Theatre and performance art build empathy by putting us into someone else’s shoes, and allowing us to walk with them for part of their story.
Today I’m sharing a piece/poem I wrote while thinking about how the life lessons my college acting professor taught me in school have translated into who I am today (and the core values I hold nearest and dearest).
A picture of me in full Teaching Artist mode at a recent production of Wizard of Oz.
Lessons from my acting teacher.
My acting teacher told us
that we’d never be able to act
until our hearts had been broken.
My acting teacher told us
that we’d never be able to act
until we had learned how to empathize with anyone.
My acting teacher told us
that we’d never be able to act
until we became less self-aware and better at listening.
My acting teacher told us
that we’d never be able to act
until we learned how to fall in love with anyone, a little bit.
My acting teacher told us
that we’d never be able to act
unless we studied the world around us constantly and critically.
My acting teacher told us
that we’d never be able to act
unless we got good at asking the right questions.
My acting teacher told us
to love and support each other.
My acting teacher told us
that we are all family.
My acting teacher told us
to fly and be free.
So we were.
I think the fact that these lessons were instilled in my theatrical training is pretty amazing.
I have found that the key components of being a good actor also tend to be the key components of being a great all-around human being. Acting is the empathetic study of other human beings--a continual process of learning about how other people view the world and finding new ways of understanding their perspective. As you may be starting to know about me, I believe that artists have a key role to play in social change--and this is one of the primary reasons: Artists are trained to be empathetic listeners capable of understanding diverse perspectives and communicating a wide variety of ideas. Who better to help solve the urgencies of our world and help disparate groups communicate?
What are the best life lessons that art, and its practice, has taught you? Would love to have you share in the comments.
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