VOICES Life is ridiculous mayhem mixed with beautiful magic; Storytelling helps us put the pieces together. Things happen in this life of unimaginable beauty, unexplainable mystery, unforeseen darkness, unforgivable selfishness and wild magic. The Act of telling stories helps us make sense of these wonders and is as deep a need in the human Man/ Woman as the need to breathe and eat. Some impulse presented itself in an un-named and rather smelly cave person 40,000 years ago; the impulse was to raise their hand to a cave wall, and make a picture of the human form on that wall; To document our existence; to ensure a legacy and prove we are indeed, alive. In other words, to tell our story. I continue this primitive legacy with every play I do - And it's a genetic need within me to tell these stories. My life has been punctuated with stories and they have helped me love, fight, learn and survive in this world; which very rarely makes sense. A great story illuminates the mystery. Or at the very least, makes us smile when a smile didn't seem natural on any given day. I became an Actor because I have had my most intense moments of human connection in the theatre and watching movies with people I love. It's the closest thing I have to a religion. Or a spiritual ritual; A group of people get together in an dark room, we switch off our phones, we watch some story told by a bunch of people we don't know, and provided the thing is done with skill and passions and honesty, we leave that room feeling more human and alive to the reality of the world and more connected with each other. I chose to dedicate my life to the sometimes ridiculous and sometimes wonderful pursuit of those very moments of human connection. Specifically in the theatre, there exists a secret, child like, MAGIC; that I crave and am addicted to. I think it is the closest thing to alchemy, or conjuring we have as humans; The concentrated attention of a group of strangers makes the thing real. It transforms it and us. From our plays in Ireland's largest theatres, to the one man show I used to do for my parents on a box in my siting room where I was mostly playing women in brightly coloured frocks. And that fact sort of makes us all Wizards and conjurers and magic beings...for at least an hour on any given night in any dark room when we all turn our phones off and listen...
Rex Ryan
Actor/Producer Glass Mask Theatre Rex performs in Howie the Rookie, part of Droichead's TheatreClub Spring Programme
www.droichead.com
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