The Artist's Path

 

CHASING ALLIGATORS

 

I spend some portion of almost every day chasing alligators. I was warned in graduate school that this could become an addiction that would either lead me astray or trap me in a maze or at best lead me to an unexpected prize. It was in the stacks of the library at the University of Oklahoma that I developed my first cravings. I went in to do research on my master’s thesis on Agnes of God and the methodology I used to create the character of Mother Miriam Ruth. 

 

         Gail Mangham as Mother Miriam Ruth in Agnes of God University of Oklahoma 1987

 

 I would scour the catalog drawers, find potential sources, wander off to the stacks, pick out the book, sink to the floor and begin to read and scan. Even when it became apparent that this book would not fulfill my needs, I’d still find wee alligators, snippets that captured my interest. Then I would return to the catalog and search for a new volume related to this new interest. Bit by bit I would wander further and further afield from Agnes of God and acting. A reference on Sarah Bernhardt in one book would lead me her biography and that to Eleonora Duse an Italian rival for title of most celebrated actress in the world. From there I went to Italian theatre design during the Renaissance era. Eventually I was adrift, far from shore-- thirsty, hungry and wondering how on earth it could be so late.

 

The internet only makes this trap more accessible. Today I was doing some research on Tea with Zaza which led me to a Wicki article on Duse only to discover that she died in a hotel in Pittsburgh on the return leg of an American tour. Then I discovered that the hotel is now the student union for the University of Pittsburgh. Ah and that reminded me that one of my theatre professors went there. So of course I had to try and locate him. He is my age, late 70’s. Perhaps returned to New Jersey where he grew up. So I searched theatre data bases for his name in several states,which led me to Texas where an ad for a Texas Chili Festival caught my eye. And of course I found a recipe that intrigued me.

Alligator chasing can be an adventure, but it seldom gets the thesis written.