I'm in the classroom, teaching. Students a mix from different years and schools. Classroom hot, one wall an open window.
I'm at the front of the class. Behind me, a giant marionette,
stringless, performing the same motions I make. I sweep my arm to make
a point; the marionette, several feet taller than I, mimics my
movement.
A telephone rings. A student, Michael D, who I had years ago, runs to
answer the phone. I shout that students are not allowed to answer the
class phone. Michael and I wrestle for the phone. I finally give up,
let him answer.
"Hello?...It's for you."
Suddenly nervous, I retrieve the phone from Michael.
A female voice, plaintive, says, "Brad?"
My heart pounding, I reply, "Steph?" (Stephanie is an ex-girlfriend.)
"It's not Steph!'
Trembling, I hang up.
The dream ends.
Analysis: A lot of anxiety in this dream. Does the marionette symbolize
going through the motions? Uncertainty about going back into the
classroom after two years as staff developer? The marionette might also
represent, since it's larger than I, restrictions (government, NCLB,
administrators, my own administrative goals) Who's in control? My
career out of control?
Why is Michael in the dream? My past catching up with me?
Unresolved business? Michael was a disturbed 15 year old, but not a bad
kid. Eager to please, wanting to be accepted. Never really challenged
me. Why is answering the phone so important to him? Sharing power? Finding a voice? Self-validation?
Then, why did I assume the voice to be Stephanie, whom I haven't seen
in 15 years? Unresolved business? God forbid! The past calling to the
present? And when answered, "It's not Steph," what does that mean?
Whose is the female voice? My subconscious? My feminine side? The
unknown? Future? Alternate possibilities?
That may explain my fear...so strong that I hung up the phone, only to
immediately waken and chastise myself for hanging up on her. What would
she have said next? Am I holding my own consciousness back?
I was most moved by the Civil War art exhibit in the back of the Rockwell Museum, particularly the photo, reproduced below,
A harvest of death, Gettysburg, July, 1863 - by Timothy H. O'Sullivan.
It inspired me to create this drawing. Click on either image to see a full sized version.
Shakespeare and Company's production of Hamlet last night at the
Founders' Theatre in Lenox was very enjoyable. The director, Eleanor
Holdridge, managed to add a few original tricks to the staging, making
it stand out from more traditional performances. Loud, unexpected
crackling sounds. blinking lights (designed by Les Dickert), a stark
black and white set (designed by Edward Check), and full use of
available space combined to make this modern day Hamlet a sensory treat.
Jason Asprey was more than competent in the titular role. His
physicality was one of his assets, enabling him to prance, jab, melee
and riposte with ease and naturality. Elizabeth Raetz was excellent as
Ophelia, her eyes sparkling one moment, brimming with tears the next.
Her slight form and soprano vocals added poignancy to her role. Kevin
O'Donnell brought all of the suffering but no filial playfulness to his
role as Laertes.
Costume Designer Jessica Ford chose smart suits for the powerful, hip
casuals for the young, and ostentatious colors for the comic.
Gun-toting, fatigue-clad soldiers were an incongruous denouement to the
sword-fighting climax, however.
One can't help but find similarities between the Denmark of the play
and the United States of today. Corruption, leadership by mediocrity,
squelching of talent, and silencing of dissent resonate throughout the
play, reminding us of Shakespeare's timelessness and relevance.
Much is rotten in the state of Denmark, indeed. How can people of
conscience, such as Hamlet, fight for (social) justice, work to depose
those wrongly empowered, and still strive for love's fulfillment? If
the system is mad, must we be mad to thrive? And must we, too, fall in
order to bring down the corrupt and treacherous with us?
This production of Hamlet brings these questions to our consciousness, in a word that sorely needs expanded consciousness.