Notes from Today: A Blog

Liz Maxwell is a theatre director, producer of culture, and artistic innovator. I am passionate about the role of the artist in society, interdisciplinary collaboration, and making original work. I believe that the process and product are important, that new ideas are the life-force of society, and that the arts hold a vital role in shaping our collective future. This blog reflects musings on the evolution of theatre, reflections on the process of art-making, and committed observations on what it's like to be a human being these days.

Beginning of the World

What if the world began today? It’s a nice idea, but ultimately, it will never be true.

The world doesn’t begin today. Everybody knows that. Today is December 21, 2012, and humanity has been through thousands upon thousands of years of death, destruction, war, famine, poverty, disease. The Mayans say today is the end of a 5,125 year cycle, and we cannot discount the choices we’ve made in these past five thousand years. They are important. They have brought us to where we are today.

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Towards Possibility

This is the time.

Before the dawn. A quiet stillness pervades the air. A sense of coming, of serene anticipation, of something big just around the corner.

It’s the same quality before a big date, when actually all the frenzy of getting ready is over and there’s nothing left to do but listen to your heart pound double time, triple check your lipstick, and smile secretively as your mind runs wild with hope and possibility.

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"Successful" Art

How do you, as an artist, measure success?

We’ve been having this discussion around the community over the past few weeks, and it’s particularly interesting as we continue to run our show for ever-changing, wildly different Italian audiences. I think I measure success somehow by number and depth of hearts touched. Some artists say it’s enough if you get through to just one person; I really respect this sentiment, but it’s not enough for me.

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