The year is 3022 and planet Earth is in grave danger. As captain of the prestigious egg ship, I prepare to lead my men into the uncharted territory of planet Zporth. This- we believe- is where Spork (king of the Zporthians and my greatest enemy) has been preparing his troops for a full-scale invasion of our planet. The stakes are high for us. If the evil Spork succeeds, he will become supreme overlord and doom us all to a life of endless homework and nothing but vegetables for food. We are the only team skilled enough to put a stop to him; we are also all chickens.
"Chickens in Space" is the name we gave the game. And the animated feature of the same title would be a smash hit at the box office; or, at least, we believed it would be as soon as we got the money to fund the production. Of course, we all knew- with the slightest bit of practicality that could fit in our brains- that that would not be for a very long time. After all, we were only eight.
"Chickens in Space" never did make it to the big screen (or, at least, not yet) but it and all the other imaginative adventures my friends and I embarked on would live forever in our minds. My backyard was a transformative land. One day, it was an intensive training ground for the invisible ninja society. Another day, it was a giant humpback whale that we could ride to the beach. The possibilities were endless.
However, as the years flew by and my childhood faded away, the beauty of imagination began to fade with it. Looking out into my backyard, I no longer saw a battlefield or a pirate ship. All that was visible now was what was there: a field of choppy grass, a creaky deck, and a broken swing set. Losing the whimsy and wonder of childhood is something everyone has to cope with- but I was determined not to let all my imagination just slip between my fingers. Acting became my outlet. It had all the things I loved about make-believe and more.I could journey into lands that I had never been to, dive into the mind of someone who I am not. Theatre brought the spirit of my childhood back to life. It opened up the doors to a whimsical adulthood.
While fantasy make-believe is inherently useful in an acting environment, there is so much more that imagination has to offer. The importance of play is overlooked in a purely pragmatic adult world. Once we reach the threshold of adolescence, we are expected to only think within the confines of reality; we are stripped of our dreams, our creativity, what ignites our passions. If everyone were to tap back into their childish spirit, the world would be a much more innovative, idealistic, progressive, magical, open-minded, and manageable place to live in.
I plead all of you to find the inner child you buried deep inside you so many years ago. Society may have scared it into hiding but trust me, it is in there. All I want is for you take 10 minutes (just 10 minutes!) out of your busy work day- to stop. Look up from your phones and see all that is out there. Pay attention. Attempt to view your surroundings with the imagination of a child. Encounter the world as if you were seeing it for the first time. Fantasize a more perfect reality. Take risks like you have never felt failure. Please, go and explore. It does not have to be an extravagant journey. Use your imagination! You might find that there's a playground right in your backyard just waiting to be discovered.
