Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1993 - 17

undersrand rhar we cannor conrrol evenrs
or people. The only rhings rhar we can
conrrol are rhe rhoughrs rhar shape our
arrirudes. Thearre is a map rhrough rhis
difficulr rerrain. Ir has given me gifrs concrere and spirirual over rhe lasr 37 years.
Ir has caprured my imaginarion and feelings ro become a lifelong commirmenr, a
romance of surprising proponions.
Bill Gardner, rhe former producing
anisric direcror of rhe Pimburgh Public
Thearre, frequenrly said ro me rhar every
decision made in rhe rhearer is an anisric
decision: Hiring, salaries, office layourall affecr rhe anisric life of a rhearre. On a
pracricallevel, rhis means rhar because of
limired resources-rime, people,
money-choices musr be made abour
whar can and can nor be done for any
given projecr. The purchase of rhar srareof-rhe-an lighring sysrem will preclude
rhe purchase of a new fog machine. The
purchase of an expensive wig means rhar
rwo more cosrumes will need ro be pulled
from srock and resryled.
On rhe mosr philosophical level, ir
means rhar each of us is responsible for
rhe viraliry of rhe rhearre, for making rhe
whole experience grearer rhan rhe sum of
irs original pans for our audiences and
ourselves. This is as rrue for box office
personnel as ir is for rhe masrer carpenrer
as ir is for rhe direcror. We are responsible
for rhe collaborarion rhar creares a
unique world on srage visually, aurally,
and ulrimarely, emorionally.
To do rhis we all juggle rhe
rime/money/people equarion. You can
do wirhour anyone of rhem, bur wirhour
any rwo, life is difficulr if nor impossible.
People, however, are rhe make-and-break
of rhis formula.
When I am mosr frusrrared by life in
rhe rhearre, I daydream of sirring alone in
a garrer wriring exoric novels or painring
brooding landscapes. The lure of rhese
solirary acriviries has probably been more
rhan apparenr ro each of us ar ar leasr one
poinr in our careers. Then, of course,
somerhing happens-The vision acrually
makes ir on ro rhe srage, and I anl glad ro
be surrounded by rhe people who have
made rhar happen wirh me.
We are all pan of a rradirion cenruries
old. We are preceded by a line of voices
who have each shared 'rhe gifrs of spirir
and imaginarion rhey have been given
wirh orhers who have shared wirh orhers
who have shared wirh us jusr as we will
conrinue ro share. I am grareful ro rhe
menrors I have had along rhe way who
have undersrood rhar rhearre requires
doing and who have made ir possible for
me ro do-misrakes and all. I am grareful
for rhe hours spenr lisrening ro rhearre

ralk over drinks ... rhe rime when rrue
rhearre hisrory is raughr.
So, finally, in rhe darkness of rhe rhearre a communiry is creared-The palpable, rhrobbing feeling rhar goes from rhe
srage ro rhe audience and from rhe audience ro rhe srage ries anisrs and audience
rogerher recognizing our common needs,
exploring our differences, and arrempring
ro arrive ar a sense of rrurh rhar means
our rime has been spenr well.
By irs narure rhearre is rhe mosr
ephemeral of arrs-For each audience
rhere is only one chance of communicaring rhar can be affecred by variables as
disparare as rhe remperarure of rhe rhearre, rhe smoorhness of scene changes,
wherher or nor an acror gor caughr in
rraffic on rhe way ro half hour. No performance can ever be recreared or experienced in rhe same way again. In rhe besr
of all possible worlds, our shared memory of a panicular performance makes us a
parr of each orher even afrer rhe lighrs go
our and we separare.
When rhearre speaks wirh a haunring
eloquence ir is because images and language have assumed a meaning beyond
meaning. They speak ro us more srrongly
rogerher rhan eirher could have alone. Ir
is so ofren rhe magic of rhese images rhar
remains long afrer a performance is over
provoking us ro rhoughr and feeling.
Thearre is a passionare enrerprise and
we should be passionare in our commirmenr ro crearing rhearre rhar is a call ro
joy, ro rhoughr, ro change. We are here ro
ask quesrions, nor ro find answers in our
complex world. Our communiC)' is our
family, our friends, our counrry and,
increasingly, our world. Each rime one of
us pulls, orhers feel rhe rug.
If 10 or 20 or 30 people have found
beaury or lighr or comfon or undersranding in my work, I have been successful. If
my collaborarions have spurred my colleagues ro rhoughr or insighr, I have been
successful. I believe and rherefore can say
ro you clearly and loudly: "Thearre marrers." Whar we do is wonh our rime and
arrenrion and care. Ir is a good way, a
wise way, ro spend a liferime!
Wirh apologies ro anorher man wirh
whom I have had an ongoing affair,
William Faulkner: The voice of rhe rhearre need nor merely be rhe record of
man, ir can be one of rhe props, rhe pilffi
lars ro help him endure and prevail.
Mary Guaraldi is the associate artistic
director ofthe Missouri Repertory Theatre.
This article was originally presented as the
keynote address at the J 993 USfTT
Conference 6- Stage EXjJo in Wichita, KS,
March J993.

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1993