Mmm...Reclusion.

At a friend's recommendation, I spent the weekend reading Year of the King by Antony Sher. It's an actor's diary (and sketchbook) of the year he spent working on Richard III with the RSC. <--Royal Shakespeare Company.
I'm always looking for good books, and this one kept me so entertained, I declined an invitation to what turned out to be a pretty great party, according to all who attended. The book is something that perhaps only actors (and those who love them) will understand, but I found it to be fantastic.
As actors, we know that there are certain things we're supposed to say about a part, or a production, or 'the life.' And there are other things that are just best kept to ourselves. For example, you're not supposed to say you're disappointed that your role didn't get nominated for an award - you're supposed to say things like awards don't matter to you. You're not supposed to talk about a costume not turning out like you wanted - you're supposed to say, "it's fantastic!" And when anyone asks you how a show is going, you always, always say, "it's going great!" no matter how difficult things may be at the moment. But this guy talks about it all - the frustration, the feats, the self-congratulation, the self-loathing, the illusions and disillusions of what we do.
It's always difficult to answer the question, "why theatre?" I'm not sure that Mr. Sher has completely answered it(if that's even possible), but through his daily diary, he helps to illustrate the daily failures and triumphs that make up an actor's expreience in a given role. It's never perfect. It never will be. It's absolutely personal, and completely collaborative.