— by Jake Perrine originally posted Nov. 2014, reprinted upon request —
Who Needs Theatre? Photo courtesy of Harry Sircely
“Who Needs Performing Arts?”
Working with the creative team at Orcas Center this fall to resurrect the high school drama program, and preparing to spearhead the community-wide pageant that is A Christmas Carol, I am consistently reminded of the importance of the performing arts in our community. While often filed under “entertainment,” the deceptively simple act of performance encompasses so much of what I believe it means to be human — for both audience and performer alike.
I describe theatre to newcomers of all ages as “a team sport with only one team.” It is not an activity that can be done alone, nor in competition with one’s teammates. Much like sailing, participants must collectively agree upon a destination, and work together to get there. Moreover, the more specifically we agree on and describe exactly where we are going, the more nuanced the destination becomes. Upon arrival at a performance, we come to understand that even the audience is unwittingly “on our team.” In our competitive, consumer driven culture, inclusive activities like theatre renew our sense of belonging to a larger whole.
I have always appreciated that the reference manual for a given performance is referred to as a “play.” Embodied in this word is the requisite sense of wonder needed for such an undertaking. A “playwright” constructs an elaborate “what if?” wireframe that we may “play” upon. Every moment of a performance is a creative act of play, filling in an infinite array of details with nothing but our bodies and voices. If imagination is a muscle, theatre is its cross-fit training regimen.
So why tell stories to each other via live theater? Why all of the makeup and costumes and lights and sets and sound cues (and budgets and marketing and fundraising), why do it? Why not just go home, turn on Netflix and let the pros in Hollywood spoon-feed us all the stories we require?
I believe that at its core, theatre is ultimately an act of empathy. Part of fully embodying and understanding a character is to find a way to love them. Even the villains. (Especially the villains!) Even Richard the Third and Medea need our love. When we experience firsthand that even the worst of us is still human, brought to their own unique truth through a series of unique events and mishaps, we can learn to understand them and empathize with them.
Witnessing, in the flesh, a member of our own community doing the work to embody and empathize with a character that is alien to them — that is the true healing power of performance.
So whether you are an audience member, a donor, a volunteer, a performer, a designer, a painter, a technician, a student, or a parent — plug in! Orcas Center is your community arts center, and it needs your voice.
[Editor’s note: Those who enjoyed the rehearsals and performances of the high school “Theater as Literature” class in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, on April 1 and 2, 2016, as directed by Jake Perrine, may want to know that the class and performances come to the community as a collaboration of the Orcas Island School District, the Orcas Island Education Foundation, and the Orcas Center. ]
I may be wrong, but it seems that the Orcas Center “imports” a lot of the performances and not enough with local talent. We have so many talented people on the island and it’s a shame not to showcase them. If I wanted to see something performed in Seattle, etc. I would go see it there. I want local performers on Orcas, and that is why I would usually prefer to go to the Grange and watch our local talent from the Actor’s Theater group than attend shows at the Orcas Center.
Well said, Jake. The quality of connected-ness that the theatre exists to express is the core of it’s value and most profound reason for it to exist. I am sorry that it seems to have been interpreted as a plug for the Orcas Center, bringing forth comments unrelated to your point. I try to teach my students this very thing . . that one performs for a purpose that is larger than any individual concern. Performance is a team effort to mutually create an offering for a specific gathering of people who have come to receive it. I wish you all the best!
Thanks Jake! It should be noted that the new High School theater program is being fully funded by the Orcas Island Education Foundation. The Orcas Center has lowered its fees so the class can work in the black box, but Jake and the space are a gift from OIEF donors to the school. We are ever so grateful for their generosity. Without the donations to OIEF the High School class could not happen. And I am pleased to say that the second semester of support to pay Jake, and to pay the Orcas Center for use of its space was just voted on by OIEF this week. So look for continued High School involvement continuing through June.
Jake, My experiences support all you say. I directed a readers theatre in Juvenile Hall once, and watching these young men read and perform was very refreshing both for them and for me. I also directed a play in English in a High School in Puerto Rico,and again, the transformation of students who participated was amazing. Thanks for your efforts.
Thanks for all your extraordinary ventures, Jake, you are a community treasure, Gratitude!!!