By Hazel Doolan
Prologue
In light of the two year anniversary of our debut of the romantic comedy ‘Match’, I thought it was only appropriate to blog about a relevant theme. We’ve all been there, all in search of something special with detours along the way. Awkward secondary school crushes, dramatic romantic affairs in uni, long term relationships, brief encounters, standing up dates, being stood up, blind dates, Tinder dates and so forth. The same goes as an artist but can vary depending on the scenario and the stages one may be at.
Act One: Pursuing
The search on cast/class nights out, the swiping on an App and creeping in the college library/theatre. Underneath all the drama and excitement of pursuing a beau, an artist like anyone else wants a meaningful connection. Best case scenario would be picnics in a meadow while the love interest plays the guitar while you recite poetry and then, you know. You know that you’ve found the one… It doesn’t exactly happen that way though. Typically you’d be doing your best take on movies, making impressions with your knowledge of art/literature/theatre practices and or reciting that famous monologue. Over blaring music at a house party/night club you debate why Brecht’s works are still significant in modern society although the person in question may not know who Brecht is. This sets your ambitions to impress higher and then you share more of your ‘artsy’ knowledge. In some cases you successfully woo said person and you walk away with a number/Facebook friend request. This leads into more conversations about your chosen craft. Late night texts, funny memes they thought you might like, ‘Hey, how’re you?’ messages and so forth. Before you know it, you’ve been asked to go for a drink/coffee.
Act Two: Dating
So, you have a date. You have caught the attention of another being who could potentially be the guitar player/poetry reader under the tree. What now? Well, you need to make sure you’ve enough artistic material to keep you covered in conversation in order to not repeat yourself, a killer outfit which expresses your individuality while appealing your best assets, and… Wait, did you already tell them about your trip to London and the terrible Opera? You can’t repeat yourself again, quick! What else is there? No you’ve said too much about Brecht and you’ve said your ‘let’s break the fourth wall’ joke. Ok, don’t panic. You’ll definitely have more to say.
You arrive and there they are… Where’s the music? The lighting change? Hmm, alright then. You exchange a friendly meeting and you proceed to get coffee/drink, the curtain is up. The date in all goes well, you laugh and find out more about your potential beau as they share their interests with you, artistic and others. The panic you had before seems irrelevant now and you continue to enjoy the rest of your date.
Act Three: Relationship
The unimaginable has happened, your potential beau is now your beau. They go to all your shows/exhibitions, they lend a helping hand for flyering/get outs, they have tea made after a long rehearsal, they show extra support during tech/show/exhibition week and know not to throw anything out that may be a ‘prop’. Your house is full of crap and you’re drowning in paperwork from applications/scripts but they are there for you throughout. They are at the stage where they know references from Grease and Chicago which they may not like the fact that they do but they know how much those movies mean to you and embrace it. You do the same for them, whether they are a fellow artist or not. Then on a summer’s day you are sitting outside reciting poetry while they are playing guitar/picking a song on Youtube… And then ye have to leg it inside out of the rain cause let’s face it we’re in Ireland.
Epilogue
An artist’s journey for love and romance is no different from others whether looking for love, dating or being in a relationship. They embark on their search in the same ‘stages’, experience the same fear of having nothing to talk about on a first date and dream of having that magical moment as depicted in romance novels/movies. Like any relationship though it is important to remember that ‘Perfect is just perfect, better is better.’
Eva's Echo 