Artist's Statement
This
project reminded me a bit of the popular BBC TV series Doctor Who, which features many fictional episodes that take place
amidst significant historical events. It
is my opinion that when you are writing historical fiction, you need to ensure
that it is as historically accurate as possible, including the details. If you ignore the actual history in the name
of taking "artistic liberties" with everything, then the reality is
lost and it just feels fake. For
example, in our script, the actors receive papers with only their lines, not
the whole script, and there is a lead actor, rather than a director. Be creative, but within the rules of the
world of your story.
We
consulted two texts from my bookshelf.
We checked Living Theatre by
Edwin Wilson and Alvin Goldfarb to make sure that we understood the laws and
customs of the time period correctly, particularly regarding the current culture
of theatre. We checked the dates and
made sure that they really would have been using Shakespeare's work. After making sure of that and deciding to
reference Hamlet, we consulted The Riverside Shakespeare which contains
and contextualizes all of Shakespeare's work to select the section we wanted to
quote.
One
thing that stands out to me is the universality of themes. In our script taking place in the 1600s,
theatre is illegal and considered highly immoral. Our main character thinks of it as lying. Even now, when theatre is definitely legal, I
have encountered antagonism from others who say that certain acting jobs I are
"lying" or dishonorable for other reasons. A relatively harmless example is that one of
my current jobs is playing a princess at parties and events. I was told by a friend that it was wrong to
do that because it was dishonest and I was using my talents for "purely
commercial purposes." I really
thought about what they said. At the
next large event, I realized that that was not the case. I legitimately felt the Spirit as I watched
these little children light up. I remember
one little girl in particular. I asked
her if she was a princess too. She
looked down and I could legitimately see the lack of self-worth in her
eyes. She couldn't have been more than 5
and she already disliked herself. She
said, "No." I made a confused
face and said, "Really? Because
you're beautiful like a princess."
She looked up at me, stunned. I
continued, "Yes, you definitely seem like a princess to me. Are you a princess?" I asked again. She paused, considering what I had said, then
she stood up straighter and her face lit up in a wide grin as she said, "Yes,"
nodding. I meant it. She was beautiful, and she was the daughter
of a King. That experience reinforced
the same lesson for me that the main character in our script learns. There is great truth within fiction.
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