How theater weathers wars, outlasts empires and survives pandemics | Cara Greene Epstein

Transcriber:

翻译人员: Jennifer Yan 校对人员: Yanyan Hong

"O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention,

“啊，光焰万丈的缪斯女神， 愿您高登灵感的至高天镜，

a kingdom for a stage, princes to act

王国作舞台， 王侯充戏伶，

and monarchs to behold the swelling scene!”

君王览尽宏伟演绎的壮景！” （译：辜正坤）

Though, to be totally honest,

不过，坦率地说，

right now, I'd settle for a real school day,

现在，一个真正的上学日，

a night out

一个外出的夜晚，

and a hug from a friend.

和一个朋友的拥抱， 就足以让我心满意足了。

I do have to admit that Wrigley Field does make a pretty awesome stage, though.

但我必须承认，瑞格利球场（Wrigley Field）

也会是个不错的舞台。

The words that I spoke at the beginning, "O for a Muse of fire," et cetera,

我开场时说的那句话， “啊，光焰万丈的缪斯女神”，等等，

are Shakespeare's.

是莎士比亚写的，

He wrote them as the opening to his play "Henry V,"

作为他的戏剧《亨利五世》的开头。

and they're are also quite likely the first words ever spoken

那些话也很可能就是在 伦敦的环球剧场 1599 年

on the stage of the Globe Theater in London, when it opened in 1599.

首场演出的开场白。

The Globe would go on to become the home for most of Shakespeare's work,

环球剧场从那时起 就成了很多莎士比亚作品的家园。

and from what I hear,

我听说，

that Shakespeare guy was pretty popular.

那个“莎士比亚”颇受欢迎。

But despite his popularity, just four years later, in 1603,

可是，尽管如此，在 1603 年—— 仅仅四年后——

The Globe would close for an extended period of time

环球剧场便不得已长期关门，

in order to prevent the spreading and resurgence of the bubonic plague.

为了防止黑死病的传播和再度爆发。

In fact, from 1603 to 1613,

实际上，从 1603 年到 1613 年，

all of the theaters in London were closed on and off again

伦敦的所有剧场 都断断续续地开门关门。

for an astonishing 78 months.

持续了整整个 78 月之久。

Here in Chicago, in 2016,

2016 年，在芝加哥这里

new theaters were opening as well.

也开了些新的剧院。

The Steppenwolf had just opened its 1,700 theater space.

荒原狼剧院刚刚开放 它的 1700 剧场。

The Goodman, down in the Loop,

卢普区的古德曼剧院

had just opened its new Center for Education and Engagement.

刚刚开设它的教育和参与中心。

And the Chicago Shakespeare Theater had just started construction

芝加哥莎士比亚剧院也刚刚开始

on its newest theater space, The Yard.

建造它最新的剧场，名叫 “庭院”。

Today, all of those theaters,

如今，所有这些剧院，

as well as the homes of over 250 other theater companies across Chicago,

以及其它 250 多个 遍布在芝加哥的剧院，

are closed due to COVID-19.

都因新冠病毒而停业。

From Broadway to LA, theaters are dark,

从百老汇到洛杉矶，剧院里一片漆黑，

and we don't know when or if the lights are ever going to come on again.

我们不知道何时——或者是否—— 它们的灯会再次被点亮。

That means that tens of thousands of theater artists are out of work,

这意味着成千上万个戏剧艺术家，

from actors and directors

从演员和导演

to stage managers, set builders, costume designers ...

到舞台监督、布景师、 和服装设计师，都失业了。

It's not like it's an easy time to go wait tables.

对于剧院，这段时间很艰难——

It's a hard time for the theater,

转行去当服务员并不容易。

and it's a hard time for the world.

对全世界而言，这段时间同样艰难。

But while theaters may be dark,

可是，当剧院一片黑暗时，

theater as an art form has the potential to shine a light

戏剧——作为一种艺术形式—— 却又潜力去启发我们

on how we can process and use this time apart

该如何处理和运用 这段被隔离的时间，

to build a brighter, more equitable, healthier future together.

去一起创建一个更光明、 更公平和更健康的未来。

Theater is the oldest art form we humans have.

戏剧是我们人类拥有的 最古老的艺术形式。

We know that the Greeks were writing plays as early as the fifth century BC,

我们知道，早在公元前五世纪， 希腊人已经在写戏剧。

but theater goes back before that.

但戏剧的起源比那还早，

It goes back before we learned to write,

它追溯到我们学会写字之前，

to call-and-response around fires.

到人类围着篝火的一呼一应。

and -- who knows? -- maybe before we learn to build fire itself.

也说不定能一直追溯到 我们学会如何取火之前。

Theater has outlasted empires, weathered wars and survived plagues.

戏剧跨越了帝国的更迭、历经了战争的洗礼， 并生生不息于瘟疫的萧杀。

In the early 1600s, theaters were closed over 60 percent of the time in London,

十七世纪的前期，伦敦的剧院 百分之六十的时间是关门的，

and that's still looked at as one of the most fertile and innovative

而在西方戏剧史上， 它仍然被视为最多产

periods of time in Western theater history.

和最富有创新的时期之一。

The plays that were written then are still performed today over 400 years later.

400 多年后的今天， 那时创作的戏剧仍在上表演。

Unfortunately, in the early 1600s,

不幸的是，在十七世纪的前期，

a different plague was making its way across the ocean,

另一种瘟疫正在跨越海洋。

and it hit the shores of what would be called "America" in 1619,

1619 年，当第一支贩奴船队到达了 弗吉尼亚的詹姆斯敦，

when the first slave ships landed in Jamestown, Virginia.

这个瘟疫就来到了 将被称呼为“美洲”的海岸。

Racism is an ongoing plague in America.

在美国，种族主义是场 一直持续的瘟疫。

But many of us in the theater like to think we're not infected

但对于剧院里我们， 很多人愿意认为我们并没有感染上

or that we are at worst asymptomatic.

或者我们充其量是无症状感染者。

But the truth is, our symptoms have been glaring onstage and off.

事实是，我们的症状 一直反映在台上和台下。

We have the opportunity to use this intermission caused by one plague

但我们有机会利用一个 瘟疫导致的幕间休息

to work to cure another.

来治愈另一个瘟疫。

We can champion a theater that marches, protests, burns, builds.

我们可以提倡一个前进、抗议、 燃烧和建造的剧场。

We can reimagine the way our theaters and institutions work

我们可以重塑我们的 剧院和机构的运作方式

to make them more reflective and just.

使它们变得更值得深思且公正。

We can make this one of the most innovative and transformative

我们可以让现在成为西方戏剧历史中

periods of time in Western theater history,

最具创造性和变革性的时代之一，

one that we are still learning about and celebrating 400 years from now.

一个我们 400 年后还会 学习和纪念的时代。

What we embody in the theater can be embodied in the world.

我们在戏剧中所体现的 也可能到真实的世界里去体现。

Why?

为什么？

Because theater is an essential service.

因为戏剧是一项基本服务。

And what I mean by that is that theater is in service

我的意思是，戏剧是服务于

to that which is essential about ourselves:

那些对我们人类是 至关重要的情感体验：

love, anger, rage, joy, despair, hope.

爱情、愤怒、狂怒、 欢喜、绝望、希望。

Theater not only shows us the breadth and depth of human emotions,

戏剧不仅显示给我们 人类情感的宽度与深度，

it allows us to experience catharsis,

它也让我们体会到感情净化，

to feel our feelings and rather than ignore or compartmentalize them,

让我们去感受而不去忽略 或分割我们的感情，

move through them to discover what's on the other side.

让我们超越它们，去发现彼岸。

Now, many art forms connect us to our emotions,

现在，很多艺术形式 把我们与我们的情感相联，

but what makes the theater unique is that it reveals us to ourselves onstage

但戏剧的独特之处在于， 它在舞台上把我们揭示给我们自己

so that we can see that our lives are about our relationships

所以我们能够看到， 我们的生活是关于我们的关系，

and our connections to others --

我们与别人的联系——

to our parents, to our children,

与我们的家长、孩子、

to our teachers, to our tormentors, to our lovers, to our friends.

与我们的老师、那些折磨我们的人， 与我们的爱人，以及我们的朋友。

What we do when we engage with theater

当我们进入剧情时，

is we experience in real time, in real space,

我们所做的是在现实的时间空间里

those relationships and connections changing in the present --

体会这些关系与联系在发生着改变——

the relationships between characters onstage, yes,

台上的角色之间的关系，是的，

but also the relationships between characters and the audience

但也包括角色和观众之间的关系，

and the relationships between audience members themselves.

甚至观众和观众之间的关系。

We go to the theater because we seek connection.

我们来到剧院， 因为我们寻找一种联系，

And when we're in the theater, our hearts beat as one.

而在剧场里，我们的心跳如一。

That's not a metaphor.

这不是个比喻。

Our hearts race together, they're soothed together,

我们的心跳一起加速、一起被舒缓，

we breathe together.

我们一起呼吸。

Ay, there's the rub.

哈，难就难在这儿。

Who knows when we're going to be able to be together again in the same space,

谁知道我们何时才能共享一个空间，

breathing in the same air, breathing in the same experience?

呼吸同样的空气， 汲取同样的经历？

Who knows when we're going to want to be?

谁知道我们何时才会想要这样去做？

We are holding our breath.

我们正在屏住呼吸。

Luckily, theater doesn't just have to happen in theaters.

幸好，戏剧不必只出现在剧院里。

As theater practitioners,

作为戏剧从业者，

we know some of the most important work we do happens offstage,

我们知道，我们所做的 一些最重要的工作发生在台下、

in rehearsal spaces, garage spaces, studio apartments.

在排练场地、车库、一室公寓。

At the beginning of this talk, I wished for a kingdom for a stage, princes to act

在这个演讲的开始，我希望 有一个王国作舞台、

and monarchs to watch the show.

王侯充戏伶、 而君王览尽演出。

But the truth is, none of that is necessary.

但事实是，这些都不必要。

In fact, some of the most important theater I make

其实，一些我做的最重要的戏剧

happens on Monday mornings in an empty hospital meeting room

发生在些周一的早晨， 在一个空空的医院会议室里，

with just a handful of folks,

跟四五个人。

and only two of us are theater artists.

这几个人里，只有两个是戏剧艺术家。

The Memory Ensemble, as we call ourselves,

我们称自己为“记忆合奏”，

is a collaboration between the Lookingglass Theatre

由 “镜子” 戏剧公司和西北大学的

and Northwestern's Center for Cognitive Neurology

“认识精神科学和阿尔茨海默病中心”

and Alzheimer's Disease Research.

联合组成。

We begin each session with a mantra:

我们从一句口号 开始我们的每一个会议：

"I am a creative person.

“我是一个有创造性的人。

When I feel anxious or uncertain,

当我感到焦虑或渺茫的时候，

I can stop, breathe, observe

我可以停下来、深呼吸、观察，

and use my imagination."

并运用我的想象力。“

Anyone else feeling anxious or uncertain right now?

有人现在觉得焦虑或者渺茫吗？

Let's say it together.

让我们一起来说：

I am a creative person.

我是一个有创造性的人。

When I feel anxious or uncertain,

当我感到焦虑或渺茫的时候，

I can stop,

我可以停下来，

breathe,

深呼吸，

observe

观察，

and use my imagination.

并运用我的想象力。

Let's look at the first part of that statement:

我们来看看那段话的第一部分：

I am a creative person.

我是一个有创造性的人。

Many of us have been taught

很多人曾被教导说，

that creativity is a talent only some of us have,

创造性是某些人才有的天赋，

a skill reserved for artists,

一个保留给艺术家、

inventors, big thinkers,

发明家、和大思想家的才能，

that it's not something for regular people with quote, unquote real jobs.

它不是属于做“普通工作”的平凡人。

But that's not true.

这不是真的。

All humans are innately creative.

所有的人天生就赋予创意。

It's part of what makes us human.

创意是人性的一部分。

And if there was ever a time for us to exercise our creativity, it's now --

倘若有什么机会锻炼我们的创造性， 那个机会就是现在——

not to solve or fix our anxiety and uncertainty,

不是去解决或者修复 我们的焦虑和渺茫，

but to learn from it and to move through it.

而是从中学习，并且去超越它。

So the first step is to stop.

所以，第一步就是要停下来。

That's harder than it sounds;

这听起来容易，做起来难。

busy is a coping mechanism that we use

我们用忙碌作为一种工具去应付

to deal with our anxiety and uncertainty,

我们的焦虑和渺茫，

and our society is addicted to it.

而且我们的社会已深陷在忙碌中。

So we find ourselves making all the TikToks,

所以，我们发现自己忙着做抖音视频、

baking all the bread,

烤一个又一个面包、

taking all the Zoom meetings.

参加所有的Zoom会议。

Maybe you've even seen that meme

您有可能看过那个动图表情包

about how Shakespeare wrote "King Lear" during his pandemic,

说莎士比亚是在黑死病期间 创作的《李尔王》。

which I think is supposed to inspire us,

我想这个动图本该激励我们，

but instead just makes us feel guilty

但它反而使我们感到更加愧疚，

that we're not creating our own masterpieces right now,

因为我们在照顾我们的孩子、

you know, in addition to taking care of our children

父母、学生、

or our parents or our students,

病人、客户、顾客、朋友

our patients, our clients, our customers, our friends,

和我们自己以外，

ourselves.

并不在创造我们自己的杰作。

So A, screw that guilt;

所以，首先，让愧疚滚蛋吧！

and B, that's, like, the opposite of what "King Lear" is actually about.

其次，那种愧疚恰恰与《李尔王》 想表达的主题相反。

Towards the end of Lear, one of the main characters, Edgar, says,

《李尔王》快结束时， 剧里的一个主角，爱德伽，说，

"The weight of this sad time we must obey;

“不幸的重担不能不肩负；

speak what we feel, not what we ought to say."

感情是我们唯一的言语。”（译：朱生豪）

The lesson of Lear is not about pushing or producing

《李尔王》不是想教我们去 催逼、生产、

or doing what you think you should do.

或者做你觉得你因该做的事。

The lesson of Lear is about stopping

《李尔王》想教我们的是要停下来，

and taking the time to appreciate who and what you have in your life

花时间欣赏你生活里所拥有的人和事物，

and discover who you want to be while you have it.

趁着这个机会发现 你想成为怎样的人。

We're at an intermission,

我们正在幕间休息的时候；

and intermissions are important,

幕间休息很重要，

because they give ourselves the opportunity to take care of ourselves

因为它给我们一个机会去关照我们的

physically and emotionally:

身心健康：

go to the bathroom, get a snack, get a drink

去洗手间、享用小吃或饮料，

and also take a moment to feel the weight of what just happened onstage,

然后花点时间去感受 刚刚在台上发生的剧情的重量，

maybe begin to process any emotions that that brought up.

或许开始梳理任何 表演带给我们的情绪。

I reached out to my community of artists,

我联系了我认识的一群艺术家，

and I asked them what plays were speaking to them

问哪些戏剧引发他们的共鸣，

and helping them process this time.

并且帮助他们处理这段时间。

Many of the characters in the plays they sent

他们提到的戏剧里的很多角色，

don't share my lived experience.

和我的人生经历并不相同。

And I think their words are important to hear.

我觉得他们的话语值得聆听。

My friend Jeremy sent me a monologue by Sarah Ruhl from her "Melancholy Play."

我的朋友杰里米发给我萨拉·鲁尔（Sarah Ruhl）的

《忧郁戏》里的一个独白。

In it, the character is talking about how she's feeling, and she says,

独白里，一个女人在 表达她的感情，说，

"It's this feeling that you want to love strangers,

“这种感情，让你想去爱陌生人、

that you want to kiss the man at the post office

去吻邮局里的那个男人、

or the woman at the dry cleaners.

或者那个干洗店里的女人。

You want to wrap your arms around life, life itself, but you can't.

你想张开双臂去拥抱生命—— 生命本身——但你却不能，

And so this feeling wells up in you,

所以这种感受涌上心头，

and there's nowhere to put this great happiness,

这种巨大的幸福无处安放。

and you're floating, and then you fall.

你感到自己忽上忽下，

And you,

然后你——

you feel unbearably sad,

就感到一种无法承受的悲伤，

and you have to go lie down on the couch."

使你必须躺到沙发上。”

I've felt that monologue a lot during this pandemic.

在这个大流行病期间， 我与那段独白时有共鸣。

Sometimes I feel this great happiness,

有时我会感到一种巨大的幸福，

and sometimes I have to go lie down on the couch.

有时却必须躺到沙发上。

My theater practice teaches me that both are OK.

我从事的戏剧工作教会了我， 这两种感受都没问题。

We stop so that we can feel our feelings instead of covering them.

我们停下来，所以我们可以感受 我们的各种感情，而不是掩盖它们。

Next, we breathe.

然后，我们深呼吸。

When we inhale,

当我们吸气的时候，

we give ourselves the opportunity to breathe in the present moment

我们给我们自己一个机会呼吸在当下，

and be aware of what's happening right now inside of us, as well as outside of us.

意识到在我们体内——包括体外—— 正在发生的事情。

When we exhale,

当我们呼气的时候，

we allow ourselves to release the moment

我们允许自己放下这一刻，

so that we can be present for the next one and the next one

所以我们可以投身到下一个时刻，

and the next one.

再下一个时刻……

When we feel anxious or uncertain, we tend to hold our breath.

当我们感到焦虑或渺茫时， 我们倾向于屏住呼吸。

We're scared about what's going to happen next,

我们对待要发生的事感到畏惧，

and so we hold onto what's happening right now,

所以我们就对正在发生的事紧抓不放。

which prevents movement, which keeps us stuck.

这种做法让我们止步不前，困在原地。

Far from helping us, holding our breath holds us back.

屏住呼吸不但帮不了我们， 而且它会拉我们的后退。

So we stop.

所以我们要停下来，

We breathe.

深呼吸，

And then we observe:

然后观察：

What's happening around us?

我们周围正在发生着什么？

How do we feel about that?

我们对于这些事有什么感受？

My friends Greg and Kanisha

我的朋友格雷格和卡尼莎

told me that I should watch the play "Pipeline" by Dominique Morisseau.

跟我说，我应该看看

多米尼克·莫里索 （Dominique Morisseau）的剧《管道》。

At the beginning of the play,

在这部剧的开头——

maybe the character has been onstage for a minute.

那个叫奥马利的角色 在台上站了大约有一分钟——

Omari turns to his girlfriend, and he says that he’s just, like modestly,

然后转向他的女友说， 他只是在谦虚地、

without intentions, just observing.

无意图地观察。

And his girlfriend says, "What you gotta be observing for?"

而他女友问， “你观察个啥呀？”

And Omari says, "To take in my surroundings, learn the world,

奥马利回答，“去吸收我周围的环境、 了解这个世界、

not be just tied up in my own existence and nothing else."

不仅仅被捆绑在我自己的存在里， 而对周遭熟视无睹。“

That observation is the key

这种观察是开启我们的共情 和对世界之好奇心的钥匙，

to unlocking our empathy and our curiosity about the world

它还点燃我们对于

and igniting our imagination about how we can make it even better.

如何改善世界的想象力。

My friend Jazmin introduced me to the play "Marisol" by José Rivera.

我的朋友贾思敏介绍给我

何塞·里维拉 （José Rivera）的剧《马里索尔》。

And in it, the guardian angel is talking to Marisol, and she says,

剧里，守护天使对马里索尔说，

"I don't expect you to understand

“对于正在发生的事，

the political ins and outs of what's going on.

我不期待你理解 其政治方面的里里外外。

But you have eyes.

但你有一双眼睛。

You've asked me questions about children and water

你问过我关于孩子、水、

and war and the moon,

战争和月亮的问题，

questions I've been asking myself for a thousand years.

那些千年以来我一直在 问我自己的问题。

The universal body is sick, Marisol.

马里索尔，宇宙之体病了。

The constellations are wasting away.

星座在日渐消瘦。

The nauseous stars are full of blisters and sores.

感到恶心的恒星 满是水泡和溃疡。

The infected earth is running a temperature

被感染的地球在发烧，

and everywhere, the universal mind is wracked with amnesia, boredom

而宇宙之脑处处被失忆症、无聊感、

and neurotic obsessions."

和神经质的痴迷所折磨。”

Sound familiar?

听起来很熟悉吧？

We stop.

我们停下来，

We breathe.

我们深呼吸，

We observe.

我们观察，

And we use our observations to imagine a world that is fiercer, braver,

并且用我们的观察去 想象一个更热烈、更勇敢、

more beautiful.

更美丽的世界。

We use our imaginations to create something new

根据我们与世界和与自己的联系，

based on our connections to the world and ourselves.

发挥用我们的想象力去努力创新。

One of the things that I know is this:

我知道的一件事是：

there's always been a certain amount of uncertainty in the theater,

戏剧一直以来有一定的渺茫，

but this is the most anxious and uncertain we've ever been in my lifetime.

但在我的一生里，现在是我们 最焦虑和渺茫的一段时间。

In order to move forward, there's going to have to be a lot of change.

为了前进，很多事情必须要改变。

Luckily, all great theater provides the opportunity for transformation.

幸运的是，所有伟大的戏剧 都为转变提供机会。

We can use this intermission to stop, breathe, observe,

我们可以用这段幕间休息时间 停下来、深呼吸、观察、

and use our imaginations to create a more beautiful world onstage and off,

然后用我们的想象力去创造 一个更美好的世界——台上和台下—

one that is more equitable,

一个更公平、

more reflective

更善于反省

and more just.

和更公正的世界。

As Prior says at the end of Tony Kushner’s masterpiece about the AIDS epidemic,

就像在托尼·库什纳（Tony Kushner）的 关于艾滋病的杰作

"Angels in America,"

《天使在美国》的结尾，

"I'm almost done.

普莱尔说，“我快好了。

The fountain's not flowing now,

喷泉现在不在流动，

they turn it off in the winter, ice in the pipes.

到了冬天，他们会把它关掉， 管道里结冰。

But in the summer, it is a sight to see. I want to be here to see it.

但到了夏天，它是一个值得一见的景象。 我想在这里看到它。

I plan to be.

我打算在这里。

I hope to be.

我希望在这里。

This disease will be the end of many of us,

这个病会是我们很多人的终结，

but not nearly all,

但不会是所有人的。

and the dead will be commemorated, and they will struggle on with the living,

死者会被纪念， 他们会与生者一起奋斗，

and we are not going away.

而我们不会消失。

We won't die secret deaths anymore.

我们再也不会在暗中死去。

The world only spins forward.

世界只会往前转动。

We will be citizens.

我们会成为公民。

The time has come. Bye, now.

时机已到，再见了。

You are fabulous creatures, each and every one.

你们每一个人都是美妙的生灵。

And I bless you:

我祝福你：

more life.

要有更多的生命。

The great work begins."

伟大的作品现在就开始。”

The theater has weathered wars,

戏剧历经了战争的洗礼、

outlasted empires

跨越了帝国的更迭，

and survived plagues.

并生生不息于瘟疫的萧杀。

It'll continue.

它将继续下去。

I don't know how or when or what it'll look like,

我不知道它如何、何时， 或者将来会成为什么样子，

but it will.

但不论如何，它将继续下去。

And so will we,

我们也一样，

as long as we do the essential work of staying connected

与那些对我们自己、我们的社区、

to that which is essential about ourselves,

和我们的世界至关重要的一切，

our communities

保持联系是一项基础工作。

and our world.

只要我们对此工作持之以恒，

The great work begins.

伟大的作品现在就开始。

Thank you.

谢谢大家。