Stage Magic

I was thinking all week about the RI politician who told the visiting president to "shove it." We are all performing in our various roles in life, and it is dangerous if we forget that. We are better off waking up to this fact in order to become better actors and more conscious of where the boundaries of our roles are. We do not become omnipotent when we fill the role of doctor, preacher, politician, rock star, visiting artist. We are playing a role, and need to consciously play it well.

When I say acting I do not mean being inauthentic. I mean being more authentic by understanding that we are always playing many roles, in our families, in our professions, in our neighborhoods, when blogging, walking the dog, buying groceries, trimming hedges. I remember running into my painting professor on the street in Providence. He was "off stage" and very uncomfortable, as if he didn't even know how to say hello. I once saw my dentist at a party, and he too wasn't entirely sure of his role outside his office. They were good actors in their professions, but had not thought about how to act in other roles.

I am frightened by the preacher, the doctor, the policeman, the politician, who forgets he is performing and falls in love with the power and admiration to the degree that he loses his way. At least an actor usually knows he is acting. When he is really good at it, the audience believes he really does kick the cat and sleep with teenagers, they really think the guy is like that. But no, he's just a really good actor. We need to believe the mirror but also remember it is a mirror.