WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SHOES

Theater is a place where we watch people wearing other people’s shoes. Both metaphorically and literally. This may well serve as one of the definitions of theater and perhaps the finest way of thinking about an actor’s calling. By that same logic, it seems perfectly clear that we have at the same time altered, or at least enriched, the definition of the playwright.

A dramatist, therefore, is also a shoemaker. A cobbler, a craftsman who fashions, repairs, and mends “shoes.” Once crafted, the shoes await the actors, who – under the director’s guidance – step into them and become others, become different. They see the world through the eyes of another; they come to understand another’s pain, emotions, and logic. What once belonged to others is now theirs, and with a little luck and effort, it becomes ours as well.

Empathy is an inseparable part of theatrical art. Through it – and about it – stage stories have been told for centuries. It is a power, not a supernatural one, but a deeply human one, to put ourselves in another’s place, to shift perspectives, to reflect, to understand, to feel comfort and mutual connection, intimacy. That power has also been granted to those of us who are not actors, thus allowing us, both in the theatre and in the world beyond it, to slip into someone else’s shoes, someone else’s skin, and to see the world from different angles.
Empathy, they say, is an action, not just an emotion. Just like acting, isn’t it?

Embrace every chance to “wear someone else’s shoes.” Try on the new ones, the stiff ones – don’t be afraid of blisters. Then slip into the old, worn-out ones, the ones with soles falling off, and swap them for a size larger or in a different color. Don’t shy away from the elegant women’s shoes either. Military boots may seem comfortable at first, but you should quickly trade them for a pair of peasant shoes or plain sandals. From time to time, for the sake of your health, go barefoot. A world full of shoes is waiting for you. Walking must never stop.

Almir IMŠIREVIĆ