Ancient Greek Theater

Ancient Greek Theater started with festivals honoring the God Dionysus in a festival called called, “City Dionysia.

From this event tragedy, comedy, and satyr plays emerge.

The Greeks were the first to write about these integral parts of the human condition and examine it. To the Greeks, theater was a way of holding a mirror up to society and examining our human behavior. 

They went to the theater not to see actors, but to see themselves. 

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Bring It

Years ago when I was in theater school there was a kid I admired a couple years above me. He had a great work ethic and was a fully committed student and actor. On more than one occasion I'd ask him for advice about a project I was working on and how to best navigate through the challenges of school.

A few weeks into his final year he was the lead in his class's thesis project. I couldn't believe the production value and the extraordinary work he'd put into his character. As a result, my heart sank when I sat in that virtually empty theater. It seemed no one had gotten the memo on great the play was.

I asked him afterwards how he coped with putting so much effort into something only to see an empty house.

"You just have to bring it like it's packed," he said without hesitation. "You always do your best."

This advice would serve me as I got older. Like many people, I found myself getting hung up on numbers. How many people came to a play, the number of people who watched a particular program I might have been on, and on and on. For some reason, I thought quantity meant value.

The truth is you have to dig deep within and trust that YOUR belief in your message will be enough. If there are hundreds, thousands, possibly even millions who end up reading your message and being influenced that's an amazing byproduct, but not the end goal.

Focus on giving value first. And no matter the audience, take a note from the Ancient Greeks who believed their words held up the pillars of the universe when they were on stage. If they did not speak with enough vigor, conviction, and passion the foundation would fall and the universe would collapse. 

No matter where you are remember to bring it.

Resilience is a Muscle

Winston Churchill one said,  "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. To the Ancient Greeks, enthusiasm meant "divine inspiration," or "to be filled with god."

But in order for enthusiasm to thrive, one must first cultivate a sense of resilience because inevitably your passion will be tested.

Resilience, like any muscle, must be trained. In order for it to grow that guidance must be consistent. 

In my experience, it helps to keep in mind that there will be ups and downs in your artistic career. But what is most important is maintaining a sense of poise and belief in what you do through such storms.

In time, this belief will translate to an incessant drive within, one you may not have even known you possessed; an inherent belief in yourself and mission will have been refined over time because you'll have trained your body and spirit to know no other way.

Stories Matter

The earliest figurative cave paintings in Europe go back roughly 30,000 years. They can be found in the Coliboaia Cave in Romania and the Chauvet Cave in France.

A voice teacher once told me that the Ancient Greeks believed words held up the pillars of the universe, and if they weren't spoken with enough passion and vigor they were convinced the universe would collapse.

And certain tribes in Africa passed down their cultural heritage from one generation to the next without any written text. A failure to listen meant one literally didn't know where they came from.

Stories connect us all through the human condition.
Stories Matter...A LOT.

Keep Telling Them.