To Russia to Zimbabwe to Kathmandu to Thailand to Morocco as Harold Clurman in “LET IT BE ART!”
AS I SIT WAITING TO DEPART on a runway in Tangier, strong winds buffet the darkened aircraft, while unrelenting punishing sheets of rain sweep across its wings and the grassy terrain.
Just a day before I had performed as Harold Clurman in my solo play in gorgeous sunshine to a most enthusiastic audience in the 17th century richly tiled marble-columned open courtyard of the Palace Dar el-Majzen in the Casbah of the Medina. Seagulls glided gracefully above through the cloudless azure sky.
How different one day can be from the next.
My morning had begun in Tangier before 5am when I was awakened by what seemed like cannon fire. Thunder, much louder than normal, shook the hotel and buildings nearby, lightning flashed, hail fell from the sky. Believe me, a stranger turn by Mother Nature one could not have imagined.
Glancing out the plane window I now wondered: Could we really claw our way through the seemingly impenetrable grey wall of water? Gazing upwards I knew if we could, above we’d find a clear sky welcoming us. Yet at the moment it seemed far, far away.
Then the engines roar to life. We zoom down the runway, shake off gravity, will our way upwards, bank left – and the sun greets us, bursting out from behind rose-shaped clouds. Heading for Casablanca, we glide gracefully much like the seagulls I had seen the day before.
Floating high the earth I’m reminded of the similar expectations, anticipations, preparation, and challenges of performing. The great unknowing, when all you can do is trust in the moment and “give over” with complete and utter faith, allows you to play with harmony and joy – to be present. Sharing in the ritual of theater I always feel blessed.
For the past five months I have been traveling with my play intermittingly from Belarus to Russia, from Zimbabwe to Kathmandu, from Thailand to Morocco.
This past year I was invited as the first American to perform in his own play in many years in Minsk at the Palace of Culture, and then invited as the first American artist to appear in the renowned “Voices of History” International Theatre Festival in Vologda, Russia presented by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Theatre Union, and Vologda Region Government.
I’m reminded of the day I had arrived in Moscow, and was immediately whisked off from the airport, traveling north for five hours to reach the beautiful city of Vologda. Along the way the weather is beautiful, bright thick green fir trees follow our journey north. But then as we approach the outskirts, the sky becomes a blackened pitch; it seems all hell has broken loose. As we drive into the city to the Vologda Drama Theatre, as my performance is scheduled in a very short time, we dodge fallen tree limbs, and make our way around deep pools of water. The city has just been shaken by a ferocious storm. Finally arriving, I quickly prepare as the theatre is already filled with an expectant audience. When I appear, Harold Clurman is greeted by applause.
During the performance, Clurman acts out the time he traveled to Paris with Stella Adler, and meets Stanislavsky there. At this moment in the play the audience responded with great recognition and laughter at the conversation between Adler and the great master. And then became very silent when Stanislavsky shared his thoughts about Stalin. I could sense a deep connection had occurred, while they probably had had no idea who this man was and why he had come, now they embraced him warmly with open hearts.
Svetlana Smirnova of the Vologda Region Department of Culture and Cultural Heritage Preservation had invited me to come and perform in this most unique Festival. Over the course of my time there, I traverse the beautiful paths and streets of Vologda along the banks of its graceful river founded in 1147. Getting to know this lovely city, I come upon plaques and statues, homes of famous writers and poets.
Vsevolod Chubenko, an honored artist of Russia, invites me to visit The Actors House, a three-story large wooden house all in blue, which serves as a meeting place for actors, a museum, restaurant, and where visiting artists can stay and perform in the small gazebo behind when they come to Vologda. Lining the walls are portraits and photos of important Russian artists, and a beautiful photo of Stanislavsky holds a special place, a vase of flowers next to it.
One day I’m taken on a tour of the Kremlin built by Ivan the Terrible, visiting the breathtaking interior of the Saint Sophia Cathedral; it was to become the capital of Russia. However, Ivan the Terrible left and went to Moscow and built a new Kremlin there. When I climb to the top of the Church tower, I can see the entire city below me.
The “Voices of History” Festival was held in many theatres, including a huge outdoor theatre sitting just inside the walls of the Kremlin. Among the productions, I relished the most during the Festival were “Moscow Choir” brought to life by the gifted Maly Theatre actors, and “Maria Stuart” by the Bolshoi Drama Theatre of St. Petersburg. I met the actors of the Maly Theatre afterwards and told them even though I understood very little Russian, I understood everything they did – it was one of those great performances you see in your life and remember forever. The actors of Bolshoi company had had their costumes misplaced the day before and now appeared in modern dress. However, they carried themselves with such poise and grace, it appeared as if they were wearing them. A great lesson for all actors of the theater to witness.
I’m also given the opportunity to visit the Ignaty Bryanchaninov Manor of 1812 which has been completely rebuilt, and walk through its gorgeous gardens. It felt as if I had stepped back into the past. Sitting in the garden I felt I was sitting in “The Cherry Orchard.” Around me was the constant humming of insects, cobalt sky above, shimmering lakes, fields of bright purple flowers, and white birch trees.
Another day I’m taken to the magnificent St. Ferapont monastery near a sparkling lake, seeing St. Cyril’s original long cloak, and his original wooden tiny church. When I visit a small village, I taste home-made potato soup and bread, climb to the top of a local church to ring bells for good luck, and visit the shrine of St. Kseniya. The area near Vologda between St. Petersburg and Moscow is especially rich with shrines for many holy people of Russia.
At the end of the Festival, I’m invited to a reception where I meet Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Pozgalev, and talk with Chief of the Department Valentina Ratsko. After several toasts, I’m invited to give a toast. I speak about the honor of coming from America to this Festival as Harold Clurman, what it means to me personally to perform here, how much we share through our cultures and the theater, and that some of my own relatives had come from Russia to America. The day before I depart I attend the opening of the Vologda Independent Cinema from European Screens Festival, catching a film screening of France’s engrossing film on Chanel and Stravinsky.
My next journey lands me in the southern regions of Africa, when I fly first to South Africa, and then on to Harare, Zimbabwe. Margaret Chigumira of Patsimeredu Edutainment Trust warmly greets me at the airport. I have been invited to perform and teach as the first American invited to the BAFA International Festival of Arts; my visit being co-sponsored by the U.S. Embassy.
Harare is the capital city and named after the Shona chieftain, Neharawa. The next morning at the BAFA Festival in the center of Harare’s Theatre in the Park, I have the delight of listening to young students read their poetry, watch a native dance group perform, and experience young actors perform in original plays. Many of the performances, as mine would be, are performed in a large tribal hut made out of sod and straw in the center of Theatre in the Park. Inside the warm tribal hut, bleacher style benches surround the playing area, with audiences of all ages most enthusiastically reacting to the performers. At times, they would talk back to the performers, calling out, responding to what they heard, laughing loudly, and continue responding to what was being said onstage, agreeing or making fun of what was happening on stage. A real give-and-take, an involvement that seemed quite natural to both the performer and audience.
When I bring Clurman alive in the tribal hut to a packed audience, I’m literally surrounded on all sides by the Zimbabwean audience. Throughout the performance, they listen intensely, laughing heartily at Clurman’s wit, humor and passion. It’s the first time I had ever done the play when all Clurman had to do was turn to his side and have a conversation with someone sitting at his elbow. It made the entire experience much more intimate, and one I recommend to every performer.
I thank everyone at the conclusion saying: “Ndinotenda Bafa Festival nemi mese muripano. Zvakakosha kuti tidzidzisane tsika nemagariro.”
In the evening I attended a Welcoming party in a traditional hut at a nearby consulate. Jasen Mphepho, Director of Patsimeredu Edutainment Trust welcomes everyone saying:
“A man once said, ‘To nourish a flower, you must nourish it from your heart’. I think it means a flower is a beauty to look at when it has bloomed, but it takes proper nurturing and great care, watering it everyday to make sure it is free from insects and diseases, this, ladies and gentlemen, can only be done from the heart. We are celebrating the fourth Buddyz Annual Festival of the Arts at Patsimeredu Edutainment Trust, a development program consisting of the ‘Buddyz for Luv’ in-schools projects for young people in schools in 6 provinces of Zimbabwe, reaching over 36,000 students in 120 schools each year. We work with ten local companies each month during the year. Creating dialogue on cultural practices, this project is presented in four wards in the Makoni district of Manicaland province. Promoting the arts is an important objective of Patsimeredu Edutainment. This has been achieved through creating a network of community-based theatre groups. Film also plays a major role in communicating to a wider audience throughout Zimbabwe. Patsime has produced 36 episodes of a serialized drama “Suburb D,” four short films, and 26 episodes of a serialized drama.”
The next morning I share my acting workshop, “The Art of Transformation” with over 50 students and actors in a tribal hut. Using the Stanislavsky chart, “The Method of Physical Action,” which Stella Adler had received from Stanislavsky in Paris when she studied with him in 1934. we go over together the 40 tools on the chart. Then work on physical and breathing exercises and improvisations. I listen to their thoughts on how they approach creating roles and watch stories they act out – a truly illuminating experience.
Later in the day, I enjoy the actors from my workshop in performances of plays about AIDS, relationships and marriage in the tribal hut. After their performances, some come up to me and proudly tell me how they had applied what they had learned, and were excited to find how much it helped them during their performances.
My being in Zimbabwe touches me in different ways. I had had been invited to perform and teach with a richly beautiful people in the heart of Africa, while knowing my country at present doesn’t have official cultural relations. Yet I feel a responsibility as an educator and performing artist to come and share with these vibrant young artists-to-be. To explore and grow together through the wonderful art form of theater, through our common language of humanity, and to delight in the discoveries we can make together.
This past winter, I had also been invited to perform and teach at the Kathmandu International Theatre Festival. In India, my flight to Nepal is delayed again and again due to fog. As is often the fact, Mother Nature is once again in charge.
As we make our approach towards the capital city, we’re told visibility is bad, and if it doesn’t clear, we’ll have to turn around. I can see between the fog – patches of layered terraces of farmland nestled on tops of hills. After several passes, on the final one, we’re going down; there is certainly still no visibility. Somehow we land in the bowl-shaped valley surrounded by its four mountains: Shivapuri, Phulchowki, Nagarjun and Chandragiri. Kathmandu is a city of nearly two thousand years old.
Meeting Sunil Pokharel, the Artistic Director of the Aarohan Theatre Group the next morning, I know I have found a kindred spirit of the theater. His deep dedication to all the possibilities of creating theater inspires countless young people in this golden city.
My workshop is held in one of the theaters at the Aarohan Theatre Center, a wooden structure covered by paintings by a local Tibetan artist. Thirty young students bow as do I, and we greet one another warmly. Other artists attending the Festival also attend. Working through a translator, I share the Stanislavsky chart, as we work together on energy and imagination exercises, talking about transformation, how to create the soul of a human being. The students also bring to life different animals and movements through the exercises, all exciting to see.
The next day I visit the revered Swayambunath Stupa. Climbing up the steep stone steps, I finally reach the golden temple with its painted roof and large eyes, multi-colored flags flowing out from it in every direction. Worshippers are lined up offering sacrifices, monkeys hang from statues and roofs. Bells ring in every direction, and the smell of incense fills the air. Everywhere I feel the sensation of reverence and wonder. Below me is sprawled out the glowing city of Kathmandu.
In the evening as I prepare for my performance, I can see the nearby mountains, and know just beyond lay the mighty Himalayans and the top of the world, Mt. Everest. An overflowing audience of enthusiastic young people crowd into the large theater, probably over two hundred. Every story Clurman tells is greeted by rich laughter or deep contemplation. It’s truly a very special evening of sharing and a rich conversation between performer and audience.
During my time in Kathmandu I’m fortunate to visit the unforgettable Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square – a complex of temples and the Royal Palace. In one area, thousands of pigeons fill an entire square, sitting on sacred cows and holy shrines. Another day I walk around the Great Stupa of Boudhanath, one of the most important places of pilgrimage with its dome of 120 feet. I also find myself in Pashupati – a complex of historical temples and shrines, some dating back to the year 459. The Pashupatinath Temple itself was built in the 7th century and stands on the bank of the sacred Bagmati River. Groups of chattering and playful monkeys run everywhere. I observe holy rituals of parting taking place, below me, black smoke at times blocking my view. Sitting on the steps leading to the river’s edge sits an old, deeply sunburned holy man washing himself. He slowly dips his thin fingers into the water and sprinkles it on each part of his body – this is his bath. In front of a cave up the river, another holy man meticulously prepares a fire for his dinner. Ages of time and life permeate the air, mingling sorrow with re-birth as I sit and slowly breathe.
When I takeoff in the morning, the flight takes us north as we head towards India. Directly across from me in the shimmering sunlight at 36,000 feet are the Himalayan Mountains. The peaks, covered in deep snow, majestically glow, breathtaking and riveting.
A dream I had of performing in Bangkok comes true when I’m invited by Toby To, the Arts Coordinator of the famed Patravadi Theatre. It is the only theater allowed by The King and the government to be built directly opposite from the Grand Palace. Built by the famed actress and director, Patravadi is one of the foremost artists of Thailand. In Thailand, the name Patravadi is synonymous with the performing arts. Patravadi Mejudhon, the founder and artistic director of the theatre, has been a pioneering force in the Thai arts scene for more than thirty years. In 1992, she founded the Patravadi Theatre. Through the years, the theatre has grown to become a prominent home for the performing arts in Thailand. Under its roof, the company has created numerous acclaimed productions, founded a performing arts school, carried out international exchanges, experimented with arts in different media all the while preserving and developing traditional arts. Many artists trained in Patravadi Theatre have become prominent artists on their own. She has created a most beautiful arts center consisting of a 300 seat garden theatre, a restaurant, and lovely rooms for visiting artists. The room I stay in has the most gorgeous view of the Palace and the city from its balcony. Large orange and black fish swim quietly in pools below me next to the theater.
I hold my workshop on the large stage of the theater with Thai actors and students from universities in Bangkok and northern Thailand over two days. We explore meaning and experience through text work, behavior and gesture exercises, and improvisations. When they see my performance on the third day, they excitedly tell me how Clurman’s passion infuses them to want to make even bolder choices in their work and lives.
Each day I take the waterbus across the river and explore Bangkok, known in Thai as Krung Thep, meaning “city of angels.” Walking through the crowded cramped streets, I view colorful shops of thousands and thousands of talismans and statues – there is always so much for sale. Visiting several temples, I meet the over 200 feet long Reclining Buddha, and experience the golden splendor and art in the huge temples and shrines of the Grand Palace – truly like visiting another world, revelatory from every perspective. When I climb to the top of Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn), below me is the entire drama of Bangkok, as the Chao Phraya River snakes its way through the city. On a tour of the canals, I pass mothers picking up their students from school in tiny wooden boats, and vendors selling their wares from their tiny boats. This is life on water.
One evening I’m taken to see a traditional masked dance performance at the Royal Museum. When Burmese rule was overthrown and King Taksin died, King Rama I used theatre to unite the people of Thailand. King Rama I’s adaptation of the Indian narrative Ramayana became Ramakien, a story that follows Prince Rama and his wife, Sita, and their struggle between good and evil. Performed in various theatre forms, it remains Thailand’s national epic.
My time in Thailand became an even richer experience when I’m invited to teach for a week at the Yamchao International Theatre Festival in Patumthani, an hour south of Bangkok. Founded by the very well-known actor, Khru Chang and his wife, they had built out of the ground their own theater and house made of mud, and created the Moradokmai Theatre Troupe: a Community and school for dramatic arts and development. Each year they host hundreds of international actors, performers, directors, and teachers providing an opportunity to share performances and workshops with over 300 Thai students from across Thailand.
Every day I conducted a workshop with a group of enthusiastic junior high school students, working on vocal, breathing, improvisation, and acting exercises. In my class I also had young men who had spent time in a reformatory school. During the week they performed their own play in the Festival about coping with crime on the streets. We also prepared to present our own class performance at the climax of the week at the magnificent National Artists Hall. During the Festival I also witnessed a spectacular performance directed by Khuon Det, Artistic Director of Phare Ponleu Selpak, a training school for performance in Cambodia. Another memorable performance was from Israel (led by Yoram Loewenstein, founder of the Performing Arts Studio in Tel Aviv).
When I return to America I prepare to soon depart, and travel to Morocco to perform and teach at the International Intermediality & Theatre Conference presented by the International Centre for Performance Studies, and its President, Khalid Amine, Ph. D.
At the crossroads of civilizations, Tangier was founded in the 4th century as Tingis. First coveted first by the Phoenicians, then the Romans, Vandals, Spaniards, Portuguese, and English, the city’s rich history is legendary. In the 1920’s, it became an international zone, and over the years, countless artists, painters, and writers have fell captive to its magical spell, including Tennessee Williams, Matisse, Genet, Paul Bowles, Delacroix, Burroughs, Vidal, Ginsberg and Capote.
At the Conference, I listen to presentations investigating performance and the advent of visual and media components and their relationship to one another, by such distinguished scholars as Prof. Dr. Erika Fischer-Lichte, Prof. Hassan Mniai, Prof. Andy Lavender, Prof. Klemens Gruber, Dr. Gabrielle Brandstetter, Prof. Steve Wilmer, author Marjorie Kantor, Dr. Khalil Fadel, and Dr. Katia Arfara, among many others.
When I have time, I explore the Medina, the old city of Tangier, weaving my way through the tangled narrow streets with its colorful bazaars and mosques. As I sit painting the harbor and the view across the Mediterranean, eight miles away is Spain across the Straits of Gibraltar; I fall under the spell of the beauty of Tangier.
Right after my performance in the Casbah, I have the privilege of teaching my workshop to many Moroccan students of English and literature, and teachers and professors from the Conference. We conclude with Pushkin’s words on the chart: “ The truth of passion, the verisimilitude of feeling placed in the given circumstances, that is what our passion demands of a writer or a dramatic poet.” I remind them to follow their passion – that is how we can ultimately share our gifts, our talents with the world.
All my visits were exhilarating, exciting, momentous and challenging – many of the same emotions I felt sitting in the plane waiting to take off in that pounding thunderstorm on my way back to America. •2011
RONALD RAND — International performing artist/educator/playwright, he continues performing his acclaimed solo play, “LET IT BE ART!” as Harold Clurman, directed by Gregory Abels. In its 11th year, the play has had two critically-acclaimed Off-Broadway runs, seen on 5 continents, in 16 countries including London, Paris, Athens, Kathmandu, Mumbai, Buenos Aires, Bangkok, Harare, Tangier, Paysundu, Frankfurt, Esksehir, New Delhi, Zagreb, and in 15 states. Upcoming includes Mozambique, Kenya, Singapore, Cambodia, Turkey, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and America. Visit www.ClurmanThePlay.com. He appeared at BAM in “Julius Caesar;” as Hamm in “Endgame,” directed by Joseph Chaikin; produced and appeared in The Scheuer Book Series with Marian Seldes, Rosemary Harris, Elizabeth Ashley, and Jayne Atkinson at The Jewish Museum; has had roles in over 35 films & TV shows; recently directed his play, “The Group!” about The Group Theatre at Pace University; produced and translated the U. S. premiere of a play by Inigo Ramirez de Haro at La MaMa. Adjunct Professor of Acting at Pace University, Mr. Rand teaches his master acting workshop, “Art of Transformation,” around the world. Author of Acting Teachers of America. Committed to the vision of his teachers, Stella Adler and Harold Clurman, he created this newspaper in 1998.
