Put me in grease paint, with a rose in hand, and a silent tear rolling down my face. Marcel Marceau has died.
I’m a thespian, a real, live, true theatre geek. And, everyone I love admire and have been inspired by in theatre is leaving us… Pavorotti…gone…and now, world renown mime, Marcel Marceau, you can read Associated Press’ story.
Man… I’m sad about the loss of yet another great artist. I studied mime at NYU, with our very sensitive, but, very good movement teacher Jonah. He refered to himself as a Zen-Buddhist-Jew. Dude, put me into the best shape of my life. It was in his class that I learned to enjoy the pain associated with crunches and pushups. 
People think miming is easy, it isn’t. Its very physical, and calls for an agility possibly more stringent than dancing. –As dancers aren’t asked to use their faces as form of expressing as much as a mime. I can hear Jonah now showing us “the cape” exercise…”slide, slide, slide, push!” I actually liked miming… A good performer uses their entire instrument to perform, not just words, but, the body, the mind, the heart…everything. A great perfomer has absolutely no shame while performing, we will literally do anything, as it is our jobs to reflect life back to the world.
I was speaking to this painter I know, today. She’s an art professor whose been out of work for quite some time–had to become a scenic painter on broadway to make ends meet. She has a show opening in a few weeks. And, she was complaining that bohemia seems to have been lost in NYC. And, I explained that I think it hasn’t been lost, but, displaced, forced back underground. The mainstream isn’t interested experimental theatre, or art, or the avant garde. They want pop, remixes of pop and junkfood art. And, for well established artist like my friend, that means that we artist have to become creative in how we get our stuff out there. In my opinion any art that has become commercialized, has also become sanitized, and that sucks. As, I said art is a reflection of life, so, if you’re getting the censored version, you’re not getting the truth.
The film I’m producing…its controversial, its experimental, it asks questions and gets stuck in your brain like pin-head in Hell Raiser..we’re talking embedded. Why? Because there isn’t a person alive that cannot relate to feeling displaced, overwhelmed and unwelcomed in what should be their home. And, that is why I love that piece, and I love my friend who wrote it, and my friend who stars in it. I’m not an artist just for the sake of art. I’m an artist for the sake of us! The artist are the ones who glean the need for change way before its cool, fashionable, or acceptable. Which is why its our monies the government looks to cut first. Shut up the artist, and keep the minds, hearts and ears of people closed. Marcel Marceau reflected the world with his body, protested as did Chaplin, and Chaplin had to leave the country based on his artistic/political views of the world. If you want to keep hope alive, you’ve gotta keep art alive! RIP Marcel…you’ll be missed.
Love Peace Happiness N One,
SunDeevah

You must be logged in to post a comment.
Menu