And Then, You Act

I just finished reading Anne Bogart's new book And Then, You Act. Like A Director Prepares, there's much to inspire and provoke. Ostensibly, the book is about creating art in difficult times, namely in the aftermath of 9/11. It's about an artist's role and responsibility in their community and the world. It breaks the act of creating/presenting work down into the themes of context, articulation, intention, attention, magnetism, attitude, content, and time. I found much to inspire and provoke. And for me, it's certainly a case of right book to read at the right time.

I needed the encouragement. I needed to hear what Anne had to say about creating work not just in our current political/cultural context, but in my own context of working alone rather than devising with a company, trying to figure out where/how to either produce or get my work produced, and coming to terms with the fact that my work and interests combine the political and the artistic ( I don' t feel they are mutually exclusive). Plus, the idea of getting older and running out of time has been affecting my attitude lately. But that is my kettle of fish and you have yours.

Since my situation dictates that I work in the spirit of festina lente (making haste slowly) that Anne advocates in the book, my plan is to go through the book a second time and then I'll write posts about my response to each chapter. In the meantime, read the book yourself.