Imagination is the free manipulation of images. However, I have difficulty manipulating beyond the bounds of verisimilitude to the fantastic. I feel I must maintain plausibility. I have to see the impossible; that is, I must be able to see the long-dead lady move, act, speak. I do not need to put a contemporary actress into her skin. I cannot go wildly exotic which for me would be unimaginable.
In Olympias, I bring to the stage the ancient goddesses of fate and the furies, among others. They are characters dear to horror and fantasy movie makers. They constitute a relevant presence for audiences who are familiar with such characters in movies and who themselves see the figures of gods, angels, and the devil. They were also characters that were real to the ancient audiences and for that reason are a necessary part of the drama. I believe they can be created for entertainment on the stage in my play. But it would be a costuming, makeup and stage-movement problem for the technical directors. I also have a playlet similar to a satyr play that would be entertaining but would involve the producers in similar complications. But if they are worth their salt--
In Chauvin, I have a fantasy character, personifying the alter-ego of Chauvin. Nobody but Chauvin can see him up to a sudden and dramatic point in the third act. That is another aspect of the play which is also a favorite of film makers. But the character makes ideological sense.
Minds can fossilize, going up a blind alley of evolution. Ants have done that. But for human beings with the most generalized of organs situated in their heads, to specialize is to go the way of the dinosaur. The report on 9/11 has said there was a massive failure of imagination on the part of government that is probably one of the major causes of the catastrophe.
Free minds are not without responsibility, however. Don the discipline. Choose constraints carefully. Athletes choose size and strength and speed, but though they always have the experience of athletics in an educational institution, they are tempted to specialize in their physical activity to the narrowing of their intellectual learning, losing much choice in the bargain. Dignity is choice among alternatives. "Your money or your life" would at least be a choice, the absolute minimum of dignity.
(Last updated on January 30, 2006 )