John Byrne - Theatre is our Nourishment

 I kinda like a TV series on at the moment called "What Do Artists Do All Day?" I think it's on BBC2 or 4, but I'm sure you can find it somewhere on the interweb. I like this show, because it's a good question. How on earth do people make a living out of doing something so fun? They are living the dream. I was pleased to see the series featured John Byrne this week. He is a total ledge, an amazing painter and playwright and theatre designer who is still working well into his seventies. He is mostly known for his Scottish plays The Slab Boys and the TV series Tutti Frutti, but also sells paintings all over the world. And he is based in Edinburgh, which makes me jealous as it's my spiritual home.The show focuses on Byrne's commission to paint a mural in the dome of the King's Theatre in Edinburgh. The photo below doesn't do it justice; the painting is vast and stunning, weaving in the aspects of theatre that Byrne finds most magical. He is so adorable as he explains his rationale, and also very inspiring. This is what he says - "I love the theatre, I love all the symbols of the theatre. And I love the nightime, the sparkles and artifice, which is realer than reality. Theatre is an add-on to reality, it enlarges and enriches your life, to such a degree that we have to have it. We need it, it's our food, our nourishment. Nourishment for the soul."As well as putting the 'all the world's a stage' quote in his mural, Byrne again quotes Shakespeare when explaining how a play should be put onstage. "The play's the thing", he says, "The process of the theatre is, you read the play, get to know the play, and then you take second fiddle and your job is to illuminate the text and be in the background. Don't take the forefront of the stage." I could have watched and listened to Byrne for ages, whether he be painting pictures or stage sets. He is like a wise old theatre sage, and rocking some very cool facial hair. I cannot wait to gaze up at the mural for real one day.