WHAT WOULD MARK TWAIN DO?

Meredith and Mark at The Fairmont Hamilton Princess Hotel, Bermuda

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."
- Mark Twain

I was reading “Seven Life Changing Lessons You Can Learn from Mark Twain” and thought, Hey, this is my life, for pity’s sake. My weird little theatre life, with its broad, odd, wholesome, creative, charitable views of the world - all found because I chose NOT to vegetate in a little corner of the earth.

Theatre will do that for you. Those who join me in theatre's organized chaos have the pleasure of inhabiting dozens of people and perspectives, new worlds and old, along with all sorts for magic and mayhem.

"I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened." 
- Mark Twain

Well put. For the pleasure of inhabiting a completely different perspective for a time, an actor will risk their self-respect, deal with sleep deprivation and midnight terrors. and live through some terrible things. And the things that happen to them in real life? Those feed right into the actor’s art and enrich every character portrayed.

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MARK TWAIN'S ADAM & EVE DIARIES, adapted from Twain's writings by Meredith Bean McMath, and produced and directed by McMath at North Gate Vineyard, 2017. Starring Ben Huntington and Carolyn Cutshall as Adam and Eve.

"Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living; the world owes you nothing; it was here first".
- Mark Twain

Ah. The actor who walks into auditions wanting a particular role… then argues with the director about casting choices. Yes. That’s going to go over well; do that. And then try auditioning again… anywhere but here. Of course, Twain could also be describing life as a director. And, yes, I tell myself to get over myself...  a lot, actually. And I better, because…

"When people do not respect us we are sharply offended, yet in his private heart no man much respects himself". - Mark Twain

I hate a bad review, but if I don’t leave room for my improvement, what do I think I am, perfect? Ridiculous notion. Every great actor I know doubts themselves, because they’re always reaching for perfection. Conversely, when an actor has said they’re really good, nothing good has ever come of it.

And then there's Twain's great advice for getting organized:

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one." 
- Mark Twain

Spot on. Spot on...

And when chaos descends — and it will, without fail, one to ten days before opening night - I remember these wise words:

"When angry, count to four. When very angry, swear."
- Mark Twain

He may not have had the theatre in mind, but his words sure do come in handy... Yes, they certainly do.