I was lucky enough to catch actress, Jean Smart in a one-woman play in New York’s Studio 54 theatre.
I admit I bought the tickets readily a fan of HBO’s comedy, Hacks.
Deborah Vance on Broadway? One ticket please.
Jean Smart plays Isabelle, a rural Louisiana woman in an abusive marriage.
She finds levity and comfort in nurturing her love and gift for writing.
It serves as a form of escapism from her routine life of being a wife serving up breakfast, lunch and dinner with beer in a trailer park.
Her version of Isabelle is playful, light, resourceful but lacks confidence.
She can’t believe that a neighbour would want to be her friend at the same trailer park.
When she reveals her secret hobby to her new friend, a new window opens in the form of a library card, which is quickly added to one of Izzy’s treasured items.
Jean Smart has much stamina and range in this role but this play was hard to watch for the subject matter.
These are what I took away from the 90 minute play:
Literacy is the antidote to improving your well being
- Being able to read widely and open up your worldview is such a gift
- Being able to write to communicate and connect opens your world
Find and Nurture your JOY
- In the most bleak of times, go towards your joy
Do you know who are your champions?
- Despite how much self-esteem or confidence you have, there will be times when you doubt yourself
- Having people around you who root for you especially during times when you don’t even believe in yourself is so powerful
Do you have people around you who don’t sugar-coat?
- There will be times when being in denial is comforting
- We all need a mirror held up to us during those times for us to see the truth and to work at it
Keep at it
- You have talent. Great
- Now work at it consistently
- You’ll never know when your big break is around the corner
You are the source material
- You are the builder, the writer, the maker
- Even if the output or products are destroyed or copied, you can make them again, your way
Have the Courage to take the next step
- Know your fears, feel them
- Know that you are brave enough to move ahead
Scripting Life uses culture and society to elaborate on the ingredients for a well-lived life to give you inspiration and courage to design your own.
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