An Extravagant Notion

At Cleveland Public Theatre's Annual Artists' Meeting last weekend, Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan commented that theatre is the only art form that requires all parties involved to continually grow and stretch themselves. In other words: no resting on your laurels.

Perhaps this is because in the intimate world of the theatre it is easier for the audience to detect the honesty and commitment of the performance. But there must also be honesty in the words the playwright selects and the artistic vision of the director.

The ulitimate mystery of theatre (all forms of storytelling, you could say) - is how through artifice, it reveals universal truth. Telling lies to uncover truth is antithetical, but sometimes it takes a heightened sense of reality - a theatrical bang to the head - for the audience to sit up, take notice and listen.

There is an unspoken contract between the audience and the play. The playwright and performers are saying, in effect, "I'm taking you on a journey." As in all journeys, there must be discovery: for both the characters and the viewer.

Must this discovery be revelatory? Yes. The revelation, however, doesn't need to be monumental in the scope of the world, But it must be of such extreme importance to the characters, that these are the moments the playwright has chosen to unveil.