An invitation to reconsider: The role of the theater

June 7, 2023, 2:16 a.m.

Yonatan Laderman’s column “An Invitation to Reconsider” examines the different elements of a theater production in order to rethink life and theater with unorthodoxy.

a stage has all stages in it

when we fell from the skies 
into the wombs, no one mentioned 
how hard the ground was. 

when I step in 
it’s all dark, 
one lamp remained on. 
abandoned. 

people forgot how to be alone — 
lights. 

a stage has all stages in it

stains of Dionysus’ wine — 
the empty space is holy 
a black box awaiting a ritual 
like the burning bush that never decays.

constant change. steps.

we are all born lost
surrounded by things with meaning.
a screwdriver.
wood.
machines.
light.

wanting some for ourselves.
possess.
obsess.
reliant on a structure we don’t fit.

what is the key, the password?
a knock on wood?
a modern crucifix?
to steal our thoughts
to sedate our fears
all comes into that black box.
the machine.
deus machina.

it’s only when we lose ourselves
that we merge.
it’s only when we close our eyes
that we become free.

Yonatan is a Senior majoring in Symsys and minoring in Creative Writing. Raised in the absurdest of Countries and Lands, Tel Aviv, Israel, he breathes the air of senselessness since he stepped out of the womb. His infatuation with the surreal only grew with the years, replacing his yamaka with a bowler hat. He hopes that people will read his column with their eyes wide shut. Oh, he is also the Artistic Director of Independent Guerrilla Productions.

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