talk about their estranged families. The preparation process and resulting theatrical production can be seen in a documentary film, the trailer of which can be viewed at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toXiPXLL_H8

The fact that so much reality went into preparing a fictional piece helps to strengthen the validity of Mr. Wilde’s words. Audiences who attended this unique production shared an experience with their fellow audience members, and with the cast members of the play. While reading about tragedy and trying to understand disaster through information provided by media is perhaps the best source for worried and curious minds around the world, horrific images and heart wrenching interviews are often re-played so many times that the problem begins to seem too overwhelming to actually deal with. People who want to sympathize often become desensitized to the tragedy of it all. However, through this project, a fictional tale infused with raw, very non-fictionalized emotion, viewers of the play are able to experience what it meant to be human during an event of fear and tragedy. While many in the world might never have to deal with such horrors in their lifetime, the importance of understanding such an experience and sharing in this facet of human existence and emotion has the power to help each audience member understand humanity a little more. By watching this play and feeling the emotional, real-life struggles of the actors shine through the façade of their characters; audiences that may have felt disconnected previously can begin to feel as though they are part of the story. This project that began as charitable endeavor to provide therapy to its participants became an educational and therapeutic outlet for all involved, and was indeed “the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.”