A couple of weeks ago, someone I deem most wise and compassionate posed a question to a group of Zoom chat participants.
“What questions are you facing right now?”
As a lover of “the questions”, I was taken aback? What questions am I facing? Are the questions I’m mulling over the same questions others have rolling around in their noggins? I have been so caught up in the day-to-day news, the ups and downs of numbers and statistics and projections that I had forgotten that I love to noodle on the questions and make them manifest. The respondents had questions both big and small.
“How will I spend my day?”
“Will my family and friends be OK?”
“Should I make my sourdough bread today or tomorrow?”
“Do I bother getting dressed?”
“What will happen when this is over?”
Ahhh...the questions….and the delicate balance…
How do we live in this moment while planning for the future?
And what if that future is uncertain?
Ahhh….the questions…..and the uncertainty.
How do we start?
How do we start to create theatre responsibly?
How do we open our doors and our hearts to share stories and sing songs?
I don’t know.
During this pandemic, I started reading J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. (Please don’t think less of me for not getting to it before.)[ I enjoy reading but didn’t realize how much I would enjoy reading this. The epic scope, the hero's journey, the friendships, the courage, the metaphor, the imagery….this series has it all!]
I love Frodo and Treebeard; I feel for Boromir and Gollum. I envy the traits of Legolas and Samwise….you get the point. But then there’s Aragorn... (….yes...yes...yes...I know what happens - I have seen the movies.)
AAAHHHH...Aragorn….when things are bleakest and darkest and most despondent, Aragorn never gives up. From the beginning he says, “There is still hope.” (Fellowship of the Rings)
While brooding through what he deems past missteps, he urges his quirky band of revolutionists onward….step by step...when things are uncertain and unknowable he leads the way - step by step... often with dark misgiving. Step by step. League by league. Challenge by Challenge. Moment by moment.
I still don’t know the way to create art responsibly and so our world will feel welcome and physically safe. Nor do I believe my challenges are as great as those facing Middle-Earth. But I am taking a cue from Aragorn -nee Strider- ...
Taking steps each moment.
Willing to adjust.
Listening to the wisdom and thoughts of others.
Knowing that hope is still present.
And I know that there is something deeper here. There is faith. I have faith that we will create live theatre that people will share again. I know that we have a community that will support and make adaptations to keep themselves and their community safe. And I know that art and stories will survive. Today it’s just a step but through it we will travel leagues.
--Anita Ross