Words to Live By

"Call nothing thy own except thy soul.
Love not what thou art, but only what thou may become.
Do not pursue pleasure, for thou may have the misfortune to overtake it.
Look always forward; in last year's nest there are no birds this year.
Be just to all men. Be courteous to all women.
Live in the vision of that one for whom great deeds are done ..."


Ironically, by choosing to pursue a career in the theatre, I am actually sacrificing the main factor that made me love it in the first place. I have always been awed and inspired by the magic of theatre - that, on severely limited schedules and budgets, so many diverse people can bring together their incredible talents to produce an emotionally moving stage production that gets recreated eight times a week. Sadly, by working theatre at a high level, the "emotionally moving"-ness of the production for those of us running the shows often tends to be lost.

This was not the case this evening.

Tonight was our third of nineteen performances of Man of La Mancha at the Hangar Theatre, and I, as a frontlight follow spot operator, have a priceless view of the stage. Even though we've now spent over 50 hours with the actors on stage rehearsing and teching this show, tonight was the first time I really stopped to listen to what was going on. Now that my cues are all memorized and I have a feel for the show, I can finally stop to appreciate the incredible beauty that's happening 20 feet beneath my spotlight. And just before the finale of the first act, some of Don Quixote's lines started to really hit me.

As Don Quixote (played by Richard Todd Adams) held his vigil and considered how life should be lived, we at first hear some of the timeless advice which we've all heard since our youth. But what makes this truly powerful is the context. Don Quixote is holding vigil outside of a bar which he believes to be a mighty castle, preparing to be knighted by the owner of the bar whom he believes to be a great king. We are almost tempted to laugh at his expense, but as he delivers wise words of wisdom, we are left in a state of awe. Quixote may be a crazed lunatic who lives only in delusions, but the ideals and morals to which he clings are inspiring and pure. Even as everyone around him succumbs to the reality of life as it is, Quixote still holds fiercely onto his dream, all the while knowing that it is an impossibility.

Don Quixote's message is a universal one which we can all learn from. We have all, at one time or another, chosen what is easy over what is right, and we have all let go of something precious for fear of failure. Through the timeless words of Don Quixote, we are reminded that our lives are not defined by the places we go, but by the journeys we take to get there.


"To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go
To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star."


R