1 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:29,119 A B C A always B C closing. Always be 2 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:31,439 closing. 3 00:00:29,119 --> 00:00:33,920 I don't understand what anything means. 4 00:00:31,439 --> 00:00:35,520 You want to learn the first rule you'd 5 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:36,640 know if you ever spent a day in your 6 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:38,160 life. 7 00:00:36,640 --> 00:00:40,800 What do you want me to do? 8 00:00:38,160 --> 00:00:42,480 Teach me. I want you to teach me. 9 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:43,040 What do you mean? Can I talk to him 10 00:00:42,480 --> 00:00:43,920 about this? 11 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:45,200 Yeah. 12 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:46,239 Are you just talking about this or were 13 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:47,600 we just talking about it? 14 00:00:46,239 --> 00:00:48,960 Yeah, we're just speaking about it. 15 00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:50,320 Speaking about an idea. 16 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:52,719 What I hope I'm doing, and here's where 17 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:55,840 your English papers got a point, is I'm 18 00:00:52,719 --> 00:00:57,440 responding to the will of the people. 19 00:00:55,840 --> 00:00:59,120 You laughing now. 20 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:00,800 No, there are people out there. People 21 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:03,199 who came here to know something they 22 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:05,439 didn't know. Who came here to be helped. 23 00:01:03,199 --> 00:01:06,320 I've been in this business 15 years. 24 00:01:05,439 --> 00:01:09,360 What's your name? 25 00:01:06,320 --> 00:01:11,439 [ __ ] you. That's my name. I think you're 26 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:16,520 angry. 27 00:01:11,439 --> 00:01:16,520 Oh, have I got your attention now? 28 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:20,360 Good. 29 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:25,759 They say when the student is prepared 30 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:27,280 that the teacher appears. So, the same 31 00:01:25,759 --> 00:01:29,040 is true of most of the lessons you're 32 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:30,799 going to learn uh in any I don't know if 33 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:33,280 any art, but certainly in any craft. 34 00:01:30,799 --> 00:01:35,280 When you're ready to learn it, you will. 35 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:36,880 if you want to and if you need to and if 36 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:38,560 and and and if you don't want to and you 37 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:40,640 don't need to, you ain't ready yet or 38 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:42,560 maybe maybe you don't want to. I always 39 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:45,360 say, you know, the arts is my experience 40 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:46,880 is like running away to the circus. You 41 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:48,320 know, if you got something to fall back 42 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:50,560 on, the circus don't need you. The 43 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:52,799 circus don't want you. You got to run 44 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:54,479 away say, "Okay, 45 00:01:52,799 --> 00:01:55,920 I'll leave, but you're going to have to 46 00:01:54,479 --> 00:01:57,280 kill me." 47 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:59,920 And what that's one of the great things 48 00:01:57,280 --> 00:02:02,719 I found in our in this wonderful bis 49 00:01:59,920 --> 00:02:04,719 show business and also in the movies is 50 00:02:02,719 --> 00:02:06,799 is the kid who shows up and says what 51 00:02:04,719 --> 00:02:09,520 can I do and you say nothing get out of 52 00:02:06,799 --> 00:02:10,800 here right the kid keeps coming back a 53 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:12,160 week later you say for Christ sake 54 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:14,239 you're going to get me a cup of coffee 55 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:15,599 and get out of here right by the end of 56 00:02:14,239 --> 00:02:18,400 the third week you're saying where's 57 00:02:15,599 --> 00:02:19,599 that kid right and at the end of the 58 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:22,879 movie you're saying kid what do you want 59 00:02:19,599 --> 00:02:24,319 to do next it's it's magnificent but I 60 00:02:22,879 --> 00:02:28,040 always thought that being a writer is a 61 00:02:24,319 --> 00:02:28,040 lot like being a beaver 62 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:33,599 that beavers 63 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:36,239 their teeth itch, right? And so that's 64 00:02:33,599 --> 00:02:37,760 why they cut down trees, 65 00:02:36,239 --> 00:02:39,120 right? 66 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:40,800 Because that's the only thing that stops 67 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:44,239 their their teeth from driving them 68 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:46,160 crazy. And so I think that I'm kind of 69 00:02:44,239 --> 00:02:47,519 like, it's not the teeth, it's my 70 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:49,840 consciousness. But it's the same thing. 71 00:02:47,519 --> 00:02:51,440 How can I get it to shut up for a while? 72 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:54,640 Give it a different give it a problem 73 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:56,800 that it likes, right? And so once in a 74 00:02:54,640 --> 00:02:58,400 while the problem that likes is 75 00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:59,680 unpleasant. 76 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:03,319 But what else am I going to do? Well, 77 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:03,319 I'm not going to play golf. 78 00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:14,879 I think I'm going to talk about kind of 79 00:03:09,599 --> 00:03:16,400 a unified field theory of aesthetics. 80 00:03:14,879 --> 00:03:18,640 And if anyone's still listening after 81 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:21,360 that, um, you're probably even more 82 00:03:18,640 --> 00:03:22,720 caffeinated than I am. Um, so I've 83 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:25,760 always been fascinated by the idea that 84 00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:28,720 there's exists a unified field theory of 85 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:31,760 where we can regularize the way we 86 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:33,920 perceive with the way that we write and 87 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:36,239 write because we understand the way the 88 00:03:33,920 --> 00:03:38,400 human beings perceive 89 00:03:36,239 --> 00:03:40,400 and to apply and this theory I try to 90 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:42,959 apply to 91 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:48,000 the uh the performing arts. How do human 92 00:03:42,959 --> 00:03:50,000 beings perceive A plus B therefore C? we 93 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:52,799 perceive in terms of cause and and 94 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:56,239 effect. That's our survival mechanism. 95 00:03:52,799 --> 00:03:58,239 Therefore, any performing art has to 96 00:03:56,239 --> 00:04:00,480 take into account the way we perceive 97 00:03:58,239 --> 00:04:03,439 cause and effect. The best way that this 98 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:07,599 describe the how this operates in drama 99 00:04:03,439 --> 00:04:09,360 is a plot. A plot is an exercise in 100 00:04:07,599 --> 00:04:11,040 cause and effect. So, that's what I'm 101 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:12,799 going to be talking about. That's the 102 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:14,640 way a plot works. That's the way a scene 103 00:04:12,799 --> 00:04:17,040 works. That's the way a movie script 104 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:18,639 works. That's the way I talk to actors 105 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:20,959 in terms of what does the character 106 00:04:18,639 --> 00:04:23,680 want? Why does he want it? What happens 107 00:04:20,959 --> 00:04:27,800 if he doesn't get it? Why now? Those are 108 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:27,800 the questions I ask of everything. 109 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:36,639 Over the years, I taught in a lot of 110 00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:38,639 different venues. I founded a couple of 111 00:04:36,639 --> 00:04:41,280 acting schools with my friend William H. 112 00:04:38,639 --> 00:04:42,479 Macy. One of them is is still operating 113 00:04:41,280 --> 00:04:44,800 in New York. It's part of the Atlantic 114 00:04:42,479 --> 00:04:47,280 Theater Company. I taught at all these 115 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:49,440 hot shot universities uh as an 116 00:04:47,280 --> 00:04:52,639 instructor, guest lecture, blah blah 117 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:55,520 blah. I taught private classes. And 118 00:04:52,639 --> 00:04:58,240 there was one group that was the only 119 00:04:55,520 --> 00:05:00,800 group I met that was significantly more 120 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:04,639 intelligent in the universities was the 121 00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:07,680 kids at MIT because they were they 122 00:05:04,639 --> 00:05:10,639 knew how to be analytical 123 00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:13,360 and they were it was kind of like a po 124 00:05:10,639 --> 00:05:15,840 what they used to call like po uh poetry 125 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:17,919 for physicists. So I was talking to them 126 00:05:15,840 --> 00:05:19,759 about my theories and they were used to 127 00:05:17,919 --> 00:05:21,759 being analytical saying okay let me test 128 00:05:19,759 --> 00:05:24,000 that out. Let me see if it jives with my 129 00:05:21,759 --> 00:05:26,960 experience. Let me see if I can practice 130 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:28,720 it. If so, it's probably true. So, the 131 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:30,479 guys at MIT, the guys and the girls at 132 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:32,160 MIT didn't have any didn't have any 133 00:05:30,479 --> 00:05:34,320 preconceptions about drama. They were 134 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:36,080 simply physicists. So, it was easy for 135 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:38,160 them to say, "I get it. This guy's 136 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:39,759 propounding a theory. Let me see if it 137 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:41,680 makes sense." And so, I hope that's what 138 00:05:39,759 --> 00:05:43,039 you guys and girls would do, too. Say, 139 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:45,680 "Okay, he's propounding various 140 00:05:43,039 --> 00:05:47,039 theories. Let me see if I follow them. 141 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:49,440 Let me see if they jive with my 142 00:05:47,039 --> 00:05:50,880 experience. And if I practice them, let 143 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:52,880 me see if they work. They say if you 144 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:54,800 want to really learn something, teach 145 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:57,120 it. So I I love teaching. I'm a 146 00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:59,919 Sagittarius. All Sagittariuses are 147 00:05:57,120 --> 00:06:01,680 teachers. I was born on November 30th, 148 00:05:59,919 --> 00:06:04,240 same day as Winston Churchill and Mark 149 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:06,880 Twain, who are two of my idols. And one 150 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:08,800 day before Woody Ellen, who's who's the 151 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:11,800 third, and that's why I'm glad to be 152 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:11,800 here. 153 00:06:14,319 --> 00:06:17,759 teaching a class this way was really 154 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:18,880 interesting for me. I don't know if you 155 00:06:17,759 --> 00:06:20,720 walk away with anything other than 156 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:22,720 thinking, oh, you know, he's moderately 157 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:25,440 charming. You know, that might inspire 158 00:06:22,720 --> 00:06:28,160 me uh to look at his works or it might 159 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:30,240 inspire me, you know, if that buffoon is 160 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:32,400 going to waste my time for 6 hours. Let 161 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:34,000 me see if I can do better. So I I would 162 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:36,960 hope that you guys would would be 163 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:39,440 encouraged to say if this class clown 164 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:41,120 can do so well, you know, and get 165 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:43,520 through life on just a shoe shine and 166 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:45,680 smile for 50 years, hell, I'll try it, 167 00:06:43,520 --> 00:06:48,319 too. 168 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:51,039 I'm David Mamemoth and this is my master 169 00:06:48,319 --> 00:06:51,039 class.