I have destroyed everything meaningful.
I did it on purpose.
I am only sad because everything did not go my way
I know too much of their story
At some point, I will used it to my advantage
You are mislead, on days like today, I am not a good person.

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Hannah and I were having breakfast in New York City one lovely morning…

…because that’s what adult friends do. One lives in Chicago. Another in Philly. And they meet in New York and share stories over breakfast at a hotel.

And as we were talking I looked over to a parked truck below and there was a sign. I thought it read, “THINK SAFELY”

What it really said was, “THINK SAFETY”

Very different. One is understandable. The other would sent me into a bit of outraged uncontrollable anger.

I remember Dr. Allen saying something to the effect of, “An idea is the most powerful thing in the world.”

I just reread my journals from my time in Berlin and in one letter to my mom I spoke about how crazy and amazing and powerful it was for some random man to THINK, “Hey, maybe I’ll invent this thing that flies. Yes, I’ll make this big contraption thing and people will get into it and one hour they are in Chicago and a few hours later they are in New York. And it will fly in the sky. Yes, I think I’m going to make a plane.”

I mean, who does that? Who sits at home and thinks that maybe they will invent something that changed the face of the world. It was just an idea. That’s where it started.

I read an article. Don’t remember where or what but I quoted a sentence in my journal. The quote was something to the effect, “Art has recently been accused of having ideas.”

Ummm. Things like this get my juices to flowing.

Don’t get me started on the relevance of art in today’s society. The place and role of the artist. My responsibility to this world.

Those are things floating around in my world. And how am I as an artist to deal with these things? I write. I write monologue and I say them outloud and others hear and they think and question and then they discuss it over dinner with someone else, who then brings that comment up at a party or book club and people are talking.

So I write and I perform and I stage manage. That’s my role in today’s society. I will not be a politician. I am not a teacher. I won’t ever be a soldier. I am an artist and I have my own responsibilities.

I spoke with Hugo about “Theater and War. An Artist’s responsibility” I want to explore that a little bit more.

So please don’t THINK SAFELY.

Think DANGEROUSLY
Think BOLDLY
Think PASSIONATELY
Think RECKLESSLY
Think VIOLENTLY

In a book by Anne Bogart, she says that we must make violent choices. Her example was this. She said in one rehearsal an actor asked the director where should a certain chair go during one scene. The director said, “I don’t care.” And Anne says that was one horrible mistake to make. We are to boldly make violent choices. Violent in the sense that by saying the chair will go here on this spot in this direction, we are saying all others choices are not going to happen. Only this one goes. And that is a violent act. To say yes to one thing is to say no to everything else. So think violently. Meaning don’t be impartial or apathetic. Choose something and go with it.

Most importantly. JUST THINK. Think of something. Everything starts with an idea.

What ideas have you had lately?

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