“Creativity is not just for artists. It’s for businesspeople looking for a new way to close a sale; it’s for engineers trying to solve a problem; it’s for parents who want their children to see the world in more than one way.” Twyla Tharp, choreographer and director.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this quote from Twyla Tharp – I have long admired her work on Broadway and have always thought of her as someone who lived just in the world of artists. But in her book called “The Creative Habit”, Tharp writes to inspire and amuse all people, regardless of their profession or craft. I am in the very privileged position of being surrounded by creative people of all ages, and I am often in the room when they are making huge creative leaps, lateral jumps in understanding. Creativity is essential to making things happen, and certainly it is essential to making a better world.
Over the last month I have watched OSSD students putting their creativity out there for all to see. I have watched exquisite devised theatre in the glass lantern of the Museum of Nature (12 Drops and 1 Moon); Gilbert & Sullivan (Pirates of Penzance with a stunning cast of female pirates); the classic musical about how speech therapy changes your life (My Fair Lady); and a heart felt musical about adoption (They Chose Me), performed by an ensemble that featured several special needs youth. My own glorious cast of “Wind in the Willows” made my heart sing every night as they flew nostalgically through the English countryside via Edwardian language that was as rich as any they have ever encountered. I have watched the casts’ tears, joy and laughter but most of all I have been witness to the incredible bonds of friendship that have been forged through this creative time. Our little corner of the world has been a good place to be living.
