London Still: The Seagull

First Prologue

They brought a woman
from the street
And made her
sit in the stalls
By threats
By bribes
By flattery
Obliging her to share
a little of her life
with actors

But I don't understand art

Sit still, they said

But I don't want to see sad things

Sit still, they said

And she listened to everything
Understanding some things
But not others
Laughing rarely,
and always without knowing why
Sometimes suffering disgust
Sometimes thoroughly amazed
And in the light again, said

If that's art I think it is hard work
It was beyond me
So much beyond my actual life

But something troubled her
Something gnawed her peace
And she came a second time, armoured with friends

Sit still, she said

And again,
she listened to everything
This time
understanding different things
This time
untroubled that some things
Could not be understood
Laughing rarely
but now without shame
Sometimes suffering disgust
Sometimes thoroughly amazed
And in the light again said

This is art,
it is hard work
And one friend said,
too hard for me
And the other said,
if you will
I will come again
Because I found it hard
I felt honoured

-- Howard Barker,
from The Bite of the Night

13 March, 2015

The Seagull

Well, reader?
My beautiful babies killed it again.
They made us laugh and broke our hearts and exposed their gorgeous, purple souls with piercing clarity and the microscopic skill it takes to pull off Chekhov.
And with their work ethic, passion and enthusiasm they seared us to the core with a crushingly difficult as well as (what I consider to be) the world's most beautiful play.

Am I one proud teacher? DA.

"And now I know, Kostya. In our profession--acting or writing it makes no difference-- the main thing isn't being famous. It's not the sound of the applause. It isn't everything I dreamed it was. The main things is to keep on going no matter what happens. You have to keep on believing. I believe and it helps. And now? When I think of my profession I am not afraid of life..."