Excerpt from: Pioneer Drama Around the Globe
|
 |
| August 13, 2008 | | What young actors can learn from the Games | | Does anybody else like watching the Olympics? Because I love it. Sports I would never care anything about suddenly take on urgent importance when those five colored rings are flying above the stadium and the torch is lit. One of the things that really strikes me when watching the parade of athletes in the Opening Ceremony is that for the vast majority of these talented people their Olympic experience will consist of a few minutes (or even a few seconds) of competition. They will be eliminated in the first heat or the first round of their chosen sport and become spectators. But it is these athletes that make the Olympics so special.
The Olympics are for every nation, not just the sports powerhouses, and while a few weeks from now we will only remember the names of a dozen or so superstar Olympians, for those thousands of others who marched into the stadium last week the words of Pierre de Coubertin will always ring true. Coubertin was the founder of the modern Olympic movement and he said, "The important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part. The essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well."
What does all this have to do with drama (other than the obvious fact that the Olympics are the biggest piece of theatre on the planet)? Well, if you know my plays you'll know that I think every role should be important, that every actor should have a chance to shine. But you probably also know that old adage that their are no small parts, only small actors. As actors, I do believe that there is a lot to be learned from Olympians when we get cast in parts other than those we set our hearts on. The important thing is not to be a star, but to take part. The honor is not in playing the lead, but in contributing to something bigger than ourselves.
And, just as every athlete will have a chance to walk into that stadium for the closing ceremonies and be applauded for their efforts, every member of a cast can step onto the stage when the play is over and take a well-deserved bow. | | |
|
|
