Really they don't. That's the
paradox
(indeed, that's the enigma) with great
actors:
great
actors
are
actors
who don't
act.
It's
true.
When you can tell
actors
are
acting,
they're merely hams. But when they don'tact
(which is to say when you can't tell they're
acting),
that's when they're being the part. And it's when they're being
the part that we all recognize what truly great
actors
they are, deeming their
performances
worthy of Tonys and Oscars. If you're going to be a
great
actor,
you have to be the part. Conversely if you're going to be
the part, you can't be
acting
the part (if you do, it only gets in
the way).
Great
actors
be - they don't
act.
Now here's a thing about we
human beings
even though we're never really overt about it: we
lovebeing. We're in awe of it. When we see it in others, we're
attracted to it - even if we can't articulate exactly what it is we're
attracted to. We're mesmerized by it - without even fully realizing
what it is we're witnessing. We
love
being, so much so that we put it on the stage - which is to say
we put it (in spite of knowing better) on a pedestal. We
lovewatching
being. We love
watching
people being. We've
loved
being, and we've
lovedwatching
people being, as long as we've been on the
planet.
The sublime pastime of being on stage and of
watching
being (which is to say the sublime
art
of theatre and all other forms of the
performingarts)
shows up
in all cultures known to man throughout all the ages. Although its
personalized expression differs (even if only subtlely) from culture to
culture, the
performingarts
and the bringing forth of being, is an internationally admired craft, a
constantly and universally revered
artform.
What's also
true
is we don't always readily distinguish that the value we get from the
performingarts
(which is to say what we
love
about the
performingarts),
is being. And neither is it always readily distinguished that the
greatest
actors
are those who bring forth being by not
acting.
However I assert if you look at the special place
acting
and the
performingarts
occupy in our lives, this is what underlies it and keeps us fascinated
with it, and has kept us fascinated with it for centuries.
We
lovewatchingmasters
of being (which is to say we
lovewatching
great
actors
who aren't
acting)
because in
watchingmasters
of being, we gain insight into and access to our own being (given it's
one of the great
mysteries
of our lives as
human beings
that being itself should be so illusive). This
transference (if you will) isn't an intellectual
phenomenon: it
happens
directly and spontaneously by osmosis when we're in the
presence
of great
actors,
so much so that when it
happens,
we may not even be aware it's
happening.
And if you
consider
the croesan going rate for great
actors
ie for
masters
of being, you'll notice exactly how much we prize ie how much we're
willing to pay for
watching
the
art
of bringing forth being, and for making being accessible.
Werner's work
provides
direct access
to being. Indeed, we could say more than merely provide
direct access
to being,
Werner's workisdirect access
to being. It's so effective at this, that it's become the basis for
The World
Is Your Stage, a workshop specifically designed for
actors.
What I found
interesting
about
participating
in this workshop is I, someone who has no aspirations to be an
actor
(or even to be an
actor
who doesn't
act)
got being from it. What that
speaks
to me is how
Werner's work
provides something which is secondarily
clearly
of
interest
to great
actors,
yet is primarily also valuable and useful to everyone ie to all people
across the board.