Heilkunst in Theatre : Hamlet(solo)
Last evening I had the pleasure of seeing a solo performance of Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’, by actor Raoul Baneja. When I say that it was a solo performance, I mean that this one actor played all 17 parts of the play. Theatre can tend to be a very immersive experience, and this format most definitely accelerated that.
The usual function of theatre, as carried through the actors, is of a kind of participation of distinct states of mind portrayed by each of the characters. The actor, them self, may experience a deep cathartic release from entering into their character, and re-connecting to a human aspect of themselves which they have been cut off from. In its extreme form, as was recounted after the death of Heath Leger, was that the depth which he entered into the character of ‘The Joker’ was more charge than he could handle, and led to his demise.
The journey of health ultimately aims for us to reconnect with every aspect of the human experience, at least in its pure form of archetypes and states of mind. The feat accomplished by Raoul Baneja is one which represents this phenomenon of a reclaiming of a full spectrum of our humanity, and which we can each hold as an inner model of “putting Humpty back together again”.
In a similar vein, the act of creativity is essential to the unfolding of our health. The forms of creativity are varied, and unique to the skills and talents of each individual. The creative mind of Shakespeare, for example, would have also accomplished this same feat in creating all of these characters originating from a single mind.
As one further note of interest about this play, there is an aspect of the law of similars, which I have previously written about here.