Re: RAT Words

[Robert Faires <onstage@auschron.com>]

The sage Jeffrey Jones wrote:
I never understood winetasting or birdwatching until I tried 'em. Once I
tried 'em, I realized that in a sense they were both about noticing
experience. It's easy to see a tree full of birds, right? Until you sit
down and try to count the birds. Then you notice how many more of them
there are. It's easy to taste and enjoy a glass of wine. So why would
anyone try to describe the experience? Because translating the experience
into language forces you to articulate it and in the process of
articulation you begin to notice and to make distinctions.


I very much agree, and it's a principle that has taught me a lot in the
years that I've been writing articles about theatre and reviews of
productions. Putting words to an experience I've had seeing theatre has
stiff-armed me into discarding vague and generic responses like, "Hunh,
that was... interesting" or, to use the vernacular of those kids today,
"That sucked." Rather than serve as a barrier to sensation or
comprehension, it has led me to a deeper feeling and knowing of what I've
seen and heard and smelt and touched; it has prompted me to peel away layer
and layer of reaction to find the heart of the heart of my response. Maybe
that's why I also feel some skepticism about the use of the word "terror"
in this discussion. It may be the word's meaning has been corrupted for us
today by the French revolution, as Jeff suggests. Whatever the reason, I
think the trembling that one might inspire in (or experience as) an
audience member, which can indeed be a marvelous thing, has more to do with
wonder or awe.

Robert Faires
Austin, Texas