( APPLAUSE )
WE'RE BACK WITH MR. ADAM DRIVER.
ADAM, LAST WEEK WAS VETERANS DAY, AND YOU WERE A MARINE OVER
A DECADE AGO.
( APPLAUSE )
YOU COFOUNDED ARTS AND THE ARMED FORCES.
WHY DID YOU WANT TO BRING THEATER TO ACTIVE-DUTY SERVICE
MEMBERS?
>> WELL, I HAD JUST GOTTEN OUT OF THE MILITARY, AND I WAS
INTERESTED IN ACTING BEFORE I LEFT FOR THE MARINE CORPS.
WHEN YOU GET OUT YOU KIND OF PURSUE THE THING YOU WERE
INTERESTED IN-- AT LEAST I DID-- BEFORE.
BECAUSE COMPARED TO THE MILITARY IT SEEMS ATTAINABLE, WHICH IS AN
ILLUSION.
I HAPPEN TO HAVE GONE TO SCHOOL AT JUILLIARD WITH JON, ACTUALLY.
>> Stephen: WITH JON RIGHT OVER THERE.
YEAH.
( APPLAUSE )
AND FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE KIND-- THE CONNECTION OF
LANGUAGE AND-- THROUGH THEATER, THAT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE
MILITARY AND THE PROCESS OF WORKING ON SOMETHING IS EXACTLY
LIKE BEING IN THE MILITARY, ACTUALLY.
OBVIOUSLY, ONE-- YOU'RE PRETENDING THE STAKES ARE LIFE
AND DEATH, AND THE OTHER THAT THEY ACTUALLY ARE.
BUT THE TEAM EFFORT OF IT, THAT YOU HAVE A ROLE AND YOU KNOW
YOUR ROLE WITHIN YOUR UNIT, AND THE PERSON THAT'S LEADING IT IS
PARAMOUNT, AND IF THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING, WHAT YOU'RE DOING
FEELS ACTIVE AND RELEVANT AND NECESSARY, AND IF THEY DON'T IT
FEELS LIKE A WASTE OF TIME AND DANGEROUS.
AND IT'S REALLY NOT ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL JOURNEY.
IT'S ABOUT-- ACKNOWLEDGING OTHER PEOPLE AND ASKING THEM QUESTIONS
ABOUT THEMSELVES.
BUT WORKING AS A TEAM IN A UNIT, YOU KNOW, AND IT KIND OF TAKES--
ALL TO ACCOMPLISH A MISSION THAT'S BIGGER THAN ANY ONE
PERSON.
AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, BEING ON A FILM
SET OR A CREW.
EVERYONE'S BATTLING TECHNOLOGY AND TIME, AND THERE'S
IMPROVISATION UNDER PRESSURE.
AND PEOPLE ARE THERE FOR YOU OR THEY'RE NOT.
>> Stephen: YOU THREW A BENEFIT EVENT RIGHT DOWN THE
STREET HERE AT ROUNDABOUT, STUDIO 54.
>> WE HAVE DONE IT A LOT OF TIMES.
>> Stephen: THERE IS FAIRLY RECENTLY.
THERE YOU ARE RIGHT THERE.
AND, LOOK, A FAMILIAR FACE WAS THERE.
THERE'S JON PLAYING AT IT.
( APPLAUSE )
>> Jon: I THINK IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL IDEA TO BRING THE ARTS
TO PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF HOLLYWOOD OR THE COASTAL ELITE CITIES, ART
CIRCLES, AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
PARTICULARLY PEOPLE WHO HAVE RISKED THEIR LIVES FOR OUR
FREEDOMS.
SO PEOPLE IN MY FAMILY, GOING BACK FOUR GENERATIONS, HAVE ALL
SERVED THIS COUNTRY.
SO I JUST LOVED THE IDEA.
IT WAS GREAT TO BE THERE.
( APPLAUSE )
PERFORMANCES THAT WE EVER DID, WHICH WAS IN CAMP PENDLETON,
WHERE I WAS STATIONED AT.
WE INITIALLY STARTED IT,s IT WAS A HARD SELL BECAUSE YOU
TAKE-- YOU TAKE THEATER OUT OF A METROPOLITAN AREA AND SUDDENLY
IT'S A WEAPON.
YOU KNOW, WHEN SOMEONE'S PERFORMING IT LIVE IT'S MORE
MEMORABLE AND EFFECTIVE.
BUT NOW, CELEBRITY REALLY BREAKS DOWN BARRIERS AND OPENS DOORS
FOR US IN A SENSE.
AND IT'S REALLY NOT FOR THE HIGHER-UPS ANYWAY.
IT'S REALLY FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES, OR
HAVE JOINED THE MILITARY FOR A GREEN CARD, YOU KNOW.
AND THEY'RE THE GRUNTS.
THEY DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THEATER, WHICH I THINK IS A
REALLY-- IT REALLY IS JUST AS VALUABLE A TOOL TO COMMUNICATE
AS A RIFLE.
I THINK IT CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE.
>> Stephen: DID IT SAVE YOURS?
( APPLAUSE ).
>> I THINK SO.
THERE'S A-- THERE'S NOT A LOT OF EMPHASIS ON ARTICULATING A
FEELING, AND I SAW IN PEOPLE THEY SERVED WITH, WHEN THEY
COULDN'T-- WHEN THEY COULDN'T SAY THE THING, THEY'D GET MAD.
YOU KNOW, THEY'D HAVE-- WHEN YOU CAN'T EXPRESS A THOUGHT OR A
FEELING OR EVEN THOUGH YOU HA HAVE-- YOU HAVE NO TOOLS TO GET
IT OUT, YOU CAN WATCH PEOPLE SELF-DESTRUCT.
AND I THINK IN WATCHING SOMETHING, EVEN IF IT'S NOT-- WE
SPECIFICALLY PICKED THINGS THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE
MILITARY BECAUSE WE'RE NOT TELLING THE MILITARY WHAT IT'S
LIKE TO BE IN THE TELLING, LIKE THROUGH A TONY KUSHNER PLAY, OR
AUGUST WILSON, YOU KNOW, PLAY, SUDDENLY YOU'RE WATCHING
SOMETHING ABOUT, YOU KNOW,-- YOU'RE WATCHING FENCES AND
YOU'RE MAKING A CONNECTION AND YOUR LIFE, EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE
NOTHING-- NO RELATIONSHIP TO THOSE PEOPLE AT ALL.
THEIR LIFE IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN YOURS AND AS YOU
FEEL IN YOUR AUDIENCE, A COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE STARTS
HAPPENING IN THE ROOM IN THEATER WITH STRANGERS.
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WHO HAVE TOTALLY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES
AND THE WAY THEY'RE TELLING YOU ABOUT THE PLAY.
AND THAT'S THE THING ABOUT LIVE PERFORMANCE THAT-- AND THEATER
THAT WHY NOT SHARE THAT WITH THE LESS THAN 1% OF OUR COUNTRY
THAT'S BEING ASKED TO BEAR 100% FOR ITS SAFETY, YOU KNOW,
BECAUSE THEY WON'T GET A PLAY?
YOU KNOW?
( APPLAUSE )
BUT THEY-- SAM SHEPPARD IS TOO CONFRONTATIONAL, YOU KNOW.
>> Stephen: I THINK ONE OF THE AMAZING THINGS ABOUT HUMAN
BEINGS IS WE ALL HAVE SO MANY EMOTIONS.
WE'RE OFTEN SO POORLY TRAINED TO SHARE THEM WITH EACH OTHER, THAT
WE WILL GO PAY MONEY TO SIT IN A DARK ROOM AND WATCH PEOPLE ON
STAGE HAVE THEM FOR US.
THERE IS SOME MAGICAL TRANSFORMATION THAT HAPPENS IN
US BY WITNESSING THE FREEDOM THAT'S HAPPENING ON STAGE.
>> RIGHT.
>> Stephen: AND FREES YOU IN SOME WAY.
>> AND THE DIALOGUE IS NOT-- LITERALLY, PEOPLE START
BREATHING IN RHYTHM, YOU KNOW.
THEY-- THE TEMPERATURE CHANGES.
I MEAN-- AND THE DIVERSITY OF AUDIENCE WITH THE DIVERSITY OF--
AND SPECIFICITY OF A GREAT STORY ON STAGE, THERE'S NOTHING MORE
ANCIENT THAN THAT, ACTUALLY.
>> Stephen: AND SOMETHING THAT WAS VERY COMMON AT ONE TIME.
>> OH, YEAH.
>> Stephen: IT'S IN OUR MODERN LIVES THAT THEATER IS ONLY IN
METROPOLITAN AREAS.
>> IT GOES TO THE GREEKS, URIP DISEASE, GENERALS WHO WROTE
PLAYS FOR AN AUDIENCE AT WAR, SO THEY WOULD GET TOGETHER AND SIT
AND WATCH SOMEONE IN THEIR COMMUNITY AND ACT WHAT WAS JUST
HAPPENING ON THE BATTLE FRONT.
AND KNOW-- IT'S NOT A NEW IDEA.
IT'S ACTUALLY AN ANCIENT ONE.
AND ACTUALLY, WHEN I CAME BACK TO NEW YORK, I SAW, I WENT AND
SAW A MOVIE, I WENT AND SAW A GALLERY, AND THEN I SAW CAROLINA
AT THE ROUNDABOUT.
IT DOESN'T GET MORE ARCHAIC THAN THIS IN A SENSE.
WE'RE PEOPLE THAT WE'RE PRETENDING THEY DON'T SEE, AND
THEY'RE PRETENDING THEY DON'T SEE US, AND WE'RE WATCHING THEM
ADVOCATE A LIFE THAT WE DON'T KNOW IF IT'S-- SUDDENLY WE'RE
ALL REMINDED OF OUR SHARED HUMANITY, YOU KNOW, IN A WAY
THAT ALSO IN MOVIES I THINK CAN HAPPEN, WHICH IS WHAT'S
DANGEROUS ABOUT STREAMING, BUT I WILL LEAVE THAT ALONE.
( LAUGHTER )
GETTING IN A DARK ROOM WITH STRANGERS AND SHARING-- WATCHING
SOMETHING COLLECTIVE, YOU KNOW.
>> Stephen: I HOPE PEOPLE ARE DOING IT IN A DARK ROOM RIGHT
NOW AT HOME IN THEIR BEDS WITH STRANGERS.
( LAUGHTER )
HAVE YOU HERE.
>> SORRY FOR MONOLOGUING.
>> Stephen: I LOVE IT.
( APPLAUSE )
NOVEMBER 24.
ADAM DRIVER, EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH AMERICA FERRERA.
♪ ♪ ♪