The Power of Belief

This post comes from the kind and generous-spirited Ian Antal. A recent graduate of the UNCSA School of Drama, this is Ian's first season with Open Dream Ensemble. He is pictured here as Isaac Newton in The Adventures of the Open Dream Ensemble.

If you could have a superpower, what would it be? Take a second, really think about what you might want as a skill that sets you apart from the rest of society. A certain quality of supernatural strength. Flight? Invisibility? The ability to morph into various shapes and images? Maybe you saw a power that really spoke to you in a comic book or a cartoon as a child, or something in the Harry Potter series. After thinking long enough about it and settling for a specific imaginary power, that choice reflects something special in the chooser.

Earlier this year, I finally settled on wishing I had the ability to transform into a loony-tunes-style cartoon character at will, bringing with me all the nonsensical laws of a world where logic does not rule the universe; where two plus two do not necessarily equal 4, and in fact really shouldn’t! A world where pianos and heavy-duty safes sporadically fall from the sky without causing permanent harm and damage upon landing on their victim. A world where time can be distorted and rules of nature uprooted.

In a way, I think the unconscious desire for this power during my childhood led me to the magic of the stage. Performers hold the power to create and alter life in any space they deem suitable for their work. Over the years I studied this craft with steadily increasing commitment and soon enough, I got so caught up in the technique and study of it that I ran the risk of forgetting the origin of my passion and the sense of play that initially drove me towards it.

Performing for and working with the children at various venues and schools has served as a fantastic wake-up call for my childhood connection to my profession. More specifically, the children’s ability to believe strongly in any given circumstances―whether they take place on Mars, at the center of the earth, or in a tree house―is absolutely awe-inspiring. In every venue we have performed at this season, I have observed a natural willingness from the children to be swept away by the story. And they will certainly let you know when they are not feeling quite swept away. One could not wish for more honest yet forgiving audiences.

In a conversation I had recently with Robert Beseda, the Assistant Dean of the UNCSA School of the Drama, about the beauty and ease surrounding the children’s sense of belief, he told me a wonderful story about a young boy at a performance of Peter Pan he had attended. When Peter Pan first flew into the scene, thanks to the skilled use of the theater’s fly system, the young boy sitting in front of Robert leapt and stood on his seat, grasped his head with his hands, and let out a jubilant “WwwooOOoooww!” I wouldn’t say that I have altogether lost that sense of play and drop-of-the-hat belief that this child was exemplifying so ecstatically, but I certainly remember it being MUCH more accessible to me as a child. So when did I start allowing doubt and skepticism to cloud my imagination?

During the training at UNCSA I became acquainted with a very useful tool for giving your imagination a good stretch: the red nose. The comedy associated with Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton reflects the world of the red nose very well. The nose brings with it child-like openness, playful positivity, and pure innocence. When wielded appropriately, the red nose holds an immense power to captivate audiences. More often than not, a simple shift of the clown’s eyes will tell all that needs to be told. Most importantly, the nose is fueled by imagination and belief. Thus, just like in the movie “The Mask,” starring Jim Carrey, ANYTHING becomes possible in the world of the nose. The only boundaries are set by the limits of your imagination. Suddenly the rules of time and space needn’t apply, and we can waltz with Mr. Keaton and Mr. Chaplin, picnic with Roger Rabbit, glide the skies with Peter Pan, you name it!

The chance to put the nose to work in classrooms of 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th graders was IR-RE-SISTIBLE! What other way to learn more about the clown within me could possibly match the splendor of working with the world’s finest imaginarians?! The joy and commitment the children expressed while interacting with the clown―be it while tossing an invisible ball of various sizes and weights back and forth or by reacting to the imaginary smells a tissue-paper-flower might have―revitalized my visceral childhood connection to acting in the matter of a few heartbeats. Over the course of these first residencies, the class clown routines have been refined and developed further, to the point where the class is improvising together for 30 minutes with various games using no more than 5 words―andante, presto, largo, piano, and forte (grunts, squeals, and whistles not included). The nose gives everyone the chance to go somewhere extraordinary with the sheer power of belief. Julianne (my teaching artist partner) and I discovered that the clown effectively warms up the children’s bodies and imaginations, as well as their focus and attention to detail, rendering them that much more receptive to the science curriculum we cover.

When I see the children’s eyes SO engaged in the game of learning, I think back to my 3^rd grade homeroom teacher, who thought it wise to pull my head back one day and caution me very directly with the words “don’t be funny” in reference to my efforts as the class clown. Without Mrs. Geary’s advice, I may never have developed into the professional class clown I am today, and it may have taken me much longer to rediscover the play behind belief that the children demonstrate so naturally. I cannot thank the universe enough for bestowing me with this precious learning opportunity. I feel my artistry and my soul expanding consistently throughout the process of touring and teaching. It is exhausting and invigorating all at once. It is such a gift to experience something I already know I will treasure for a very long time to come….and it ain’t over yet!