Personalizing Change of Self and the World
Ken Gilbert
I am a “changer”; I love change in myself and in the world. I do seek moments of stability; moments, when whatever change has come, settles in or lands. Growing up I always wanted something new and different in myself and in my surroundings. I remember going away on Boy Scout events, returning home and wondering if anybody noticed the changes within me. I grew into my adulthood seeking for something unique; something from within that was “me”. This curiosity of the unknown and the extraordinary is what took me into the theater in 1971; and, for these past 44 years has driven me in my individuality and artistry.
Inside the process of a creative project, seeking change (from the ordinary) is necessary to find the most authentic way of performing a character, a poem or a play. During the past 24 years I am driven into creative collaborations with artists - movers, dancers, actors, designers, costumers, musicians - particularly with my wife, Bonnie; a force that keeps me moving into my next moment of creativity.
From inception to manifestation, theatre is a living art that demands empathy and compassion regarding the human spirit.
On December 6, 2015, as part of the COP21 (United Nations Conference on Climate Change), Bonnie and I wanted to make a statement about the current state of the world - the earth that is changing rapidly. We joined up withARTCOP21, CLIMATE CHANGE theatre action, and one of our favorite playwrights,EM Lewis. We performed a reading of EARTH DUET, a short lyrical play, and danced a Nia Class, we read the play and moved in a yoga class, and most important, we collaborated with a local environmental scientist and poet to perform an evening of integrated art and science.
The experience of change that comes through collaboration is extraordinary and profound; it is surrender into what can happen crafting a moment. For me, creating and crafting art is an experience of change - changing the way I think and feel and live in my body. For me, my work as an artist is about creating experiences as art that change all of us for the better. Changing the world . . .
Photo: Baron Spafford