Right now in IB Theatre we are revisiting the art of the Neutral Mask, one of my favorite units from last year. One aspect of this type of mask work that each of us in the class have grown interested in is how to use movement economically. How do you get to the heart of an emotion and cut out all of the "fluff" while still fully communicating your story?While I don't have the answer to this question, the topic reminded me of a poem we read in English class a few weeks ago. It is titled "We Real Cool" and was written by the poet Gwendolyn Brooks in 1959. The simplicity of this poem struck me. It may seem like a few brief lines with a shallow meaning, but is in fact much deeper.
In exactly 8 lines and 24 words, Brooks tells the story of a group of teenage boys who become delinquents and ruin their lives all for the purpose of having a good time. Ending each line with the seemingly unnatural "We" helps the reader understand the unnatural haste with which the boys proceed. Then, in the last line, the lack of this "We" demonstrates the finality of their actions and shows that the consequences are irreversible.
So why might any of this matter to a theatre student? Personally, I think Brooks is the perfect example of how one can economically express emotion and tell a story. For Brooks, what makes this poem effective is the raw emotion brought out of such a simple yet tragic story. For us, our Lecoq mask work is most effective when we minimize extraneous actions and focus on the heart of the story we wish to express. Sometimes the most moving things in the world are simply the most universally emotional moments in a persons life, expressed in the most common of terms.
~ Julie
