Eh, who needs it?

It's incredible how much we rely on language, especially in theater. It seems silly to say something so obvious, of course we rely on language. We use it everyday to communicate meaning and share points of view. But since I've been in Berlin language has become one of the last tools I use to communicate and I think this is because of the shows we have been seeing. Night after night we sit in a theater and partake of a feast unlike any we are accustomed to, and I am always fed in one way or another. I am moved beyond words, I am challenged, I am confused, and I leave with a stomach aching from laughter. All of this I experience without the use of language. I have no idea what the actors onstage are saying, and for most of the shows I don't have a clue what the storyline is. But they never fail to tell me something.

In our movement classes back at Mason Gross we talk a lot about utilizing all our senses as actors, and here in Berlin, while I'm watching theater in a language I don't understand, I am using all my senses to help me make sense of the story being told onstage. I listen for pitch variation, I watch a characters movements and tiniest gestures intensely, hoping to gain something from their bodies. Last night we saw a show in a tiny little hole in the wall theater that had cooking going on during the show. So I was able to watch, listen, smell, and eventually taste what was going on. It's incredible to have my whole body engaged when I go to a show. I think it's something I will miss when I get back to the States.