Changed Lives 10/05/2002

The tragedy at the World Trade Center has changed our lives. It makes me look at who I am and what I do and what it means. It has thrown me back to reflect on why I even went into the biz so many years ago and I remembered it was because I needed to help people, to entertain and help them to feel, think, and in some cases forget their troubles for the period of time that I was acting or they were seeing the results of my directing or producing. My mind went back to a year ago when I directed a production of THE FANTASTICS in a local Equity waiver theater and seeing audiences tear up and cry when they saw the young actors playing Matt and Louisa reunite in the second act: remembering that the cast backstage were also moved along with the audience at that moment knowing that they too were caught up in the meaning of the play and the innocence of what true love and caring for humanity is all about. Audiences (and critics) left saying that they have never seen a production of THE FANTASTICKS that was so moving and so entertaining. You see it was a production produced by a Theater that allowed me to take the project to new places and draw statements about the cruelty of some of the people in the world; about the horrors that exist with prejudices of race, religion, and power, and that in the end what it is all about is that we have each other to love and care for.

Then my thoughts went to the project that I spoke about in the last journal entry: the one that fell apart because of the lack of trust between two creative entities. A project that says something about humanity, pride, caring and love between people. And I immediately went to the place of knowing that more than ever the project would be made... because it has to be! It is one of those projects that make us think about ourselves and the world around us. It shows us the pettiness of interpersonal lives and the heroics in us all. So I know it will be made, someway... somehow.

And then my thoughts went back to what is happening in the world. How the tragedy of the World Trade Center is literally six degrees away from everyone in the country if not the world. And how it relates to the stories that need to be told in the depths of my soul. Our souls. Yours and mine. It must make you reflect on what you (and I) need to do. Please reflect upon it... please reflect upon it and then do something, write something... talk about something... make something... just do something that is creative because creativity is the spark of life.