Theatre and Heroism

Emily and I have been thinking, we’ve been thinking about heroism and we’ve been thinking about theatre.

The two are seemingly interlinked, don’t you think? We think so.

Why do we make theatre? To save others? To save ourselves? To educate? To Entertain?

We’ve been thinking about it, and we’ve been thinking about how egotistical and destructive saving can be and how in turn theatre can be too.

How very narcissistic.

To make theatre to entertain, to educate, to save… Would to see oneself as superior to the public. Surely?

Can a hero really sacrifice himself for another without thinking of himself at all?

Glorified heroes who save the day in super suits are not truly sacrificing themselves.

How can anyone who walks around in a bright Lycra super suit not be thinking about themselves?

They want to be seen, they want to be recognised, they want to be realised as the superiors and as the important icon. By wearing their costume; their outfit; their ‘disguise’ they already have sort out the respect and the authority that they intend to receive for ‘saving lives’.

A hero must be announced as a hero, he must be in a uniform to prove his authority to the general public - the deserving poor.

Why would you stand on a stage in front of loads of people if you didn’t think you were important or had something important to say?

If you didn’t think you had the right to educate the audience?

If you didn’t think you were funny enough?

If you didn’t think you could entertain them?

If you didn’t think they needed saving?

Let us think of Batman.

Batman’s call to action is to avenge his parents’ death. It is to purge his city of all evil.

His call to action is to rid the area of criminals. He does this, not for his city, but for himself.
All the ‘sacrifices’ Batman makes are not true sacrifices because he is not doing it for the victim he is saving; he is doing it for himself.

The hero is a gift to the world. The hero is there to save you. The deserving poor, the audience, will forever feel inferior to the hero, for they will not be able to repay the hero’s favour. The hero’s identity is hidden from the public therefore, once saved, they will never be able to return the gift that was given to them, leaving them forever in debt and inferior to the hero. This is where the hero finds his power and his honour, his glorified status. This is why he is a hero.

We aren’t here to save you and sweep you off your feet.

We aren’t here to be your superiors.

We aren’t like all those other heroes out there.

We are here for you. And hopefully you will be there for us.

No masks. No secrets.

M.

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