The Creative Corner - Guest Blog #3: Shannon Haddock
/Happy Quarantine Monday, everyone!
Please enjoy this guest blog post from a dear friend of mine and wonderful actress (and fellow blogger!), the fabulous Shannon Haddock!
Without further ado, The Creative Corner #3: Shannon Haddock - Art In The Time of Coronavirus.
Art In The Time of Coronavirus
Hello friends and faithful followers of Michael Radi, and The Glamorous Life!
Allow me to introduce myself. Shannon Haddock here. I am a friend and colleague of the lovely and talented Michael Radi. We’ve done three shows together, and spent several evenings playing board games. He’s a peach! I’m very happy that life brought us together.
Two weeks ago Michael put out a call on the FaceBook, for guest writers for this blog. I raised my hand because, why not! We weren’t quite to shelter in place, but there wasn’t much else happening. Michael contacted me with the theme of Creating/Making, and I thought, “Oh. I don’t do either of those things.” I’ve spent the last two weeks, trying to think of something inspirational to share with his audience, while at the same time becoming increasingly uninspired, for lack of a better word.
Yesterday, I decided to explore what it means to be considered an artist, when you feel like you’re not.
Before I continue, I don’t want you to think that I am putting myself, or anyone, down. I’m not. I’m just looking for the words that describe how I feel as a performer.
I do not write the music that is played.
I do not write the lyrics that are sung.
I do not write the stories that are told.
I do not create the costumes that are worn. You get the idea.
What do I do?
I often joke that my ability to talk is my only marketable skill. I am, of course, kidding. But a lot of people think that that’s all it takes to be an actor. Even as millions of people are stuck at home, watching television, movies, listening to music, streaming the opera and Broadway shows, taking virtual tours of museums all over the world, the American ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley tweeted this:
“These are the items included in the stimulus bill:
$75 mill for public television/radio
$25 mil for the Kennedy Center
$75 mil for the Natl Endowment for the Arts
$75 mill for the Natl Endowment for the Humanities
How many more people could have been helped with this money?”
I don’t think she realizes what the arts means to people. I don’t think she even realizes what it means to her, personally. I also don’t think that she realizes how many people work for these non-profit organizations. Art is such an integral part of our lives, that a lot of people, like Nikki Haley, don’t even realize what it is.
Art is beauty, hope, tragedy, birth, death, in short, life. Art is Life.
That’s where I come in.
I, as an actor, may not create the story, but I’m the one who has the privilege of telling it. That, my friends, is freaking exciting!
When we’re on stage, we’re living the life of the character we’re portraying. Some times that life is funny, sometimes it’s sad, sometimes it’s incredibly boring (the character’s life, not the act of performing). We don’t think about the audience, well we shouldn’t be thinking about the audience, we’re just living.
When we’re done, we take off our make-up, put on our own clothes, I usually put on a hat because my hair is a mess, we walk out, and the audience is still there! They stayed to tell us that they appreciated our work. They tell us that they recognized themselves, or someone they love in the characters we were playing. They want to discuss what we thought about what the characters think and feel, and what happens next. Sometimes they just hug us, and thank us for bringing them some joy.
That’s magical, my friends.
I don’t know how to write a musical.
I don’t know how to write a play.
I can barely sew on a button.
But.
I can walk out on a stage. I can take all of the pieces that were created by other people, put them together, and create the story.
That, is what I do. And I can’t wait for this moment to pass, so I can do it again.
Thank you to Michael Radi for giving me a moment to reflect on what it means to be creative. I hope you can find some moments of beauty in the coming weeks.
Thanks for reading friends, be well, and remember to Live Your Dream!
Shannon Haddock
Shannon originally hails from the Orlando area. She received a Bachelor's of Music Education from the University of Central Florida, and spent 15 years working at the Walt Disney World resort. For the last 13years she's been in New York City, living the glamorous life!
