An Artists’ Growth is Never Done
- by Carolyn Silverberg
“The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” -- Touchstone, William Shakespeare’s As You Like It
As Studio 12’s (and Green Bay’s) resident Bardophile, of course I would start off this blog post with a Shakespeare quote. But I promise we’re not just going to talk about Shakespeare. We’re going to talk about how no matter where we are in our careers or how much experience we have in our respected artistic endeavors, we are never too qualified or too experienced to stop learning and growing in our niche.
Now if you don’t know me, here’s a quick run down: I love Shakespeare, I adore Shakespeare, and I know Shakespeare. I have an entire bookshelf solely dedicated to the Bard. The English playwright has been a constant in my academic career and in 2015 I earned my MA in Shakespeare. So yes -- when it comes to these plays it’s safe to say I know a thing or two.
Find someone who looks at you the way I look at Shakespeare.
When I directed A Midsummer Night’s Dream this past June I scoured resources. I read and re-read critical articles and listened to podcasts and watched documentaries. Yes, I had studied the play in grad school but that didn’t mean I knew everything about the play. That didn’t mean I knew everything about directing the play. In rehearsals I always made sure to confer with my production team, asking what they thought about the direction of a scene or a character choice, etc. I especially conferred with them about my scenes (because not only was I directing it but I was also playing Helena). I knew the show and the character, but that didn’t mean the choices I was making were perfect. There is no perfect.
I loved bringing what I knew to the table, and having others there offering their help, knowledge and insight only bettered my performance and my ability as a director.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Green Bay, 2019 (photo: Shauna Eteske photography)
My father, Mark Silverberg, was an incredible singer. (“Incredible” doesn’t even feel like a grand enough word.) And I can 100% say without any hesitation that he had the best voice in Green Bay and one of the best voices in the world. Don’t believe me? Listen to him here/below.
He earned his music degree from the University of Minnesota and worked professionally in the performing arts for decades. When my family moved from New York City to Green Bay in 2009, my father continued performing and he also began teaching private voice lessons. And you know what else? He took voice lessons.
Yup. The man who sang professionally in opera and musical theatre across the country, the man who couldn’t be touched in local productions as Don Quixote, Emile de Beque or Javert continued learning and bettering himself (he would drive up and have voice lessons with the late Marshall Moss, and instead of water he would drink coffee #scandinavian). Not once did my father think he had reached his ultimate potential, despite his years of experience and professional successes.
We should all have this mindset when approaching the arts. No matter at what level we are -- currently in school, hold advanced degrees, or keeping something as a hobby -- learning is never done. Learning is active, learning is continued, and learning is necessary.
“The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” Be the wise man.
He earned his music degree from the University of Minnesota and worked professionally in the performing arts for decades. When my family moved from New York City to Green Bay in 2009, my father continued performing and he also began teaching private voice lessons. And you know what else? He took voice lessons.
Yup. The man who sang professionally in opera and musical theatre across the country, the man who couldn’t be touched in local productions as Don Quixote, Emile de Beque or Javert continued learning and bettering himself (he would drive up and have voice lessons with the late Marshall Moss, and instead of water he would drink coffee #scandinavian). Not once did my father think he had reached his ultimate potential, despite his years of experience and professional successes.
We should all have this mindset when approaching the arts. No matter at what level we are -- currently in school, hold advanced degrees, or keeping something as a hobby -- learning is never done. Learning is active, learning is continued, and learning is necessary.
“The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” Be the wise man.
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