ABSTRACT OF THESIS
The Other Side of Complexity
by
Catherine Anne Campbell
Master of Fine Arts in Theatre and Dance (Acting)
University of California, San Diego, 2011
Professor Kyle Donnelly, Chair
A recurring note that I have received during my time here has been, "Learn to be more simple." What does this mean? I would ask myself. It seemed that the simpler I would try to be, the more boring I would feel.
It is no secret that I like to work hard, even incessantly. When I approach a role, I attack it, looking up each and every word, finding my beats, my objectives, creating back-story, deciding what she eats for breakfast.
Jim Winker, who cast me in The Misanthrope my first year, said to me after one of my evaluations where simplicity came up yet again, "Cate, you will be hearing this feedback for the rest of your life. That's ok." Jim and I share the same birthday, and the same outlook on many things, including our acting process. He never asked me to do less; rather, he would smile in recognition when I ran into the rehearsal room, cheeks flushed, with some new character revelation that came from watching yet another relevant movie about the time period of the play.
Recently, I read a quote by Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes: "I would not give a fig for the simplicity on this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity." That's it! I thought to myself. It is this simplicity that I understand, that I am interested in: the simplicity that comes after the hours of rehearsing, researching, reciting, reflecting. And at the end of that process, trusting the simple fact that I, standing on stage with all that I know, feel, and believe, am enough.